SB Nation - Mike Seamon

Stepping Away From The Ledge

Abbott Smith — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 14:00:25 -0000

The Sounder's league record over the past 8 games has left their fan base frustrated and reeling. No one associated with the franchise is happy right now. A string of four losses and four draws in league play doesn't inspire confidence nor does it meet the lofty expectations everyone holds for the franchise. The angst drapes over everything like a sodden blanket. Unfortunately, frustration distorts reality. It is difficult to see anything clearly from underneath a soaked duvet. Time to step back from the abyss of despair and gain a bit of distance and perspective.

This team isn't functioning the way it was designed to function. Why? The core answer is simple: injuries. Yes, injuries are a fact of professional sports and any team that wants to be successful must overcome them. But the 2012 Sounders are not dealing with a routine series of knocks, scrapes and misfortunes. The cumulative impact of injuries to the roster this year borders on catastrophic. In one half season, over 60% of the team's entire roster has missed significant playing time due to injury. Only eleven players on the team's 30 man roster have been healthy enough to play every game: Fredy Montero, Osvaldo Alonso, Zach Scott, Marc Burch, Andy Rose, Bryan Meredith, Alex Caskey, Roger Levesque, Servando Carrasco, Sammy Ochoa and Mike Seamon.

Now look at that list. Three of the players are rookies. Three of them have seen only limited action. Montero and Ozzie have missed 3 games due to suspension and Ozzie is going to miss the next contest as well. Burch has been playing with a cast. Ochoa showed up to camp in less than ideal shape. The only way that this eleven man unit could even constitute a complete line up is if Rose played CB with Scott and Carrasco played RB opposite Burch so that Roger could play the RM position.

These injuries have destroyed the team's ability to rotate players both for rest and tactics. Many games Sigi and his staff have scrambled just to find a working lineup let alone make tactical adjustments. Fatigue leads to errors in judgment, poor concentration, stupid fouls and more injuries. It disrupts communication. Is it any wonder that the team doesn't have a clear personality or rhythm? Instead of wondering why the team is struggling, we could easily wonder how they have been this successful.

The team is currently tied for 3rd place in the Western Conference. They have reached the USOC Semi-Finals. Their record of 7-5-5 isn't stellar, but considering their injuries, it is respectable. There are eleven teams in the league who would gladly trade records. Time for everyone to take a step back and be honest. Yes, we want more. But what we've got isn't as bad as our outcry is painting it.

Silver linings abound if we simply review the first half of the season honestly. The Sounders have four rookies who are stepping up and performing admirably. Andy Rose may not be the flashiest player on the pitch, but he is more than holding his own at both CM positions. Brian Meredith, Alex Caskey and Cordell Cato have all shown themselves capable of playing at this level.

Patrick Ianni, David Estrada and Zach Scott have all elevated their games. Scott may not be a RB that fuels a sense of wonder. But he has done a yeoman's job of helping to hold this team together through a string of injuries that would drive an insurance adjuster batty. Instead of complaining, perhaps its time to marvel at his endurance and service to the cause. He's earned his keep. David Estrada and Patrick Ianni have both elevated their games to the point that when healthy they are contesting for the Starting 11. Six months ago, none of these players figured prominently as anything other than squad depth.

The team's gamble on Eddie Johnson's return to health and form is paying off. Regardless of whether he is the ideal fit, he is rapidly becoming an offensive force. And at $100K, he's easily fits within the budget constraints of the salary cap. He is beginning to link up with his team mates and his upfield defensive efforts on Saturday helped keep New England bottled up in their own end for most of the game.

All of the injuries have also given the team a good look at the composition of the bench. The team now has a much clearer idea of what they have and where there are holes. The Sounders bench is thoroughly vetted and even the rookies have significant experience. The team enters the Transfer window with a clear understanding of where they may need to shore up the lineup. The USOC game against San Jose forced Sigi to use an unorthodox line up and in the process he just may have found a key rotational piece to solving some of the team's defensive woes. Andy Rose allowed him to move Brad Evans to RB and Zach Scott to CB with Patrick Ianni. Using Evans as an option to Scott and Johansson gives the team more tactical flexibility and it also allows Scott to rotate into the CB flow as needed. Scott and Ianni give the team a more physical, stay at home pairing and helps to combat teams like San Jose who crash the box and attempt to intimidate the Sounders with height and physicality.

The team is finally starting to get healthier. Flaco and Mauro have been steadily improving over the past few games. Eddie Johnson is showing no signs of his early season injury. Ianni, Johansson and Gonzalez are all back on the pitch. And Steve Zakuani is getting closer to rejoining the fray. Once the team gets Gspurning back, they will have the pieces to make a concerted run.

The team does have work to do. Ties and Losses don't help the team move up the standings. They need to stay healthy. They need a run of good form. They probably need to make a couple of roster moves to shore up the areas where their roster is weakest.

But it is helpful to remember that before the team can win a game, they need to put themselves in a position to win. They did exactly that at San Jose and New England. Before they can win another USOC, they need to advance in the tournament. They have made it to the semi-finals. Before they can win the Supporter's Shield or MLS Cup, they have to put themselves in a position to be competitive. For all of their injury woes, the team is only 10 points out of first place in the Western Conference at the halfway point of the season. They have survived up to this point. When faced with catastrophe, sometimes survival is winning. It's a good thing for all of us to remember as we cope with our frustration.

Montreal Impact vs Seattle Sounders: Quotes, Stats & Highlights

Benzinho — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 20:18:30 -0000

I should go away in a cottage on weekends more often every time the Montreal Impact open up Stade Saputo. With no internet access but Satellite TV permitted me to watch the Impacts 4-1 win over the Seattle Sounders. As much as the Sounders looked slow and not in the game when it started, the Impact did not waste time and took over the first 20 minutes of the games and within that period, Felipe Martins opens up the score in '' David Silva like '' fashion.

You will have access to highlights, post-game conference and comments from both teams as you see how it unfolded and how the party involved react to a not-so-surprising win in the manner but surprising in the score. The Sounders is an elite team in MLS with 3 top-class Designated Players but the Impact has shown good signs of progress and the 4-3-2-1 used against the Colorado Rapids seems to be a successful choice for the club.

Bravo Monsieur Marsch...Bravo...

Game Highlights

Scoring Summary

MTL - Felipe (Bernier) 18'

MTL - Mapp (Bernier) 52'

MTL - Wenger (Bernier) 58'

MTL - Neagle 87'

SEA - Johnson 61'

Lineups

MTL: GK - Donovan Ricketts; D - Jeb Brovsky, Matteo Ferrari (Shavar Thomas 33'), Nelson Rivas, Zarek Valentin; M - Davy Arnaud, Felipe, Patrice Bernier (Bernardo Corradi 77'), Collen Warner, Justin Mapp (Lamar Neagle 62'), F - Andrew Wenger

Subs not used: GK - Evan Bush; D - Tyson Wahl; M - Sinisa Ubiparipovic; F - Sanna Nyassi

SEA: GK - Bryan Meredith; D - Zach Scott, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Marc Burch; M - Mauro Rosales (Cordell Cato 71'), Andy Rose, Brad Evans, Alvaro Fernandez (Alex Caskey 62'); F - Fredy Montero, Eddie Johnson (Servando Carrasco 82')

Subs not used: GK - Andrew Weber; M - Mike Seamon; F - Roger Levesque, Sammy Ochoa

Two minutes for bad behavior(Yellow):

SEA - Parke 22'
SEA - Johnson 70'
SEA - Montero 76'
MTL - Thomas 79'
MTL - Rivas 85'

Five minute Major (Red):

SEA - Hurtado 56'

Montreal Impact Quotes

Jesse Marsch, Head Coach

When we got the lead, it felt like we would have to get another as Seattle was pushing and they have a lot of talented players. I still think we are learning to manage the game when we are up a man. It takes a lot of hard work and we did that tonight. Seattle is a good team, so it wasn't an easy first game. But I think that was the way you open a new stadium. We had a lot of good performances tonight.

Patrice Bernier, Midfielder

We were very excited for the game and our first goal gave us some energy.A win like this is great in our new home and the atmosphere was fantastic. It was a special feeling. We can't ask for anything more than scoring four goals at home in a win.

Jeb Brovsky, Defender

When they got a red card, we had to refocus. When they got their goal, we needed to refocus again because we wanted to finish strong and not lose the lead. We did a great job of coming together on the field; the subs came on and were fantastic.

Seattle Sounders Quotes

Sigi Schmid, Head Coach

About still being a good road team

We are a good road team. Nothing that happened today is going to change my mind on that.But, obviously when you give up four goals, that's an issue. That's not what we are all about and we've got to change that the next game

A game of mistakes:

We need to play much better than what we did tonight. I didn't think our pressure was good enough on their third goal. We made three mistakes on one play. We have to eliminate that.

You're Sigi - How Do You Fix It?

Dave Clark — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 17:26:32 -0000

Seattle is in a very tough patch of MLS play. In their last five league games a 0-3-2 record with a negative six goal differential have watched them fall from a clear first tier team in the SB Nation MLS Power Rankings with an average ranking of 2.26 to one that could be out of the top six. Once the dominant team in Sagarin they are now ranked 8th. The Fan Confidence poll is plummeting (now at 75).

Yes, there were two good wins in the US Open Cup nestled in that stretch. There was also a loss in the Reserve League to the northern rival that has now moved ahead of the Sounders by both total points and by points per match. There's something wrong in Seattle.

Probably a lot of little somethings. We've entered a trend. And there isn't really a lot of time to fix things. In the next three weeks the team will be on the road for four of six matches. This will reduce training time dramatically, particularly because one of those trips is back to the Eastern Time Zone.

Maybe dropped points during that run are to be expected, but they are no longer acceptable. Dropping points during that stretch could be the end of the Open Cup run, and would put Seattle in a ten match funk.

There are few corrections available.

Get Healthy - Seattle is out a starter at right back, a starter a keeper, a part time starter at left back and a part time starter at centerback. The woes are particularly in defense. Is getting healthy really enough? Or is the current depth enough?

Add A Body - The transfer window opens in just over a week. Seattle's tradition of targeting a player or two a few transfer windows out may need to be scrapped and instead the brain trust's trip to Argentina could add someone now. Remember though, if this added player or two is to make more than the minimum the Sounders have to lose one of their current players, maybe more.

Internal Lineup Changes - A handful of players have yet to see MLS playing time. in significant amounts. Would playing a Servando Carrasco, Roger Levesque, Mike Seamon, Michael Tetteh, Andrew Duran, Andrew Weber or Sammy Ochoa shift the results?

Tactical and Formation Change - Sigi's system is fairly stable over the years. The hybrid 4-2-3-1/4-4-2 is dependent on great flank play, a large body up top to create space up top, a defensive stopper, a box-to-box mid and a backline that communicates to adjust to counters. Can something else be tried with this personnel and do they have time to implement it?

It's Not Broken - A chunk of bad matches in MLS can also just be a matter of parity and luck. Maybe nothing needs to change.

Other? - I don't have all the ideas. Maybe you've got something else in mind.

What would you do? How would you do it? Or does the slide continue?

Poll

What would you do to fix the Seattle Sounders if you were Sigi?

Get Team Healthy

107 votes

Add A Body

93 votes

Internal Lineup Changes

43 votes

Tactical - Formation Changes

27 votes

It's Not Broken

37 votes

Other?

22 votes

329 votes | Poll has closed

Aaron Kovar - Academy & Reserve Performances Point To Strong HGP Chances

Dave Clark — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 20:36:08 -0000

Yesterday's Reserve game was more about Steve Zakuani than anything else. That isn't doubtful, but what else was intriguing were the starts of Aaron Kovar, Michael Gallagher and Jacob Beck. Dominique Dismuke would come off the bench and score in the second half. While it may have been forced by circumstances, this was the heaviest usage of Seattle Sounders Academy players in a home reserve game yet with 299 minutes logged by players from the U18s. Here's the thing, those starters played well overall.

"Obviously they were a lot more experienced team." Zakuani said in reference to the Vancouver Whitecaps. "We were young and it showed."

But it showed less in the second half. Adjustments were made. The biggest failures on the night were in defending set-plays. That was a team thing, not an Academy thing.

But Gallagher handled Darren Mattocks. Not just a little bit, but on average the U18 player won the battle against the second pick in the MLS SuperDraft. Gallagher will be at the UW learning from Coach Clark next year. He will not be playing with Andrew Duran for the first time, but instead with Drew White and Ian Lange. For one night his issues with communication weren't an issue. Jacob Beck, who I haven't seen much of while watching other Academy players, was at LB. He was defending against one of Omar Salgado, Michael Nanchoff and Etienne Barbara on the evening. He wasn't out classed. Some of his passes were off, but in his primary role as a defender he was decent. He showed promise. There is biggest need for development will be positional defense in one-on-one situations to make up for his size disadvantage. His passing and tactical awareness are strong.

But the big winner among the starters is Aaron Kovar. If I can be bold enough to declare a top tier for possible HomeGrown Player signings it would include current Sounders U23 players like Sean Okoli, Deandre Yedlin and Nick Palodichuk. Those three were part of last year's strong U18 run, have selections to national teams, are at top schools and are on short lists of top freshmen of 2011's college season. Kovar belongs in that conversation and maybe at the top.

In the first half of the Reserve game Aaron Kovar played like a CAM. His passing was generally crisp, created opportunities for both Steve Zakuani and David Estrada. He got back in defense and was a willing tackler. When turnovers happened he showed himself for short passes from Servando Carrasco or the backline. It was a good performance against a side that earned 32 appearances in MLS play this year.

The second half wasn't just good though. Moving to a more natural wide position Kovar's speed and crossing ability were shown off. It wasn't just about his sprint and endline ball that Dismuke finished. He created numerous opportunities. On throw-ins to his side (usually the right on Friday night) he would tell other players were to be. On deep throws he'd command the Sounders to get forward with high pressure defense and hope to create turnovers that would lead to unfinished chances. His passing and interplay with Roger Levesque (the RB in second half), Mike Seamon and Christian Sivebaek were intelligent and thought out. There were mistakes, but looked to be of familiarity not a lack of talent.

His dead ball service is good. From wide positions and corners he took the majority of those. While none were finished, the placement seemed intentional. It's a key role for a team and one they gave a to young player.

Aaron was a bit injured this year, only appearing in 12 USSDA matches, 8 of those starts. He scored three goals in that season. Last year, also with the U18s, he had 24 appearances (21 starts) and only 1 goal. In 2011 MLS Reserve games he earned 95 minutes of play in four appearances.

He has some hollow spots in his game. That's to be expected, but what he does with the ball is well thought. He's a leader beyond his age. He gets back well and has a bit of speed. Like all young players (HGP, GA, standard draft, international signings) he's a bit small.

But right now, if he was in the 18 on an MLS gameday it would not spell doom. He can compete, that's part of who he is. So why isn't he an HGP signing? That's still a philosophy thing. He's not going to be a regular if he signed today. But at Stanford he'll get a great education. His soccer skills and brain will continue to develop. Now with the Sounders U23s (they are in Tumwater at 6PM tonight against Timbers U23s) he'll likely be back in the area next Spring/Summer.

Aaron Kovar might not be ready for an HGP contract right now, but he could be. On other teams he probably would be. Right now, he's "just" a very capable player who has more than promise.

Sounders Health Updates: Steve Zakuani 50-50 For Reserve League Game

Jeremiah Oshan — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 01:00:24 -0000

We probably don't want to get our hopes up too high, but Steve Zakuani has been deemed "50-50" as being able to play in Friday's Reserve League game against the Vancouver Whitecaps. This would mark his first game action of any kind that Zakuani has done since appearing in a scrimmage against Gonzaga back on April 1. Zakuani had said he planned to play against the Chivas reserves on April 23, but ended up not appearing in that game.

"We’re going to see how he feels today, and then make a decision," Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said on Thursday. "Right now we’re not sure. It’s probably 50-50. Yesterday we really backed off on him because he was really sore. We want to make sure [if he plays], it’s the right situation, and if it isn’t the right situation we’ll hold off. We’re not stuck to a time table."

Exactly who will play in that game remains a mystery outside of Zakuani, as well, especially on defense.

"I told Ezra [Hendrickson] good luck," Schmid said when asked who was going to play defense. "[Andrew] Duran is available. Probably taking a Mike Seamon or Roger Levesque and putting them in the back. Probalby have to use a couple of academy kids. We thought Leo [Gonzalez] might be able to play a bit, but based on yesterday we don’t think that’s the answer."

When asked about the chances of seeing Michael Tetteh play, Schmid didn't sound particularly optimistic there, either.

"Tetteh is able to play, but we’re still trying to be cautious because the last two times we thought he was ready, he ended up pulling his hamstring again right at the end of 45 minutes," Schmid said. "So we’re trying to limit his time.

"Everything he’s done, you figure he could start and play, go 60-90 minutes. But we’re trying to be cautious because some guys have a good feel for their body and some guys don’t and he doesn’t. He’s sometimes getting close to that edge and pushes over it and gets injured again and we’re starting back at ground zero."

Ten Things We Learned From Reserve Loss

Dave Clark — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:44:38 -0000

Yesterday's Seattle Sounders Reserve Team loss could teach us a bit about the portion of the team most fans don't get to see. Whether due to injury, being blocked by potential All-Stars or due to youth, several players saw their first extended minutes for their first time in front of the faithful. Here are Dave and Jeremiah's learnings from their perch in the press box, or you could read the whole gamethread.

Dave's thoughts:

Alex Caskey looks great with the ball at his feet. He can beat men on the dribble, passes well in short and medium situations under pressure and looks like a solid addition for possession play in MLS games.
Sammy Ochoa is further adjusting to physical play. It was made more difficult in that several of his moments of getting "bumped" off the ball were actually arm tackles, so it looked worse than his quality of play. When facing up in space his short passing was good.
Mike Seamon is fast, passes well, moves into space and looked strong out wide. He may not have the peak ability of other players there, but belongs in the 18 more often.
Andy Rose could be Brad Evans playing style clone. He wins midfield balls in the air, tackles cleanly and helps switch the ball from side to side with safe effective passes. His late run and interchange with Seamon was a carbon copy of Evans.
Eddie Johnson had those flashy moments that show all the potential that Sounders fans want and desire. There's still something missing in his decision making. It could be from lack of training with his teammates, but all the tools are there.

Jeremiah's thoughts after the jump.

Cordell Cato is really fast

Like seriously, seriously fast. This was the first time I'd seen him play on a full-sized field, as opposed to the short-sided stuff we usually see at training, and he is just blazingly fast. He made up ground on defenders like they were running in quick sand. I'm not sure if he can keep that up for 90 minutes, but he was easily fast enough that he was essentially playing touchline to touchline without much trouble. He's got some decent skill too. I'm not surprised the Sounders want to see this guy develop.

Ezra Hendrickson has lots of ideas

I'm not sure how much of it was by design and how much was by necessity, but the second half was basically a game of "guess the formation." Once Cato came into the game, the Sounders were essentially playing a three-man backline with Servando Carrasco alternating between a traditional CDM and more of a sweeper. Cato sometimes slotted in as a wingback. There were large chunks where Sammy Ochoa was a lone striker in what we decided was a 3-1-3-2-1 formation. At the end, it played more like a 3-2-3-2. Alex Caskey was moving all over the place, sometimes out wide, sometimes in the middle, sometimes almost as a forward.

Christian Sivebaek is fun to watch, but...

Every time Sivebaek touches the ball, it seems, something interesting happens. He's got absolutely blazing speed for someone his size. He's great at attacking defenders 1v1. He has a shot that must be one of the hardest in all of MLS. Viewed in a vacuum, you can't help be blown away. Here's the problem, though, it hasn't been turning into much. For all the nuggets of promise, he's lacking that final touch that turns what he's doing into something quantifiable. By MLS standards, he's still pretty young at 24. Here's hoping Sounders coaches can unlock what his Danish coaches couldn't.

Andrew Duran more aggressive than advertised

Based on his college stats, Duran seemed to be pretty much your basic stay-at-home defender. He was mostly a center back in college and, although he was pitched as a potential fullback, there was no indication he'd be one in an attacking mold. Yet here he was in the reserve game flying forward and overlapping at nearly ever opening. He also had the play of the game for the Sounders, making a nice tackle inside the box that broke up a clear scoring opportunity. It's way too early to say he's the right back of the future, but I liked what I saw.

The 2012 reserves are a different breed

There were times when last year's Sounders reserves looked like a mid-table MLS team. Veterans like Pat Noonan, Patrick Ianni and Nate Jaqua were playing alongside promising youngsters like Mike Fucito and David Estrada. It was little surprise that they outclassed many opponents. That was certainly not the case on Tuesday, as Marc Burch was the only player older than 27. The upside is that the reserves will likely feature a lot more young talent than we've gotten used to seeing, but the downside is games like Tuesday in which the effort is disjointed and frankly a bit unorganized.

Andy Rose Ready To Use Reserve Team As Step Forward

Dave Clark — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 19:39:28 -0000

Last year's Seattle Sounders FC Reserve team posted a 8-1-1 record in their mini-schedule. Players like Mike Fucito, Lamar Neagle and Tyson Wahl used performances in those matches to get more time with the first team. Veterans like Zach Scott, Roger Levesque and Patrick Ianni honed their craft while youngsters Mike Seamon and David Estrada showed that they are capable of more when they get the opportunity. Sammy Ochoa earned a contract from his limited Reserves play.

This year's Reserve team starts play Monday against the Vancouver Whitecaps at 11 AM. Since Saturday saw a mix of First XI and rotational players, and lingering injuries to Mauro Rosales, Adam Johansson, Michael Tetteh, Andrew Duran and Eddie Johnson , Monday should see time for several young Sounders and likely a few invitees/trialists. Andy Rose is one of those who will get time. Recently he's been playing a lot of center back with Duran out, while Mike Seamon and Alex Caskey take the central midfield positions.

Rose knows this is his opportunity to get time as he said in a one-on-one in practice last week.

It's a very talented squad from one to thirty I feel there are a lot of players that the coaching staff has a lot of confidence that they can do the job. It's a tough team to break into but that's something that I enjoy. It's a great challenge for me and it's great to learn from the veteran guys here. Now for it's just getting into the Reserve team and playing and hopefully getting 90 minutes at some point and hopefully making my way to the first team.

Unlike in college where he started regularly as a freshman he will have to battle for time. He and a few others should be able to take advantage of the injury situation and get longer looks than they might with a team fully healthy. He is likely to do so as in the defense Monday, but he sees role flexibility as an asset in any player's arsenal.

I think one of the strengths of a lot of players in the world today is versatility. I want Sigi to be comfortable putting me in at center back or center mid. Obviously, in college I played more as a defensive midfielder, but it's a pretty easy transition for me. Which ever one I'm more than happy to do for the team.

Up at the University of British Colombia Seattle will have a mix that will stretch from a capped United States National Team player (Jeff Parke) stretching down to invitees filling out the roster (perhaps a Jamael Cox?). For several players the Reserve games will just be their to prove fitness or stay sharp. The invitees will be doing all they can to follow the Ochoa path to an MLS contract. For players like Andy Rose though the hope is different, prove that they deserve to be in the gameday 18 in the next regular season match.

He knows what it will take.

At any level you have to prove yourself, go out and work hard. It's a process and it takes time, but as soon as you earn that trust you have to keep it by working hard. Hopefully that's what I'm doing.

Tomorrow is another step,

Sounders Sign Duran, Sodade

Dave Clark — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:49:27 -0000

Seattle's two SuperDraft picks signed with the team today. Andrew Duran and Babayele Sodade can now officially call themselves members of Seattle Sounders FC. Picked in the first round Duran offers depth across the backline. Sigi Schmid describes his play in the press release.

"Andrew was our first round pick and we feel he is a very solid defender," said Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid. "He either wins his duels or doesn't lose his duels, which is important. His passing has been good for us out of the back and he's also very versatile, two-footed and has played at left and right back as well as in the middle."

By making the roster Sodade increases his chances of representing Canada in Olympic Qualifying. His role with the Sounders will be as a typical target forward.

"Sodade represents something a little different from our other forwards," said Schmid. "He's a big, physical presence up there. We think there's a lot of raw talent there and we like his attitude-he works very hard, he's got good speed and good feet for a big guy. Sodade is a player who will provide us with some alternatives up front."

While neither player is high on the depth chart at this time the team has demonstrated a willingness to develop players over multiple years as exhibited by David Estrada, Mike Seamon and the departed Fucito and Neagle.

There may be further announcements, but the team is currently roster compliant. Pending any announcements to the Injured List the status of Alex Caskey and Andy Rose is up in the air. Andrew Weber announced over twitter that he signed, but that is not yet official.

Roster Utilization Questions For 2012

Abbott Smith — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 23:00:15 -0000

Tonight's game against Jaguares essentially marks the end of the Sounders' 2012 preseason. The team's roster for the start of the season is basically set. Yesterday Sigi stated that tonight's game will be about focusing on preparing for next week's match against Santos Laguna. Time to stop focusing on which players the Sounders will choose and start looking at how the pieces they have fit together. Everyone is antsy for the season to start. You hear it in the players comments and throughout the net. But with a week to go, we still have to wait a bit longer. The lull provides an opportunity to look at three of the big roster questions facing the 2012 Sounders.

Question 1: How will the Sounders use their bench?

In 2011, the Sounders bench became a tactical arsenal. Players rolled into and out of the lineup as the situation warranted and Sigi was able to create tactical mismatches across the various competitions. Expectation led to performance and the team excelled. Key injuries and the team's unbalanced depth necessitated the moves. But the result was joyous to behold.

The 2012 Sounders appear to have a more balanced roster positionally. The only real question mark in terms of positional depth lies at the more forward central midfield position. After Brad Evans the team will need to move a player out of position, rely on two more defensive center mids or rely on Mike Seamon. Yes, there is still angst over the starting forwards, but that has more to do with injury and fear than depth. Not including Roger Levesque, the 2012 Sounders are 6 deep at forward with Fredy Montero, Eddie Johnson, David Estrada, Sammy Ochoa, Cordell Cato and Babayele Sodade. The team has multiple options in the wide midfield and this area again looks to be a core strength of the team. The team is 3 deep at defensive central midfield, two deep at right fullback, three deep on the left and has five solid options at CB. There are still four goal keepers on the roster though Josh Ford will certainly begin the season on the Injured Reserve since he had to be shut down for at least 6-8 weeks.

On paper the 2012 Sounders appear more stratified than the 2011 version of the team. There appears to be a reasonably clear first team and second team. With the Sounders' multiple competitions more evenly spread throughout the season, it doesn't take a stretch of the imagination to see the team fielding one squad for MLS and CCCL Quarterfinal matches, a second squad for the USOC and CCCL Group stage matches and then a third squad for the Reserve Schedule. Which brings us full circle to the question of how the Sounders will use their bench.

The biggest personnel changes in the 'first' team are Eddie Johnson as the second forward, Adam Johansson at right full back and Michael Gspurning at goal keeper. The other major change will be Steve Zakuani's return as he is reincorporated into the attack. The core players of the first team are a year more seasoned and they've been together long enough to understand what to expect from each other. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Brad Evans are healthy and appear to be fully recovered from their injuries of two years ago. Objectively, this team is probably the best Starting 11 the Sounders have ever started.

Yet, the 2012 bench presents Sigi with solid tactical options. Steve Zakuani will begin the season on the bench. Even at 75%, he poses a serious threat. Christian Sivebaek's combination of size and speed could prove deadly. David Estrada's evolution promises a work rate the Sounders haven't seen since Sebastian LeToux was lost in the Expansion Draft. Marc Burch will push Leo Gonzalez for starting time. Servando Carrasco, Zach Scott, Roger Levesque and Patrick Ianni offer solid defensive tactical options depending on the situation. If Sammy Ochoa can work his way out of the doghouse or if any of the younger players like Andrew Duran or Cordell Cato develop quickly, Sigi should have more weapons at his disposal than in previous years.

Realistically, I think that Sigi will start the season fielding a more traditional Starting 11 than we have seen in the recent past. This will give the newly integrated players time to become acclimated with their team mates and will give the team time to work out the kinks that will still be there due to the shortened preseason. As always, injuries will create necessity, but otherwise I expect the team to roll out the same Starting 11 for a while and use the 18 to reward players who are excelling during practice.

Once the season is in full swing, I expect that Sigi will return to a more tactical rotation. The new turf and the unbalanced MLS schedule will alleviate some of the wear and tear, but I fully expect Sigi to further compensate by utilizing the depth and quality of his bench to give players rest. The drop off in quality this year from first and second team appears to be less of a factor and the esprit de corps that tactical rotation creates should continue to help the team. You are a Sounder and we expect to win when you take the pitch.

Question 2: How will the tactical adjustments on defense impact the flow of the game?

The Sounders' offseason moves revolved around three key ideas. The got bigger. They got faster. And they overhauled their defense. Their investment in size and speed will play out over the season. But the big question revolving around these moves for me is the issue of how they will work tactically out of the back.

Michael Gspurning is a different kind of GK than Kasey Keller. Beyond the obviously physical differences, there is a definite difference in personality. Kasey Keller is intense. Gspurning appears much more happy go lucky. Keller was brought in to anchor and stabilize the team. He was its leader. Gspurning's job is simply to be the GK. This change in focus should allow Gspurning the freedom to be himself and work on helping the team's transition game. Gspurning's history shows that he plays the game with his feet more than many keepers. If he can spark the team's transition along the ground, the team should become better at both time of possession and the counter attack.

Adam Johannson appears to be an upgrade over James Riley. Riley is a consummate gentleman and helped to define the Sounders first 3 seasons. But when the team made a decision to upgrade its defense, a key component of the change was Johannson. Sigi's first order of business once Johannson arrived in Arizona was to pair him up with Mauro Rosales and start to bond these players into a unit. There appears to be a solid chemistry developing between the two men and I have a hunch that some of the most beautiful soccer of the 2012 season will involve this tandem. On one key exchange during the preseason they set up an amazing goal through a series of give and goes up the right hand side of the pitch. I will not be surprised if the Sounders have a tendency to transition the ball up the right side of the pitch and then Rosales and Johannson deliver crosses into the middle and left of the attacking third.

The acquisition of Marc Burch appears to be a simple replacement for Tyson Wahl. Neither Burch nor Gonzalez strikes me as a strength in the Sounders 2012 roster. I hope that the position is not a liability. I think that we can expect the same basic level of performance we saw last year on the left. The major difference will be in how these men adapt to the tactical emphasis on possession and transition along the ground.

The other key member of the defensive overhaul is Andrew Duran. Lost in all of the discussion revolving around the team's positional needs at CMF and FWD is his addition on defense. Essentially Andrew Duran replaces Taylor Graham. This single positional change is arguably the biggest of all of the offseason defensive upgrades. Yes, Duran is a rookie, but he brings a skill set to the table that Taylor did not. Initially his inclusion will have the most impact on the team's secondary competitions; the USOC and CCL Group stage matches. I also won't be surprised to see him work his way into the 18. Andrew plays well with the ball at his feet, appears to be adapting to the level of play and should see much more time on the pitch than Taylor did in 2011.

I also think that the increased emphasis on possession will help the returning players. Patrick Ianni did best two years ago when the team had a similar emphasis. Osvaldo Alonso's game is built on possession. So is Jeff Parke's. Leo Gonzalez works better on the ground than in the air. All of this bodes well.

The other factor will be the new field turf. This surface should reward the Sounders' more tactical approach than the 2011 surface did. Balls should sit up better and the team should be able to feather passes into the corners that last year would have skipped harmlessly over the touchline.

Question 3: What will Alvaro Fernandez' role be once Steve Zakuani returns to health?

Lurking in the background, this question will create its own brand of headaches for Sigi and the coaching staff. Flaco is one of the team's DPs and technically gifted. But finding a place for him on the pitch may prove problematic once Steve Zakuani returns. Ideally the team would like to have it's best players on the pitch at the same time in key matches, but Flaco might end up being the odd man out. His natural position is WMF. But with Rosales and Zakuani, the team has two potentially All Star caliber wide mids. If Sivabaek develops into a beast on the wings, Flaco could be further pushed to the periphery. Much has been said about moving Flaco into the center, but he has a tendency to get battered around like a pin ball when he moves into the center of the pitch. He has the skills to be a center mid, but I question whether he has the physical side of the game that will allow him to be effective there in MLS. His game is more suited to a different style of league play.

As a DP, he is far too expensive to be used as a situational substitute under the cap constraints of the MLS. If Zakuani and Sivebaek see regular playing time with the Starting 11, I think that the team will look to move Flaco to another league during the Summer window.

Big Questions

Of course, none of these questions can be answered on paper. The Sounders must answer them on the pitch. Champions are defined by how their teams answer these types of questions. The 2012 season will create its own drama and I expect that some of the answers will surprise us. Only one more thing remains. Let the games begin.