Seattle Sounders 2015 Season Thread

[hawkfan68]

All the concerns I had about Evans as the CB came to fruition last night. He's playing out of position. Hopefully that gets fixed.

 

[Smurf]

Ok, here is where I am at.

The match sucked. Outside of a few spells here and there, the team under performed. We were out worked on the pitch all night, by a club with 10 men. They were routinely the first to the second ball.

Our attacking build up was very slow. I can even count the number of times Pappa, Oba, and Clint stood on the ball. The best runs we made came from Chad Barrett once he was on the pitch. He was making diagonal runs, and even made a few runs just to open space for Oba/Dempsey. Overall I wasn't impressed with that. We lacked pace.

Bernardez's red confused me in the stadium but after seeing the replay...what a douche. Completely uncalled for play.

As for Brad Evans at Centerback. Its been 2 matches. Yes. He made 3 big mistakes that DIRECTLY led to goals. I know it. You know it. Brad knows it. That was about as close to a 0/10 performance as you can get. That said...its been 2 matches, with only a handful more from preseason. He is still adjusting. I think anyone to judge the experiment as a failure is a little quick on the trigger. Let him work into the role. If we see no improvement after the next 2 or 3 matches, then maybe it time to consider the experiment over.

Regardless I think we buy a CB in Summer.

Also, Mears picked up a slight tear in his hamstring. He will be out a few weeks. So id expect Evans to slide to RB and Scott to come in at CB.

Ozzie should be back this week.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

As for Brad Evans at Centerback. Its been 2 matches. Yes. He made 3 big mistakes that DIRECTLY led to goals. I know it. You know it. Brad knows it. That was about as close to a 0/10 performance as you can get. That said...its been 2 matches, with only a handful more from preseason. He is still adjusting. I think anyone to judge the experiment as a failure is a little quick on the trigger. Let him work into the role. If we see no improvement after the next 2 or 3 matches, then maybe it time to consider the experiment over.

The CB position is just too pressure packed and important to learn on the job at this level.

For the Sounders front office to not spend 100k over the off season in trying to get a Traore type veteran to at least fill in til the summer transfer window was a gigantic blunder, and it's already cost us one match.

And as I said before the season started, this is the first time in Sounders history that I can remember that we've have an OLD team. Other than Neagle, our entire starting roster is old, and it's showing on what you're talking about as far as getting to 50/50 balls and out hustled.

Ozzie will certainly help ease some of this as he's a 50/50 ball animal, but IMO that's not going to be enough to breath some life into a very old starting 11.

 

[Uncle Si]

Some news on the Minnesota MLS team:

The bid accepted was not what I thought. The Wilf's bid to bring an MLS team into the new Vikings stadium was not the accepted bid.

The NASL MN United team's bid was accepted, basically "promoting" that team to the MLS. This will lead to the building of a soccer specific stadium in downtown Minneapolis.

Also, Largent is right, and I think this whole thread began with similar concerns over the team's age, depth and ability. It's not just the age that has to be a concern, its the lack of a dynamic play maker to move the ball. While Ozzie may shield the back line, the best he will offer going the other way is transition play.

You may not see the problems game in and game out, but they are problems nonetheless

 

[Smurf]

Correct, i thought everyone understood it was promotion for MN United, why i cited fan support as a factor (they have a good core group there).

As for the Sounders.

We attempted to sign a CB during the window but the ones we wanted either werent available or out of our budget, which with the cba was a big factor.

 

[Uncle Si]

Correct, i thought everyone understood it was promotion for MN United, why i cited fan support as a factor (they have a good core group there).

As for the Sounders.

We attempted to sign a CB during the window but the ones we wanted either werent available or out of our budget, which with the cba was a big factor.

I didn't read the article and found out at the coach's meeting on Saturday. a really interesting move for a variety of reasons: investment group (one is the Vikings, other the Twins), stadium (one has a stadium, the other will need to build one), and the leadership group (one did not have one, the other has a leadership group but from my personal perspective is not qualified for this level. The head coach may be the most qualified, and I still wonder if he'd be there choice.

The CBack position will be need fixing sooner than later. Didn't they draft a UW guy to play CB?

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Didn't they draft a UW guy to play CB?

Roldan came in for Mears Saturday when he got hurt, but he's listed as a midfielder. So not sure he's the solution at CB.

But hell, can't get any worse than Evans performance, why not see what he can do.

 

[Uncle Si]

Didn't they draft a UW guy to play CB?

Roldan came in for Mears Saturday when he got hurt, but he's listed as a midfielder. So not sure he's the solution at CB.

But hell, can't get any worse than Evans performance, why not see what he can do.

No, he wasn't the one I was thinking of. I like that kid though. Good attacking talent.

Bit short for a CBack if I remember.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Didn't they draft a UW guy to play CB?

Roldan came in for Mears Saturday when he got hurt, but he's listed as a midfielder. So not sure he's the solution at CB.

But hell, can't get any worse than Evans performance, why not see what he can do.

No, he wasn't the one I was thinking of. I like that kid though. Good attacking talent.

Bit short for a CBack if I remember.

Not sure then, he's the only one from UW, and the other two draftees are a goalkeeper and another mid

http://www.soundersfc.com/post/2015/01/ ... superdraft

 

[Uncle Si]

For some reason I thought they went defense in the draft. Can't say I followed it closely though (obviously)

 

[Smurf]

No, they didn't draft a CB. We actually acquired zero players that can play CB vs last year. Our current CB Crop is as follows:

Current FIrst Team:
Chad Marshall - 3 time Defender of the year
Brad Evans - First season at CB, Club Captain
Zach Scott - 13 year Sounder, over 230 appearances

Fluid 1st/2nd Team
Jimmy Ockford - 22 year old. Spent last year on loan w/ NY Cosmos. 6'1.
Damion Lowe - 21 year old. Spent last year on our bench. 6'3.

S2 has a handful of guys still on a trial basis with them, but I expect Ockford and Lowe to be the starters in S2 while also training with the first team. Sigi has stated he wants 1st and 2nd team training to be fluid. They take place at the same time every day at adjacent fields with some players crossing to the other field upon occasion. Lowe, Ockford, Mansaray, Jones and Kovar among them as of right now.

S2 still doesn't have an official roster yet so its a little hard to say exactly who is on that squad.

As of right now, CB and Outside Mid are our biggest concerns as far as depth. At outside mid we really only have 4 players who are naturals at that position:

Marco Pappa
Lamar Neagle
Aaron Kovar
Brad Evans


Every other player we put there is either a natural Forward or CM.

This is the least deep I have ever seen the Sounders be. Usually I am pretty OK with our team depth but this year I am fairly concerned. Part of me wonders if the CBA was a major factor in our lack of signings this off season, or if we were unable to sign the players we wanted. I know we were after CB Roberto Chen who was a 20 year old CB from Panama. He is currently on Malaga but isn't getting time and was recently loaned out to a Belgian side. Will be interesting if we make another run at him in the Summer window.

I do expect us to be more active this season in the summer window than previously.

This is the oldest squad I can remember in a while. Average age is 27. That includes Both Keepers. It only drops to 26.7 with them taken out of the equation.

There is a certain level of experience, that comes as a bonus to having a squad that experienced...but youth is one of those things you love to have.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Well summed up Smurf.

I think this year's lack of signings was probably due to the transition between Hanauer and Lagerwey. Adrian's ALWAYS preached scouting every corner of the globe for young talent, and this is the first year we haven't had a young exciting player like Montero, Flacco, Ozzie or Yedlin to get excited over and breath some youth and energy into the starting 11.

I just fear as our FO transition, this will also be a transition year on the pitch where it's just one big struggle with old players getting injured and trying to hold this club together with band aids.

 

[Smurf]

Well summed up Smurf.

I think this year's lack of signings was probably due to the transition between Hanauer and Lagerwey. Adrian's ALWAYS preached scouting every corner of the globe for young talent, and this is the first year we haven't had a young exciting player like Montero, Flacco, Ozzie or Yedlin to get excited over and breath some youth and energy into the starting 11.

I just fear as our FO transition, this will also be a transition year on the pitch where it's just one big struggle with old players getting injured and trying to hold this club together with band aids.

I try to pretend i know what I'm talking about.

I think we will be competitive throughout the season. I think we have the quality to win a bunch of games. The aspirations for this club have never been higher...and I'm not sure the squad as it sits can reach the marks it wants. Playoffs, yes. Supporters Shield and MLS Cup? Maybe. Open Cup, yeah. Interested to see how seriously we take CCL. We've preached it for a long time...but will we chose CCL over League points?


Anywho, back to expansion for a second:

http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/soun ... minnesota/

Biggest take away from that: "Soccer Specific Stadium." I think that is the single, and only difference between the two groups.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

I'm not saying we won't be competitive, but that's more due to there being a LOT of mediocre clubs in the MLS right now, rather than the Sounders fielding a top club.

I guess that's the good part of a parity league like the MLS that has playoffs, it really doesn't matter if you're an elite club. Just survive the summer and make the playoffs.

 

[Uncle Si]

Anywho, back to expansion for a second:

http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/soun ... minnesota/

Biggest take away from that: "Soccer Specific Stadium." I think that is the single, and only difference between the two groups.

Bit bigger than Smurf, but thats more for the locals. The Pohlad group already has a soccer leadership group in place (the current MN United). Big question here is if that group is promoted as well, and if so, can they run an MLS club. Editing out details because these are good people, but just not sure if they are experienced for the next level.

 

[Seahawks1983]

Anywho, back to expansion for a second:

http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/soun ... minnesota/

Biggest take away from that: "Soccer Specific Stadium." I think that is the single, and only difference between the two groups.

Bit bigger than Smurf, but thats more for the locals. The Pohlad group already has a soccer leadership group in place (the current MN United). Big question here is if that group is promoted as well, and if so, can they run an MLS club. Editing out details because these are good people, but just not sure if they are experienced for the next level.

One group was dedicated to running a soccer franchise in the city and the other was dedicated to filling dates in a billion dollar stadium. Pretty easy decision for Garber, IMO.

 

[Uncle Si]

Anywho, back to expansion for a second:

http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/soun ... minnesota/

Biggest take away from that: "Soccer Specific Stadium." I think that is the single, and only difference between the two groups.

Bit bigger than Smurf, but thats more for the locals. The Pohlad group already has a soccer leadership group in place (the current MN United). Big question here is if that group is promoted as well, and if so, can they run an MLS club. Editing out details because these are good people, but just not sure if they are experienced for the next level.

One group was dedicated to running a soccer franchise in the city and the other was dedicated to filling dates in a billion dollar stadium. Pretty easy decision for Garber, IMO.

Yeah...thats not working for the Sounders? The billion dollar stadium is in the city by the way.

Either way, happy for the United people. Big changes in MN soccer coming

 

[hawkfan68]

The player's name escapes me but didn't the Sounders pick up a defender from Ghana in last year's summer window? What happened to him?

 

[knownone]

The player's name escapes me but didn't the Sounders pick up a defender from Ghana in last year's summer window? What happened to him?

I think his name was Apam, pretty sure he never fully recovered from a leg injury and was let go.

 

[Smurf]

The player's name escapes me but didn't the Sounders pick up a defender from Ghana in last year's summer window? What happened to him?

I think his name was Apam, pretty sure he never fully recovered from a leg injury and was let go.

Apam. He was Nigerian. Couldn't get fit. Overweight. Couldn't get it right. Was released in the offseason.