Seattle Sounders 2011 MLS Season Preview

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

In the franchise’s second season, the Seattle Sounders proved that its great 2009 season was no fluke and that this team was a true contender. They didn’t improve on their first year campaign, despite all of the preseason buzz.

The team won its second consecutive U.S. Open Cup, the first club to do so since 1983. However, they couldn’t escape the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs for the second straight time.

The season was salvaged after the team started off to a disappointing record of 4-8-3. Over the team’s final 15 games, the Sounders only lost twice.

The biggest addition to last year’s squad didn’t come from a trade or transfer. Instead, the Sounders will be glad to have defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado return to the lineup after spending the majority of last season on the disabled list.

A valuable piece, Hurtado’s presence should solidify the backline and give the team a bit more presence. What was a huge strength in 2009 dipped in form in 2010. The Sounders gave up the most goals out of all eight playoff teams (35). Hurtado should help them get back to form.

Even more discouraging for Seattle was the offense. Seattle scored 39 goals last season, seventh in the league. Four of the five other playoff teams from the Western Conference—including all three that finished ahead of Seattle—scored more goals than they did. Adding insult to injury was the fact that former Sounder Sebastian Le Toux scored 14 goals with the Philadelphia Union.

Again, the Sounders are hoping an entire season from one of their own players helps the cause. After joining the team after the World Cup last season designated player Blaise Nkufo scored five goals in 11 games and became the first player in the club’s MLS existence to score a hat-trick.

Adding him to the ever dangerous Freddy Montero and Steve Zakuani for a whole season should improve the offense. That being said, the three have had to work a lot of kinks out this preseason, failing to score up until the final game when Montero scored twice.

So that, for now, leaves the midfield as the dependable unit. Alvaro Fernandez, another designated player signing that joined the club after the World Cup, will lead the way in his first full MLS season. He is joined by Osvaldo Alonso and Brad Evans, two players that, while unsung, have been crucial to the team’s stability and success.

The midfield unit will be rounded out by rookie Michael Tettah and Swedish signing Erik Friberg.

The biggest question coming into this season will be what kind of depth will the Sounders have?

The team lost defenders Tyrone Marshall and Nate Sturgis and midfielders Peter Vagenas and Sanna Nyassi—who scored both goals in the U.S. Open Cup final victory. It is a difficult time to lose guys who have contributed to the team with an upcoming appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League to go with MLS and Open Cup play.

There is also a sense of urgency to make the most of the team’s talents before Nkufo and goalkeeper Kasey Keller, one of the best Americans to ever play the position, retire at the end of the season.

Seattle seems to be relying on the lack of drama from former DP Freddie Ljungberg and whether he will stay or go as well as getting full seasons of production from Hurtado, Nkufo and Fernandez. They have a smart ownership group and have made smart in-season signings, so Seattle should have enough to get through the beginning of the season.

With a loaded schedule though, will the team be able to stay healthy?

It’s hard to imagine Seattle not making the playoffs for a third straight season, but can they get past the first round?

2011 Seattle Sounders commercial. Video from YouTube.

Seattle Sounders Beat New York Red Bulls, Maintain Hope

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

To say the Seattle Sounders have not met expectations is an understatement.

Seven games into the 2010 season the team that many liked to make it to the MLS Cup final is in last place in the competitive Western Conference. The team’s leading scorer in 2009, Fredy Montero, was benched. The defense that allowed the fewest goals in the league last season had allowed multiple goals against in three of the past four games and a horrid four goals against in their previous matchup against MLS points leader Los Angeles Galaxy.

And one of the few teams currently making a profit gave its season ticket holders a refund after the L.A. drubbing.

Still, Saturday night saved some light in what has been a mostly dark season.

The Sounders beat the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena—where New York had yet to lose including preseason and U.S. Open Cup games—1-0 on a 85th minute goal from Montero.

The victory not only stopped a four-game winless streak but gives the team a new sense of optimism.

Firstly, the benching of Montero might have finally woke him up.

He has been ineffective this season. He had become complacent in the starting 11 and many have said that he looks disinterested and possibly distracted by a potential move to Europe.

However his five minute performance against the Red Bulls shows that he seemed to understand that he needs to earn his spot in the lineup. Montero was active and pressured the Red Bulls defense, namely center back Mike Petke and goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul.

His goal not only gave the team much needed three points but also was a nice change of pace for a team that has had enormous difficulty finishing all season. The Sounders had only scored one goal in their previous three games.

More promising was the overall effort the team gave.

The last meeting between the two teams saw the Sounders outshoot the Red Bulls 17-10 yet get shutout. With the four-game winless streak, playing on the road against a team that hadn’t lost on their own turf, and again outshooting them but not being able to put the ball in the back of the net, it would have been easy for the Sounders to give up and settle for the draw.

They didn’t though. The defense held strong and Montero injected new life to the team and they came away with a very big road win.

Now the team will catch another break in the form of the World Cup.

The United States will begin their pre-World Cup training camp soon, which means players named to the preliminary roster will go missing from their MLS clubs. The league will play through the training camps and up until the beginning of the World Cup before it goes on hiatus during group play.

The Sounders however will not lose any players from their roster. They will remain at full-strength.

Compare that to the Galaxy, who suffered a disappointing draw against Toronto FC on Saturday, who will be without MLS leading-scorer Edson Buddle for at the period throughout training camp, and will lose captain Landon Donovan for the entirety of the United States’ run through the tournament.

It is a perfect opportunity for Seattle to make up lost ground.

The win does not fix Seattle’s problems. It does however provide a glimmer of hope.

If the team can gain some confidence and momentum from this victory then, in a league where parity is rewarded, they can still live up to lofty preseason expectations.

Seattle Sounders Need a Win Against Columbus Crew

AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

The Sounders are only six games into a 30-game schedule but they have come to an absolutely critical situation this season.

After opening the 2010 campaign with a 2-0 home victory over the expansion Philadelphia Union, the Sounders—MLS’ darlings of 2009—have made things difficult for themselves. They won only once in the next five games, coming out with a record of 2-2-2 to date. They sit five points behind undefeated Los Angeles Galaxy for first place in the Western Conference with one extra game played.

Seattle was given a chance to pick up some ground the previous weekend with two games against winless FC Dallas and the defensively deficient Toronto FC. Instead of taking advantage of supposedly weaker opponents Seattle drew Dallas and was then subsequently shutout in a loss against Toronto.

Now the Sounders will return home for a crucial match against undefeated Columbus Crew, with a game against the Galaxy looming next weekend.

The Sounders surprisingly are experiencing weaknesses all over the field. The usually strong defensive unit has allowed two goals in three of the past four games, giving the team a 1-1-2 record in that stretch.

The defense cannot afford to give up that many goals because the offense has had an incredible difficulty in scoring goals. The team has been shut out twice, including in the Toronto game against the team that has allowed the second most goals in this young season.

They are attacking and putting pressure on opposing defenses but finishing has been poor, especially on set pieces without striker Nate Jaqua who is out because of an abdominal injury. Teams are playing physical with top targets Freddy Montero and Freddie Ljungberg and not allowing them any space for easy goals.

Seattle’s situation looks gloomy, but there is reason to be optimistic this weekend. They return to Qwest Field, where they are 2-1-0 and have outscored opponents 3-1. Columbus also has only played three times this season, experiencing two bye weeks in the first four weeks. This makes for a team still figuring itself out.

However, the Crew has won the past two Supporters Shields and was MLS Champions two seasons ago. This is a team that knows how to win. Despite the uneven schedule they are undefeated. The Sounders look like the team still trying to work out the early season kinks, not Columbus.

Also, last week it seemed as if the Sounders had the upper hand, yet they still managed to come out with only one point in two games against weaker opponents.

If the team takes care of business against subpar competition then it puts them in a better position to compete with the other top tier teams. However, not getting points from those matches puts a lot more pressure on the team.

Now the team is falling behind in the standings, dropping to third in the Western Conference. They need to come out with a win against Columbus for a number of reasons: they can’t stand to lose any more points in the standings, they need to reenergize the team and fan base, and they need to be able to go into following game against the surging Galaxy with some confidence.

It’s an extremely important game entirely too early in the season for Seattle.

If they can’t come out with a win, they may be putting themselves in a hole that is very difficult to escape later on in the season.

Seattle Sounders Lacking a Scoring Punch

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

Pegged by some to win the 2010 MLS Cup in only its second season of existence, the Seattle Sounders currently sit in a three-way tie for second place in the Western Conference in the early goings of the season with a 2-1-1 record.

Their defense has stood strong, allowing only three goals in four games.

However their offense has been just that—offensive—scoring only five goals in the four games.

Finishing was a problem last year, dooming them in the playoffs as they failed to score a goal in the first round against Houston, and it has continued into this season. Standing out is the shutout in the team’s second game when they were held scoreless by the New York Red Bulls—the worst team in the league last year—and narrowly escaping with three points in their latest match against Kansas City, not scoring until the 92nd minute of the contest.

Against the Red Bulls, the Sounders set a club record with 12 corner kicks and outshot New York 17-10. They put the pressure on New York’s defense and made goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul make saves, but when it was all said and done zero balls found the back of the net.

It can’t help the team’s morale knowing that Sebastian Le Toux, who the team left exposed in the expansion draft and was selected by the Philadelphia Union, scored three goals in Philadelphia’s first ever franchise win.

Their defense is good enough that on some nights the team can get away with scoring only one goal. However that is a lot of pressure to force on a unit, to stay perfect every game in order for the team to have a chance at collecting points.

Opposing defenses know that playmakers Freddy Montero and Freddie Ljungberg are the biggest threats, and have played very physical with them, not letting them get free and get many good scoring chances.

Last year’s starting striker Nate Jaqua, who scored a career-high nine goals and at six-feet-four-inches was the target on set pieces, underwent abdominal surgery earlier in April and will miss at least another month.

Reinforcements are on the way, though.

After Seattle’s first game of the season the team signed MLS veteran Pat Noonan, a technical player with a good finishing touch who has scored 45 goals in 172 regular season appearances.

There is also the upcoming summer arrival of Blaise Nkufo. The Swiss International and FC Twente scoring leader will join the Sounders at the conclusion of Switzerland’s run in the World Cup.

The team is getting down the field and applying pressure. They have creative players that can create opportunities for themselves and others. They also have quick players, namely Steve Zakuani, who can get behind defenses and run at them.

They just cannot put the finishing touch on their plays, and that could prove costly down the line as it did in the playoffs last year.

Seattle gets two chances to work on improving their scoring panache this weekend when they face FC Dallas’ defense-in-work on Thursday night and Toronto’s porous defense Sunday.

Defense may win championships, but you can’t win games if you don’t score.

Verteran Seattle Sounders Outclass Young Philadelphia Union

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

The Seattle Sounders proved to the expansion Philadelphia Union that Philly still has a long way to go before they can match Seattle’s success.

The Sounders completely outplayed and outclassed the inexperienced Philadelphia side en route to a 2-0 victory.

Philadelphia displayed their youth and seemed to be disjointed as a team. The starting lineup featured two rookies, five players making their MLS debut, and the starters’ total average age was 24-years-old. Two more rookies came on as late second-half substitutes.

This was quite the bold move by Union Head Coach Peter Nowak, putting these young players in the pressure-filled environment of a packed house of over 32,000 at Seattle’s Qwest Field.

The nerves showed as Philadelphia struggled in the first half with possessing the ball and came in with some bad challenges defensively that saw them given five yellow cards, four in the first half. Two of those went to rookie Toni Stahl, who was thus given a red card and ejected. The Union was forced to play a man down.

Seattle’s veteran squad, despite the physical play, kept calm and stayed cool.

They did not join in on the card party, and seized control of the match from the get-go. Brad Evans scored in the 12th minute and Seattle won the possession battle and capitalized on man-advantage.

Seattle put together a squad last season that had plenty of experience—MLS, other professional clubs, and international alike—that was able to compete last year and is an early favorite to win the MLS Cup this season.

The same cannot be said for Philadelphia, who stockpiled draft picks and will be better for it in the years to come, but will endure plenty of growing pains this season.

One way the Union front office followed the Sounders’ blueprint for success was by establishing a talented, stingy defense. While they performed ok, Seattle, who allowed the least amount of goals against in 2009, was able to do better posting the shutout.

Seattle also proved that the team needs to complement the tough defense with a capable attack. Philadelphia’s biggest weakness is that they do not have many offensively proficient players.

Seattle does have some goal scorers. While they did miss some chances and that needs to be improved upon as the season goes on, they did do enough to break a solid defense and secure a victory.

Seattle’s “win-now” club took the first steps to becoming champions this season.

Philadelphia took the first steps of a long, learning process to be great eventually.

The two teams’ philosophies showed last night.

Seattle Sounders 2010 MLS Season Preview

AP Photo/Bob Levey

The Seattle Sounders set the blueprint for all of the incoming expansion franchises to follow.

A well—run organization that put together a fine product on the pitch that was heavily supported by legions of fans, made the Sounders one of the top stories in all of Major League Soccer last season.

This year, the Sounders will be out to prove that they are neither a novelty nor a fluke. They will look to build upon their first—round playoff finish last season.

On paper they look to continue on that path, as the Sounders return the core of their team from last season.

Captain and goalkeeper Kasey Keller returns to lead a defense that tied for the least amount of goals surrendered.

Also returning are designated player and midfielder Freddie Ljungberg, 2009 Newcomer of the Year Freddy Montero and Defender of the Year finalist, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado.

These four were the biggest reasons for Seattle’s success last season.

Keller and Ljungberg have countless years of experience at the international level and at some of the world’s biggest clubs, as well as World Cup experience. They along with Hurtado, helped anchor arguably the league’s best defense.

Two returning players to look out for breakout seasons from are last year’s number one overall pick, Steve Zakuani and defender Brad Evans.

Zakuani can play both forward and as an attacking midfielder. He is a quick and agile player who likes to go at players one—on—one. Last year he played in 29 of the team’s 30 league games and scored four goals and registered four assists.

The numbers aren’t that impressive, but he is only a year removed from leading all collegiate players in goals (20) and points (47) at Akron. The tools are there and with his first year under his belt, especially under the tutelage prolific goal scorer Montero, Zakuani is poised for a bigger year.

Evans is a defensive midfielder who, even though he is only 24— years old, continues to gain more and more invaluable experience. Before coming to Seattle, Evans started all four of the Columbus Crew’s playoff games en route to winning the MLS Cup.

Over the summer he played in the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament for the USA and this offseason he was a part of the U.S. men’s national team training camp and came on as a late sub against El Salvador.

Already a solid and steady player, Evans keeps moving on to bigger and better things. While he isn’t really a candidate to make this summer’s World Cup squad, just being in that environment, going to practice against other top players competing to earn the right to go to South Africa and getting more international experience is invaluable and will only continue to make Evans a better player.

Going into the season, the Sounders only lose one player that saw significant playing time from last year’s roster and that is forward Sebastian Le Toux, who was selected by Philadelphia in the Expansion Draft. In 28 games, Le Toux was only able to manage one goal and three assists.

Seattle went out and got not only a replacement, but an upgrade by signing Swiss international Blaise Nkufo.

Nkufo is currently on the Dutch squad FC Twente, where he has been the leading scorer all six seasons he’s played there (excluding the current campaign). Although he is 34—years old, he still has quite the panache for finding the back of the net for both club and country.

Nfuko, however, will not be available until after Switzerland’s run in the World Cup is over.

While no deal is official yet, it has been highly speculated that Seattle will add defender Jeff Parke to an already staunch defensive unit.

Parke was originally selected by the Sounders in the expansion draft, but no contract could be agreed upon. Still without a contract, Parke was invited back to training camp with Seattle and has performed quite well.

A member of the New York Red Bulls for five seasons, Parke was the team’s Defender of the Year in 2007 and was a constant on the backline. Word is he still plays at a starter quality level. Whether he finds himself in the starting eleven for Seattle, if a deal does get done remains in question, but he will most certainly add to an already strong group.

The few additions the Sounders made in the off—season continue to push the team in the right direction, but the continuity of the roster from year one to year two is even more important.

Maintaining a good chemistry really helps build a successful club, as the players gradualy become familiar with their roles, the expectations the coaching staff has of them and the system and playing style in place.

The Sounders will not rest on their laurels after a successful first season that saw them win the U.S. Open Cup. They are already one of the best teams in the league and the MLS Cup is what they are after.

The journey—provided the Collective Bargaining Agreement issue is finally resolved—begins Thursday March 25th when the Sounders will host, in a nationally televised game, the MLS team that will try to follow in their footsteps, the expansion Philadelphia Union.

Hit With a Sound Wave

Over the summer I was at a friend’s house and turned on an MLS game. Usually this would be cause for ridicule, but that night was different. It was different because it was a game being played in Seattle.

My friends noticed the packed stadium and the excitement displayed on the supporters’ faces. They heard the band playing. They saw the entertaining and proficient play on the pitch. One noted that this is the type of soccer that would get him watching MLS, and it did. Whenever the Sounders were on TV he put on the game. He learned the names of a number of the players on the squad. Now he wants to go to the game when Seattle travels to my home state of New Jersey to play the Red Bulls in their new stadium.

Another friend of mine, this one an avid futbol and MLS follower, said “(Seattle is) what all teams in the country should be.”

The Sounders have captured the attention of not only the city of Seattle, but the whole nation, footie fans and soccer simpletons alike.

Although they fell short of becoming the first expansion team to win the MLS Cup since the Chicago Fire did so back in 1998, the club was successful in so many ways.

Seattle finished its inaugural season with a 12-7-11 record and made the playoffs. Since 2005, no MLS expansion team has made the playoffs in its first season, excluding the Houston Dynamo (while considered an expansion team, Houston was really a relocation of the San Jose Earthquake that was rebranded, history and all). In fact, Toronto F.C. and the San Jose Earthquakes, the two previous expansion franchises, have yet to qualify for postseason play.



The Sounders may also be the single most popular club in MLS, even more so than David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The city has enjoyed a rich history in soccer, dating back to the NASL and even more recently in the USL. That support has carried over in large numbers to the MLS team.

According to ESPN.com, the Sounders finished first in both total attendance and average of fans per game, 499,262 and 31,203 respectively. They were just under 11,000 fans per game ahead of the second place Galaxy.

The team sold out every home game in the regular season, their one playoff game against Houston, and even their four U.S. Open Cup matches.

While the team was unable to play for the MLS Cup, they did win the U.S. Open Cup, a tournament played amongst all the professional soccer clubs based in the United States of America. They were the first first-year franchise to win it since the Chicago Fire did so in 1998.

One of the toughest and unique aspects of MLS is talent evaluation. In other leagues across the globe, there is no salary cap. A team can just go buy the best talent it can put together. However, with MLS’ small spending limit for each team, clubs must be shrewd in how they collect talent. They cannot just go and buy the best player available, and the best players will not just come over to play for what they feel are demeaning wages.

The Sounders had four players named to the MLS All-Star team—Kasey Keller, Freddie Ljungberg, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, and Fredy Montero. Keller was nominated for Goalkeeper of the Year and the Fair Play Award; Hurtado was nominated for Defender of the Year; and all three of the Newcomer of the Year Award nominees were Sounders—Keller, Montero, and Ljungberg, with Montero taking home the trophy.

Arguably the biggest accomplishment the team had this season was restoring a sense of pride in Seattle sports fans.



The city of Seattle had every reason to be fed up with professional sports.
The Mariners have finished above third place in the American League only one time since 2002 and the last time they were in the playoffs was 2001.

The Seahawks missed the postseason for the first team in the past six seasons in 2008 with a measly 4-12 record, and things don’t look more optimistic this year with a less than stellar record of 3-5.

The biggest crime was having their NBA franchise, the Seattle SuperSonics, relocated to Oklahoma City. The team had been a part of Seattle since it was founded in 1967, but due to an arena dispute, new ownership moved the team, depriving the city of their beloved basketball franchise.

The Sounders gave the city a team to be excited about. They came, they got the city of Seattle involved; for example, the Seattle FC Alliance allows members (season-ticket holders and paying non-season ticket holders) to vote on a number of club decisions, including whether or not to remove the General Manager. The Sounders also won. It’s a great combination that has rejuvenated the city’s fan base and made them proud again.

Fans were rewarded for their passion by getting to watch the Sounders take on world powers Chelsea and F.C. Barcelona in exhibition matches and Qwest Field, the Sounders home, will host this season's MLS Cup championship match.

Things are only going to get more exciting as well.

Washington native Keller has said he plans on returning to the team next season and in 2011 the league will expand to Vancouver and Portland, creating natural geographic rivalries (or reestablishing old rivalries from the NASL and USL) in the Pacific Northwest.

Even though it was only its inaugural season, Seattle proved they are the best run franchise in MLS (for worst see: Red Bull New York—a member since the league’s inaugural year and they still can’t get it right).

With an invested ownership group, good decision makers and talent evaluators, talented players, and the strongest fan base in American soccer, Seattle is clearly the class of MLS and what every other team in the league should strive to be like.

U.S. Open Cup championship highlights. Video from YouTube.



Photo Credits.
Top: AP Photo/Will Powers
Right: AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
Left: AP Photo/Kevin P. Casey