Seattle looks ready to take the smoke!
Sounders are still in preseason, and they will be for a little longer before they start the season in the CONCACAF Champions League against Honduras giants, FC Motagua. So far most of the team last year have made it back into preseason camp, though there are some departures from the club, some new faces have joined as well! This preseason camp in Arizona had the team play against conference rivals like the Portland Timbers and Colorado Rapids. The performances in both games gave us a glimpse of what to expect going forward and what we should be looking to add to help this team become the best in the league.
Raul Ruidiaz:
When it comes to the Peruvian flea, any team in this league would want a player of his calibre, the intensity in his eyes when he plays brings out the killer goals, reading the game like it’s nothing but Dr. Seuss books, pushing defenders away in such a way that its scary, these characteristics are what a striker should be! Seattle almost lost him this year as it looked like he was headed out of the door after first failed attempt of negotiations. To be honest, I really was expecting him to sign another contract after all he has said about playing for the team. Now having signed a new contract, he’s definitely locked in for another spell with Seattle, this time he has his sights set in becoming the lead goalscorer for the Sounders and winning nothing but trophies, I don’t blame him at all. I would definitely be checking up on him this season as he’s close to achieving those objectives. To top it all off, expect this season to be his best as of yet and I’ll tell you why…
Albert Rusnák:
This transfer window market brought in some signings but with the new CBA kicking in, the Seattle Sounders went in and took that market by storm. The new addition of Albert Rusnák to the team brought in a lot of shocked eyes around the league. Why? Well they signed him for free. Did you catch that? Here let me say it again for the people in the back. The got him for the F R E E. Yup, free. This is a signing that is not just great, but for a player of his calibre to join this team for free, that’s really great business for the club! This attacking midfielder can play in multiple positions and would be a dangerous player to add into a dangerous squad, with the likes of Jordan Morris and Nico Lodeiro returning to full health, you're bound to see all kinds of goals! Not only that, he’s already known some key staff like Garth Lagerwey, Craig Waibel and Freddy Juarez, all from the Real Salt Lake organization. Its going to be a dangerous year with this attacking group, even now that we have King…
Nicolas Lodeiro:
The man, the myth, the 2 time MLS Cup winner, the legend of Seattle Sounders is back healthy and ready to wreck havoc. For the past 5 seasons, Nicolas Lodeiro has been the key man who has controlled the game and lead the team in many victories. It’s great to be able to see him back in action at preseason, but last year was not his year. Let’s be honest, sounders fans, we’re seeing a decline of our most beloved player ever to wear the rave green. Last season the Uruguayan legend only registered less than 500 minutes, the worst he has had in the rave green jersey. There was also some rumors of him returning back to his homeland but that was quickly extinguished by other sources, but like always we’re going to be hearing more of these rumors as time goes by. Lodeiro this season can be as deadly as any other player when he’s healthy, which will be a big factor whether the Sounders are willing to keep the DP midfielder or by letting those rumors become a reality, and as much as I see that as a factor I still believe that he will be able to help the team succeed.
The Sounders have also been doing some business in the transfer market. Not only did they re-signed most of last years players, they’ve also added some players. Sam Adeniran played wonderfully and broke the Tacoma Defiance’s goal scoring record, giving him back a contract for the first team. One player that I would’ve love to have back was DeAndre Yedlin. The Seattle native fullback would’ve been an amazing signing but there wasn’t going to be room for him after getting back Alex Roldan. Theres also been some changes to the second team, now that the Defiance is going to MLS Next Pro league this season, some players have decided now is the time to move. Ray Serrano has joined Louisville City SC, which is the club that sold Jonathan Gomez to Real Sociedad. That’s a great move for the young fullback where he will be getting more minutes while playing in a higher level league compared to MLS Next Pro. Trey Muse also left and joined London United rather than being with Tacoma, which is respectable in many stances. These players are leading their careers to a new path but they both left on the high, and that’s winning trophies with Seattle. Whether its the development academy cups to MLS Cups, they’ve represented Seattle great! DC United also received Brad Smith for a trade of $750k in GAM and the Sounders also traded an international spot to FC Dallas for $250k, great business from Garth Lagerwey. Ethan Dobbleaer is also on loan to Czech 2nd division team, MFK Vyškov.
Expectations?:
This upcoming season I would expect us to go for a great run to win trophies. This season is also a season for some players to stand out, and one of those players I would love to see get more minutes is Leo Chu. The Brazilian winger has been deadly this preseason and last year we got a great glimpse on what to expect later on. He will be able to prove the coaching staff why he should start, although he is going he can make big difference for the team in the final third. His link up play with Raul Ruidiaz is top notch which could help the Peruvian forward score a whole lot of goals this season. Soto Kitahara is also another player to watch, the midfielder has great foot work and can read the game but still has alot to learn, but with learning he can help this team. One to watch also is Dylan Teves, a player who lead UW to their first soccer championship. There’s more to come for this team and it’s only the first part of preseason, the more they play the better picture we can see how the team will be this season but at the moment the future definitely looks bright and we all should be excited for whats coming!