MLS Offseason Guide: Seattle Sounders Will Stay Busy
by Jeremiah Oshan on Nov 7, 2011 7:40 AM PST
in Sounders: News
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PrintThis being the third MLS offseason in the Seattle Sounders' history, you'd like to think we are starting to get the hang of this thing. We've been through enough expansion, re-entry and super drafts to the know that there really is no such thing as an offseason.
The first big date is on Tuesday (Nov 8th)when the Sounders learn their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal opponent. The next big day is Nov. 21, the day after the MLS Cup final, when the Sounders must submit their finalized expansion protection list. From there, it's mostly a series of drafts, the first of which is the Expansion Draft on Nov. 23 and finishing off with Supplemental Draft on Jan. 17. In all, there will be six offseason drafts.
The Sounders will finally return to action sometime between March 6-8 when the first leg of the CCL quarterfinals is held. The 2012 MLS season is also rumored to be starting that same week, greatly diminishing the chance the Sounders will host a fourth straight First Kick.
For a list of important dates in the Sounders' offseason, be sure to check the jump.
Tuesday: 2011-12 CCL quarterfinals draw. Sounders will open against Los Angeles Galaxy, Santos Laguna or Pumas UNAM.
Nov. 21: Teams submit finalized list of protected players for Expansion Draft. Each team can protect up to 11 players, exempting Generation Adidas and Homegrown players.
Nov. 21: Allocation order resets. Sounders will be 15th.
Nov. 23: Expansion Draft held. Montreal Impact select 10 players, with no more than 1 coming from each team.
Nov. 23: Waiver Draft held. Player released by teams can be selected by other teams with the order determined by the reverse order of the standings.
Dec. 5: Re-Entry Draft, Stage 1. Players can choose to enter this draft if they fail to come to contract terms with their current teams and meet certain experience standards. Selecting teams are bound by various contractual obligations to the players. (explanation here)
Dec. 12: Re-Entry Draft, Stage 2. Players that go unselected in Stage 1 are eligible here, the difference being that selecting teams can negotiate new contracts.
Jan. 1: The first of the international transfer windows open.
Jan. 12: MLS SuperDraft. Two rounds long. Sounders will select 15th.
Jan. 17: MLS Supplemental Draft. Four rounds long.
March 6-8: First leg of CCL quarterfinals.
March 8: Rumored date of MLS First Kick.
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Signing foreign players (read goalkeepers)
So assuming the sounders want to sign Gspurning or Moreira, what is the mechanism we have to go through? Do they have to sign with MLS and be refused by everyone ahead of us on the allocation list (meaning almost everyone)? Adrian indicated it would be difficult to sign Marcus Hahnemann because he would have to make it through the allocation process. Are there exemptions for certain types of players?
Foreign players who have not appeared in MLS previously are free agents
non-DP contracts are held by the league, DP contracts are shared. So MLS does need to approve any player signing. All non-returnees would be acquired via “discovery” mechanism, which is basically a first come first serve situation.
Allocation ranking is for USMNT and returning MLS players, and that’s where acquiring Hahnemann gets so difficult. Similar to Sammy Ochoa these players get assigned through a kind of draft, but not all of the signings happen at once. Teams have to gamble and think that maybe a player who they’d like more signs later, or do they want the current guy now.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Foreigners don't go through allocation
Allocation is reserves for USMNT players. Teams sign foreigners by placing a “discover claim” on them. Their contract is still held through the league, though, just like any other player.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Nov 7, 2011 8:45 AM PST up reply actions
I know we will probably cover this more as the time comes but...
regarding the re-entry draft, do we know whose contracts are up or at the option point? First name that comes to mind is Jaqua, but I can’t remember if he’s signed through the end of this current season, or through next season, or if he has an option for next season.
we don't know that stuff
contract lengths are never public. It’s most speculation and rumor.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Nov 7, 2011 8:59 AM PST up reply actions
Also
For first kick, I think a cool thing to do would be to have the MLS Cup champs host first kick against the wooden spoon team to kick off the season. I know there are a number of reasons why they do it they way they do right now, but I think that’d be a fun/interesting way of kicking off the season.
it would qualify as "a way" of doing it
Not sure I think it’s a good way, but it’s definitely an idea :)
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Nov 7, 2011 9:00 AM PST up reply actions
I'd prefer a match between 2 of 3 trophy holders from year previous
Open Cup, MLS Cup and Supporters Shield winner.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
As long as we don't have to host LA
and then fly to NY a few days later again I’ll be happy. That was shitty.
-Ben R.
by reesebw on Nov 7, 2011 9:45 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
no, it would be worse
the trip will be to Mexico or LA
actually maybe not worse. how ’bout LA at Seattle in CCL, LA at Seattle in MLS, Seattle at LA in CCL? light travel.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
How likely is it
Montreal gets the season opener?
Also, do you have any inside scoop on when we can expect the 3rd kit to be unveiled to the public? I can’t remember when they unveiled the electricity kit (and i’m too lazy to google).
-Ben R.
And how likely is it
that the Sounders are involved with the 4th season opener in a row?
-Ben R.
Electricity was revealed at the End of Year Business Meeting
Which is being planned right now
And if I’m NBC I want two US teams for the league opener and from the following list – Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake, LA, KC and New York
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Actually Shale at the Business Meeting
Electricity was at a function at a team store
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Minorly off-topic,
but talking about GKs and all that. I don’t think I’d mind seeing Ricketts in our goal. A possibility?
I was thinking this as well
LA Obviously doesn’t need both of their keepers. Saunders is cheaper and less injury prone. I’m guessing they leave him unprotected and Montreal picks him up though.
"The fans are excited. And the stadium, well, it ignites with explosion."
A trade is always a possibility
Both Portland and Vancouver made expansion draft picks essentially as part of a trade with another team. Usually for a combo of allocation cash and draft picks
The SAH Links Guy
by Dizzo on Nov 7, 2011 10:37 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
Another trade option
I could also see Seattle trading with Montreal for their allocation order pick in order to bring a goalie if they have their eyes on an American international. Though in all honesty, a straight foreign international filling the goalie vacancy seems more likely to me.
I was going to say the same thing
I’m sure Montreal could use something we could trade for.
I want a goalkeeper
age 30-35 good experience any names?
by alexyepz on Nov 7, 2011 10:40 AM PST via mobile reply actions
Michael Gspurning. Learn it. Know it. Get used to it.
Dollars to donuts, that’s your goalkeeper next year.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Nov 7, 2011 1:09 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Looks that way. Curiosity: Anyone know how to pronounce his name correctly?
La Vecchia Signora Forever!
Do you guys have an inside track on this?
I’ve only seen the posting here and then a note on MLSSoccer.com that I think referred to something Josh wrote up.
by chrisperry1983 on Nov 7, 2011 2:48 PM PST up reply actions
Adrian's comment
I don’t have any inside knowledge, but AH’s coy remarks when the story broke in the international media make me believe that Gspurning is the most likely candidate. He makes sense on a lot of levels and the interest is obviously there. I don’t expect that anyone within the Sounders organization will confirm anything though until the deal is signed and the Expansion draft is in the rear view mirror.
I get what you're saying
and yeah it does make a lot of sense… but what’s throwing me is that if we step back and look at this guy: Austian international, only 30/31 years old, playing top flight in a Euro league… how much is this guy gonna cost? Surely we can’t get him for a going rate MLS keeper salary ($200k ish max?). I can’t imagine we’d go the DP keeper route. Keller was incredible and worth every penny of his originally $300k and later $250k salary, but I just find it hard to believe we’d want to continue to spend that kind of money, if not more. Yes we need a quality keeper, but doing this seems a little on the extreme side.
I wonder what it would take to sway Saunders or Ricketts to come over here?
by chrisperry1983 on Nov 8, 2011 8:12 AM PST up reply actions
Gspruning is probably pronounced like Gstaad
which you can listen to here: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=gstaad&submit=Submit
(don’t know why my reply doesn’t nest correctly)
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