Eddie Johnson is a 25-year-old forward that started his pro career with Manchester United when he signed as a junior player in 1999. He went on loan to Royal Antwerp, Coventry City and Crewe Alexandra, netting 15 goals in 59 games over those two and a half seasons. He went on to play two years for Bradford City and one season with Chester City before coming stateside in 2009 to play for the Austin Aztex in the USL.

Yakir Lusky is a 23-year-old Israeli midfielder who scored four goals over 32 games in his six-year career in the top division of the Israeli league system. In that span he played with Hapoel Tel Aviv, Hapoel Petah Tikva, Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan and Hapoel Ashkelon.

Josh Gardner is a 27-year-old midfielder who scored seven goals over 52 games in 2007 and 2008 with the Sounders in the USL, helping Seattle to the USL-1 Championship and Commissioner’s Cup in 2007. He was originally drafted 13th overall in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft by Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid, then coach of the LA Galaxy. The left-sided midfielder played 21 games over three seasons before his release prior to the 2007 season. After his two years with the Sounders, Gardner played with the Carolina Railhawks in 2009.

Eric Winblad is a defender from Azusa Pacific University. In 18 games his senior season he tallied two goals and two assists. In his junior season he was the Brine-NAIA Player of the Year after moving into a midfield role to help an ailing offense. He tallied ten goals and six assists in four years at Azusa.

Derby Carillo is a goalkeeper from St. John’s University. He had 11 clean sheets in 20 games last year with the Red Storm, going 9-2-9 with a 0.45 GAA in his senior season. He played two years at Cal-State Dominguez Hills.

They join the other players competing for only 2 open slots.

On Nashat Akram from his wiki - usually plays as a midfielder. Akram is one of Iraq’s promising young prospects, and has been linked with Manchester City1 and Sunderland2. In 2009, the International Football Awards chose Nashat Akram as the best Asian footballer of the year.3

On Khalfan Ibrahim from his wiki – into Al-Sadd’s first team at the age of 17 in Mar 2005 and scored against Al-Shamal. 2005-06 was more better when he scored goals in the Qatar League, Crown Prince Cup and Asian Champions League, which brought him into the spotlight. His performance in 2006-07 played a part in the Asian Player of The Year title. He scored 5 goals in Al-Sadd’s start to the league campaign and then was a crucial member of the Asian Games gold medal winning Qatar team.

Neither Akram nor Khalfan have been connected with Sounders in more than my dreams, but they are young talents who are either not playing, and/or need to take a step up to a bigger stage.

They didn’t need to name a DP type of “name,” especially with so many big names playing for European sides or getting trials there. Who’s to say that Donovan gets a full transfer to Everton? Blanco is back in Mexico for sure. Who knows/cares if David Beckham wants to come back. (Post-World Cup retirement?) But it’s never a good idea to bet on the other teams letting you win. There is always a need for improving the roster.

The scouts for Sounders FC seem to have done a good job of evaluating talent in the past, Osvaldo Alonso, Leo Gonzalez, and Montero. Drafting Zakuani might be a bit obvious/too soon to tell. They seem to have a knack for getting the right kind of players for Sigi.

Depth is why champions never have to churn. We should always be looking to improve and add depth. In addition to injuries, players often go through slumps which can be more detrimental at times. You have to wonder if Jacqua had a slump last year and will get back to 10 goals again, or if he will continue to decline. A couple of injuries could pile up fast, especially with CONCACAF Champions League added to the schedule. I’m looking forward to see how everyone performs. The defense is getting on in age also, never a good sign. I’m surprised that Philly didn’t grab James Riley as well, at least for the sake of tradition ;) But I’m glad he’s still with the team. He seems a good fit, although he has dodgy moments.

My guesses are that Levesque will be used more as a regular sub in the absence of Le Toux, Zakuani will improve and finish more goals, Freddie Ljungberg will be the most fouled player in MLS, Sounders defense will be in the top three for fewest goals allowed, and Montero will make a one touch pass back to a teammate. I’m looking forward to seeing who makes the final roster out of camp.

I’m a United fan, but I’m not here to hassle anyone. MLS rosters intrigue me, and I’ll probably be running the rule over your team over on B&RU before the season kicks off.

From where I sit, Seattle has a very strong team that needs a couple small improvements. A discussion of contenders, at this point, would have to include you guys. This is a team that, for the most part, lacks weak spots. Guys like Keller, Hurtado, and Montero deserve to be in the discusson for being the best at their position in MLS.

Starting in the back, Keller is dynamite and has been mostly injury-free throughout his career. Plus, his experience provides a strong guide for your defenders. I don’t know much about your backups, but they aren’t particularly relevant. Obviously an injury to Keller would be a disaster, but most MLS clubs are in the same boat.

In the back, Hurtado is spectacular and I am deeply envious of you for having him. After that, though, it goes downhill. Marshall is a good leader, but he’s a guy that any coach aside from Schmid would be looking to improve upon. He’s one of Sigi’s favorites (though more deserving of his spot than Vagenas). Ianni was not a failure last year when called upon, but he’s not really a guy good MLS teams would feel comfortable relying on either. I know Graham is popular in Seattle, but during his previous MLS stints he was somewhere between “not good” and “crap”. If he was traded to DC for a few beers, he’d still be firmly behind Julius James (who I believe we need upgrade on if we want to be better than a mid-table team).

As for the fullbacks, Gonzalez and Riley are decent enough. They’re not elite guys, but they aren’t going to be your downfall by any means (though Riley really needs to improve his tackling discipline…he takes entirely too many bookings and is a red card risk in seemingly every game). Scott didn’t look out of place in MLS, but he also didn’t look like a guy you’d want to start too often. I know I saw Levesque here at some point (perhaps after a red card of some kind?) and he didn’t look terrible, but it was clear that this was an emergency-only move. If there’s an area to improve, your fullbacks are probably it.

Evans and Alonso are a really good central midfield duo. Vagenas flat-out sucks, and your play really dropped off when Schmid called on him. There is really no reason, at this point, that he’s an MLS player. This probably reads like I hold a grudge, but I don’t; I am just giving my honest evaluation. Estrada is pretty much an unknown. Schmid may have come up with a sleeper, but there’s just as much a chance that he was a massive reach in the first round.

On the wings, Zakuani is a potential scheme-breaking guy. When he’s on, he’s more or less undefendable; the approach becomes more about forcing people to pass elsewhere rather than stopping him. However, he’s inconsistent, so this only happens once in awhile. Still, MLS right backs are all distinctly uncomfortable about facing him 1v1. Jaqua makes an awkward matchup for any left back. He’s not brilliant, but he’s a battler who gets consistent results. Fucito didn’t even make last year’s squad, and I’d assume the Sounders will be trying to improve rather than regress. Estrada, again, is an unknown. Levesque was a decent option here as a sub, since he runs himself into the ground, generally plays a smart, basic game, and is not without technical ability.

Up top, Ljungberg and Montero are two of MLS’s most elusive players. Combine that with their skill, and they’re always going to be a real problem. If they can get a little better at working as a pair, their 2009 performances will be topped with ease. Ljungberg, in particular, should end up with more tangible results. Jaqua has done well as an MLS striker, so if called upon there are no problems with him. Levesque, again, is a pain-in-the-ass type of player that makes a great sub.

All in all, if you guys add an outside back and a reliable 3rd option in holding midfield, you are a real threat to win more hardware. Even without, you’ll still be a very good team as is. I hate saying it, but it’s true.