2009 MLS Preview: Seattle Sounders FC

By: travis | March 17th, 2009

Starting March 4, and continuing up until March 19, I’ll be previewing every team prior to the First Kick of the 2009 season. I’m going in alphabetical order, with a final season prediction coming at the end of everything. My goal? To make sure that every team is covered here at MLS Offside, with each team blog going into much further detail than I will.

It’s an exciting time of year if you’re a Seattle Sounders fan. The opening kick off is just two nights away, with a sold out crowd expected at Qwest Field. Everything has gone so well leading up to this point — the marketing, the planner, website, draft, expansion draft, you name it — you would almost expect them to make a run at the MLS Cup. I personally can’t wait to see what Sigi Schmid can get out of the players he has. As it stands, the offense looks like it won’t have much trouble scoring, but the defensive remains a question mark in front of proven — but aging — keeper Kasey Keller. Nevertheless, MLS is coming to Seattle and they sure look like they are ready for it to be there.

2008: N/A

Services acquired: Pretty much everyone

Left the building: Technically, no one

Coach: Sigi Schmid, fresh off the MLS Cup win.

All Eyes on Me: While the knee-jerk reaction here could be to say Freddie Ljungberg is the man with the most on the line, I’m going to say it’s Fredy Montero. Why is that? He’s a rare example of a young player coming to MLS with everything to prove and nothing to lose. Montero ran rampant in the Colombian leagues, notching 33 goals in 64 games — an impressive goal scoring record. Can he replicate this in the league? Not sure if scoring goals will be a problem, but if Fredy is up to the task they certainly won’t be an issue.

Player(s) to Watch: Expansion drafts are a funny thing. Imagine if leagues from around the world that used promotion relegation gave teams a chance to add players from said existing league. As a result, the Sounders will likely carry a number of players who have already made some sort of name for himself in MLS play. Brad Evans is a carryover from Schmid’s Columbus team and will likely stake a claim on a starting spot in the midfield. One of the largest questions looming over Seattle is what kind of player Ljunberg will be. Can he recapture the Arsenal form back in the early 00’s? Or will he be another injury prone DP who struggles to adjust to MLS? While a struggling Ljungberg wouldn’t be the end of the world with the decent midfield depth they have, a healthy Freddie will do wonders for their attack. Three former USLers — Sebastian LeToux, Osvaldo Alonso and Taylor Graham — will all try their luck at the MLS level. This could add a new spin on the USL vs. MLS argument. A strong performance by two of the three would be much obliged by the brand new team. Last but not least, the play of old man Keller will be hotly debated. If his age has started to catch up with them, things might not be so pretty in Seattle.

Young Guns: Aside from Fredy there are a couple other players to keep your eyes on. Steve Zakuani, aside from the pressure of a number one, has played well during preseason. Throw in the fact that he’s a former Arsenal youth product and there is a reason why he’s a solid player. Can he perform right away? With the glut at the forward position, the Sounders can afford to bring him along slowly. Midfielder Sanna Nyassi joined the Sounders in 2008 and was another addition early on in the proceedings. The name is familiar because his brother, Sainey, plys his trade for the Revolution. Nathan Sturgis is another young guy who will need to play big in defense — if that’s where he ends up playing. He’s a guy who has been around for three years but hasn’t picked up a whole lot of playing time during that time.

Bottom Line: The buzz out in Seattle is something to be excited about — 20,000+ season ticket holders, a loud, sold out environment combined with a brilliant marketing strategy. Off the field, things are rosy. But are fans looking through Emerald colored glasses? This is an expansion team, and the necessary growing pains are to be expected. While I do think that Seattle has some of the right pieces in place to enjoy success much sooner than other expansion sides, I’m not sure if the defense will be solid enough to get them into the playoffs. I do think the fans will stand by their team, win or lose. Just as long as the owner doesn’t steal them out of town like the Supersonics. Tangent aside, my gut feeling is that the Sounders will set a new standard for MLS, not only in the way they’ve conducted themselves off the pitch, but also with their own field performance. With Sigi Schmid at the helm, they have a proven coach who will know exactly what he can get out of each player. I may not be ambitious enough to predict the Sounders to make the playoffs, but then again, what do I know? Whatever happens, it’s going to be fun and I’m glad that the Sounders have already achieved what they have before a ball has been kicked.