Depth Chart: 3XI - Enlarged to Show Detail
by Dave Clark on Dec 8, 2011 5:59 PM PST
in Sounders: Analysis
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The Sounders have lost more players this season than any previous MLS off-season. That's without the official losses of Pat Noonan and Nate Jaqua who could still be drafted in Stage Two of the Re-Entry Draft on Monday. But there have been three retirements, the odd departure of Miguel Montano with basically no compensation, the expansion draft loss of James Riley and the trade of Tyson Wahl for allocation money have Seattle with plenty of openings. Just not as many as you'd first think. Several players were coming off the injured list so there are 25 on the roster. So far the only addition is Michael Gspurning, but it is a large addition and the most important too.
Either three or six of those qualify for the very end of the roster with tiniest of MLS contracts available. The question being whether or not the CBA allows a player to move from one minimum to the other between seasons, but there are up to six who will be under 25 and making basically the minimum. Seattle Sounders FC's many losses of older players also open several slots for players at the "senior" roster level (spots 1-20). The crowded space is for off salary budget players in slots 21-26.
Here is our early presentation of an off-season depth chart. Now, Enlarged to Show Detail, it includes a handful of Academy players and Academy alumni who could be signed by the team as Home Grown Players. Here is MLS' simplified version of the HGP rules provided by the league website;
A club may sign a player to his first professional contract without subjecting him to the MLS SuperDraft if the player has trained for at least one year in the club’s youth development program and has met League criteria. Players joining MLS through this mechanism are known as Home Grown Players.
Each attempted HGP signing or claim has to be approved by the league office.
A reminder about the Depth Chart format. The first section is by a player's primary role on the team. Those on top are considered by SaH as more likely to start at this time. A player listed in orange has injury recovery concerns so their listing is very difficult. Starting right back is left blank, but we think Heiner Mora is likely.
The second section is by any role a player could take for a reasonable amount of time. Those in bold are starting quality for league games. Those in regular font are capable spot starters in league or regular starters in early USOC or CCL group games. The possible HGP are listed only in their primary roles.
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Ochoa |
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Montero |
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White |
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Fucito |
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Fernandez |
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Rosales |
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Zakuani |
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Estrada |
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Neagle |
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Evans |
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Friberg |
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Seamon |
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Gonzalez |
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Alonso |
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Tetteh |
Carrasco |
Levesque |
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Sanyang |
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Parke |
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Hurtado |
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Scott |
Ianni |
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Gspurning |
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Ford |
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Meredith |
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| Possible Apprentice | Total On Roster | |||||
| Injured List: | 6 or 3 | 25 | ||||
| Injured | ||||||
| Zakuani |
Depth by Role |
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| White | Forwards | Wide Mids | Center Mids | Full Backs | Center Backs | Keeper |
| Montero | Rosales | Alonso | Gonzalez | Parke | Gspurning | |
| Ochoa | Fernandez | Evans | Scott | Hurtado | Ford | |
| Fucito | Zakuani | Friberg | Tetteh | Scott | Meredith | |
| White | Neagle | Fernandez | Estrada | Ianni | ||
| Estrada | Evans | Rosales | Levesque | Sanyang | ||
| Levesque | Friberg | Carrasco | Evans | |||
| Rosales | Estrada | Sanyang | Sanyang | |||
| Neagle | Levesque | Seamon | ||||
| Tetteh | ||||||
| Potential HGP: | Okoli | Kovar | Paludichuk | Yedlin | Lange | Herman |
| Dimuke | Peterson | Gallagher | ||||
| Jones | ||||||
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Comments
I don't know why
but I can’t help think that I’d really like to see Sanyang get the run out at RB—think he could do well there.
FRIMPONG ought always be written in full caps #DEEEEEEENCH
I'm with you on that
as a defensive stopper out there he could be good. His passing may not be what they want now.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Just because it may be 6 to 18 months
doesn’t mean we shouldn’t know who they are.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Trust me when I say I would love to get some young players in there and develop them
And it is great to get some names out there. I hope big Han takes a serious look at these guys because there is a ton of potential.
confused on why Scott wouldn't be 5 Levesque at RB?
by chrisperry1983 on Dec 8, 2011 7:10 PM PST via mobile reply actions
He both is, and isn't
By primary role – he’s at CB because that’s where I expect him to get the most time
By any role – he is a better right
Now both are role flexible, but at this time I expect more playing time for Levesque as a right back and more playing time for Scott at CB.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Thanks
and sorry about the fat fingering with the phone. Meant to be “behind Levesque”
by chrisperry1983 on Dec 8, 2011 9:26 PM PST up reply actions
Ford and Meredith
Do you think both are going to be on the roster this year or are they looking at another roster battle for third and the Sounders getting a second from somewhere else?
What's the deal with Ianni?
The dude was borderline all star material two years ago and had a great CB partnership with Parke while El Presidente was out with the knee injury. Now he can’t seem to the find the field at all. He was never amazing with the ball at his feet, but he is pretty athletic, good in the air, and has good positioning defensively.
FRIMPONG ought always be written in full caps #DEEEEEEENCH
by Kyle Ritter on Dec 8, 2011 10:51 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Maybe he's not happy with his role moving forward
Is he a starting caliber CB for most MLS teams? I’d lean towards yes but on the Sounders he is clearly a backup. He seems to have an “enforcer” mentality which I really appreciate. I was never worried whenever he was in the lineup.
With his skills I wouldnt be surprised to see him traded at any time though. He provides great depth and if we lose him he’ll definitely be missed.
What I remember most from Ianni this year is that crap back pass to Keller which allowed Kasey to make those 4 glorious saves which blew the roof off.
I was asking this all season
He looked a shadow of his former self. Maybe getting his playing time significantly cut was the reason.
Recessionproof since 2009.
I felt he was pretty good with his feet
There were many times that he was playing a DCM role because he’s strong in the air, a good tackler, but also I felt like he was pretty comfortable with the ball at his feet. When he then moved more into a CB position I remember likely his ability to give a good outlet from the back instead of always going to the long ball.
I think this last year his confidence just really was shot. He didn’t seem to be playing with the same heart or tenacity that we came to really like in 2010. The best example of this probably the super quad-save by Keller. It started from a lackluster back pass from Ianni and then we all watched Keller be spectacular. Watching that replay I just see a passive Ianni kind of jogging around watching Keller do his thing instead of closing down on the players who were taking the shots. I think Ianni has the ability to be a good passer out of the back, he just needs a huge shot of confidence.
Ianni was a shell of his former self...
Perhaps it was that he couldn’t accept his lesser role. I do see him as the 3rd CB with Scott preferable at right back over Levesque (and someone else preferable to both).
Wow. A ton of work ahead
If we’re to get better we need to make changes to starters, not the bench. I appreciate the work done in the past month but it looks like the two biggest changes are going to be an upgrade (hopefully) at right back and more time for Ochoa (I optimistically consider Keller>Gspurning to be a wash at this point). We’ve got killer depth — even better than last season — but I wonder if it’s smarter to play like the Gals and focus on a starting XI that can take the Cups rather than depth.
When you have depth….
One misfortunate injury doesn’t spell doom and drear for the rest of the season. If you look at LA’s injuries last season, Rickets was the only starter that was out for a long period of time (happened to be the position they had the best depth in). Both Gonzalez and DelaGarza missed several weeks from injury during the season and the Gals were considerably weaker. The stars kind of aligned for them and they didn’t sufferer too many injuries, for the most part, last season.
I don't think so
We had a great season. We scored a lot of goals and had PPM that would normally win the supporters shield in most MLS season. I don’t understand this call for a magical player that will help do better for 2 games in the playoffs when everything else was fantastic. If we can improve a starter in the off season that’s good, but I don’t think we need many drastic changes and getting depth can go a long way if we want to continue juggling multiple competitions well and the lack of getting many new starters shouldn’t be read as us not taking it to the next level, when really it seems that the next level has something to do with consistency from the regular season to the post season.
-Ben R.
The problem with trading depth for exceptional talent
The winning goal for this year’s MLS cup was Beckham, to Keane, to Donovan. International star to International star to International star.
If football is a game of inches, then soccer is a game of millimeters. Having guys like Donovan and Beckham on the team won’t guarantee an MLS cup. But guys like that ARE capable of doing something extraordinary, doing one or two little things that culminate in a goal that results in an MLS Cup or winning CONCACAF.
(The other advantage of having an internationally known star is that the refs will protect him, and the other MLS players won’t hack them down. I can’t imagine some thug from the Rapids or DC United intentionally trying to break Donovan’s leg, or rolling up Beckham’s knee. So having high level talent actually decreases the risk of injury.)
I like competing in the Open Cups, and having depth IS important because it is a long season. But beating the Chicago Fire isn’t the thing that legends are made of. I’d gladly trade the salary cap dollars that we spent last year on the likes of Fucito, Ochoa, Jaqua, White, Flaco, and Evans for a player of true international quality.
Refs protect international players?
I think Rosales and Ljungberg would beg to differ.
"It's scintillating, it's sensational, it's Seattle Sounders FC soccer."
by LoiteringWithIntent on Dec 9, 2011 1:06 PM PST up reply actions
Didn't say they protect international players.
Said they protect players of international quality.
Rosales, Zakuani, and Ljundberg are not David Beckham or Landon Donovan. No way in he!! that Mullan slams into Donovan the way he slammed into Zak. No way that Beckham would have gotten his leg rolled up the way Rosales did.
The refs don’t even have to “protect” guys like that. The rest of the players in the MLS know that intentionally hurting Donovan would be a career ending move.
by Choskasoft on Dec 9, 2011 1:59 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Ferandez isn't international quality?
Uruguay disagrees
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
(Is that the same Fernandez . . .
. . . who I watched get tossed around all summer, the same Fernandez who was subbed off at the half of the Open Cup finale due to a concussion, the same Fernandez who limped off the field of the RSL game?)
I will revise and extend my remarks. The refs and the rest of the players treat guys of international renown, and/or guys who are marquee players, with kid gloves.
Fernandez has been capped. It’s true. Fernandez is also not Diego Forlan. And if Diego Forlan were to join the MLS I suspect he would get the same star treatment from the refs and fellow players as Beckham and Donovan enjoy.
Star Players
The sounders do have to start acquiring star players, or players with star player potential. They have a few, Montero, Ferandez, Rosales, and maybe even Zakuani if he comes back. However they do not seem to be willing to spend big money on adding a bigger name or a true DP type player that teams in NY and LA have.
by Western Conference on Dec 9, 2011 5:12 PM PST up reply actions
It's because those teams spend on those names to draw crowds
Even when that money could be better used to upgrade all around the pitch.
Having been to multiple games at Home Depot Center
People there are bigger fans of individual players than of the team itself.
Agreed.
And conversely we lost one DP and two stars within the first moments of the season and still did incredibly well, even as we were stretched across four competitions. I loved the squad this season and thought ‘we’ really matured, but save for the first round loss I thought we did well yet never had enough to realistically go the distance anyway. We’re built to compete well against very good clubs like RSL. I just want to stuff the likes of smug LA., and to do that we need to think like them.
Remember the transfer window last august immediately preceding the run-in to the playoffs? We missed out on our primary target and passed on our plan Bs, while three-DP-rich LA “stumbled” on Ireland international Robbie Keane just as the window was closing. They jostled their roster to accommodate Keane who went on to contribute greatly in the playoffs.
I wish to avoid conspiracy theories and the best way would be to see our FO make audacious moves for some big guns who can come in and steal this league from the folks who stole it before us. I don’t want to be tied to the hope that The Don is happy now a big market team has brought credibility to his project. I want us to exploit the rules in place and run rampant over the golden boys in NYC and LA. Release the Kraken, or at least release the checkbook.
This is just all kinds of wrong
We’re built to compete with every team we face, not just the pretty good ones (for god’s sake, our reserves went into Mexico and won). To think we somehow weren’t competitive with LA is ignorant; we were in a legitimate race for the SS up until the last couple weeks of the season against a team having the best MLS season ever. 9 out of 10 years this Sounders team wins the shield, and wins it very convincingly. We don’t need to think like a team that gambles with their money every season and hopes they can come through with enough allocation to pay for their commitments next year. This organization is far closer to the Tampa Bay model than the Yankees model, and we’re far better for it in the long run. Are we going to find a Mauro Rosales with every non-DP signing? No. Is the likelihood high we end up more like NYRB than LA if we go down the “SPEND ALL THE MONEY!” path? Absolutely. Buying proven players that fit our system is a good idea, buying collectible names so we can sound pretty is not. This “save us DP Jesus!” has got to stop.
Nos audietis in somniis
Nos audietis in altum
by Seattle Coug on Dec 9, 2011 10:26 AM PST up reply actions
What's our record against LA the last three years?
To me being competitive against LA requires more than tying them occasionally and being within 10 points of the SS at the end of the season.
We had 1W (open cup) 1L and 1 tie this last year
the loss was the first games of the season where they squeaked out a 1-0 victory. The whole game was pretty close. 0-0 tie we played them evenly. In the Open Cup I thought we out played them pretty soundly. Also, we were only 4 points behind them at the end of the season this year.
Looking at seasons before the 2011 is silly. We played them pretty evenly this year. Next year I’m sure it’ll be similar in that the games will be pretty even, but hopefully we can get the better end of the results.
That Open Cup game featured near First XIs too
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Let's flip it around for a second
You look at 1W-1L-1D and seem satisfied. You know what LA did? They looked at 1W-1L-1D and went out and bought Robbie “My Boyhood Dream Was To Play For Your Team” Keane, then drank champers out of the flippin’ Anschutz trophy after hosting and winning the final match of the season. And when Becks leaves to concentrate fully on destroying some 23 year old’s Olympics dream, he’ll be replaced by another past-his-sell-by international looking for one last contract while exploiting the MLS’ lack of full back quality. I just don’t think switching Brad Evans to right back is a comparable strategic move.
You say that now . . .
. . . but just wait until LA signs Drogba and Forlan to tune up Mora*. Then you’ll really be pi$$ed.
*Mora looks like a decent find. And by looks I mean that he looks like an extra from Breaking Bad. But for a team that is desperately in need of toughness, I applaud the Sounders for finding guys who appear to be tough as nails. Hopefully he plays as tough as he looks.
But I agree with your larger point that bringing in quality DPs is – without question – a proven strategy for winning the MLS Cup. No other team in the league has 3 DPs to match Becks, Donovan, and Keane. And I say that regretfully because I hate those guys.
There are no guarantees when one brings in a DP. We’ve learned that the hard way. But there isn’t anyone on this board who wouldn’t squirt in their pants if we signed Drogba. Guys like that, even at an advanced age, are simply capable of things that the typical MLS fullback can’t hope to stop.
Frings, DeGuzman and Kloevermans don't suck
But Toronto does
Marquez, Henry and Rost have a hell of a pedigree
Red Bull is mediocre
Signing marquee DPs only helped LA in the last two years when they only took home half of the available trophies. To say that it is without a question a proven strategy is to base it off of one third of teams that tried in a single year.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
those teams are missing other pieces though
I don’t think the point was simply adding DPs makes a lousy team a contender. It will make them better though. And if you already have a top team like the Sounders, and have enough depth to survive injuries, the final piece is adding considerable quality via DPs (or hidden treasures like Rosales who subsequently essentially become DPs). Standing pat is not an option when your opponent is able to add quality like LA does.
Juninho
Another thing to remember about LA was their ability to sign loan agreements on a player like Juninho. They also have a much longer run within the league which gives them more stability and the option to take advantage of the HG tags. Seattle is still playing catch up in these areas.
"Looking to seasons before 2001 is silly"
Yes, majora999, looking at anything that doesn’t support your viewpoint or argument could be called silly, or it could be called honest. I would like to see the Sounders beat LA and everyone else year in-year out. Can’t be happy with 1-1-1. The way LA demolished us two year’s can still sting, but it is easier to ignore it.
They demolished us in 2010, no question
They only beat us once in 2011 and that was by a 1-0 score. The gap between the two teams is not as big as some would have us believe.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Dec 10, 2011 8:53 AM PST up reply actions
And it looks like we beat and tied them in 2009
So they have had only 1 year where they were significantly better than us.
It's not silly because it doesn't support my viewpoint.
It’s silly because it’s not indicative of the how close the teams matched up this year, or will next year.
If you throw out 2010, in which they obviously had our number in MLS play. We have 1W 1L 2T agains the Gals. That’s not too shabby.
We missed by 4 points this year.
This is only the 3rd year 63 points would not have won, and won relatively comfortably. Saying we need a major talent upgrade right now because of our historical record is foolish.
Nos audietis in somniis
Nos audietis in altum
by Seattle Coug on Dec 9, 2011 11:34 AM PST up reply actions
LAG are our Jones
If we want to win the MLS Cup (and very likely the CCL trophy this year), we have to go through LAG. While we can certainly beat them on any given day, overall, we have not been competitive against them. Our FO has actually had to REFUND tickets based on one or our performances against them. And LAG are on record already saying Beckham out, another huge DP in. So we may be competing with a Drogba-Keane-Donovan, or like, at least 3 times this year in MLS. As AH said regarding our one-and-outs in the playoffs, at three years straight, our losing is beginning to be a “troublesome pattern.” The same most certainly applies against LAG—in MLS, we are 1-5-2 against them with a -5 goal diff. There is no telling if us signing one DP will make a difference at all vs LAG, but one cannot argue that we need to do something new to beat them. Perhaps that’s why Sigi is looking at changing up the defensive pressure.
by Brougham Hooligan on Dec 9, 2011 11:33 AM PST up reply actions
They didn't have to refund
They chose to refund.
Why do you ignore the US Open Cup agains the Galaxy? They played almost all of their regulars.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
I don't discount the US Open Cup win
As I said, on any given day we can beat them. But I would argue that Starfire US Open Cup games give us about as strong of a home-field advantage as we can have. Overall, we have played very badly against LAG in our short existence, and this year, it’s not going to get any easier with 3 MLS games, and hopefully the CCL. Regardless though, we are not going to field a radically different team this year from last, so it begs the question of how we are going to try and beat them. I hope we come up with something because I definitely am not looking forward to seeing Keane cartwheel about the Clink carpet.
by Brougham Hooligan on Dec 9, 2011 12:14 PM PST up reply actions
Knocking them out of the cup two years running
does not make up for 1-5-2.
by AshReza on Dec 10, 2011 1:04 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Actual record against LAG
Hate to break it to you, but that’s not even close to our actual record against LAG
2009: Sounders 1-0-1, total score 3-1
2010: LAG 1-4-0, total score 10-4
2011: 1-1-1, total score Sounders 3-2
Total: LAG 3-5-2, total score: LAG 13-10
I know it doesn’t make for as great of a point as you guys want to make, but those are the facts.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Dec 10, 2011 8:58 AM PST up reply actions 5 recs
Yes, I can argue it
Its clear the corners of the back are the weakest link now. He isn’t suddenly changing what he’s asking his fullback/wingback to do, he simply is now in a position where the team has the ability to attract a quality of player at those positions that are more capable of providing more what he’s looking for. We do not need to do something new, we need to continue progressing the growth of the club. Our historical record only highlights the progress we’ve made, not the current state of affairs. I absolutely guarantee Sigi is making changes to make the club better, not so he can improve our historical GD and chase one team.
Nos audietis in somniis
Nos audietis in altum
by Seattle Coug on Dec 9, 2011 12:04 PM PST up reply actions
What's wrong is doing the same thing and expecting different results
My initial comment (admittedly improperly nested in this thread) was that the starting XI on this unofficial depth chart currently looks a whole lot like the starting XI we ended the season early with, the exceptions being an empty space at right back and a player with 2 goals up front. 2011 was a great season and I enjoyed watching more than ever, but we did NOT meet the stated goal of getting past the first round of the playoffs (and the team that beat us got knocked out in the next round). And massage your wording as much as you want but we did NOT win the Supporters Shield. Competing on four fronts is great and I hope we have the squad to do it again next season. In the end though we failed on three of those fronts.
I hate everything about the “DP Jesus” concept, from fact that I find ham-and-egger mercenaries like Keane highly unlikable to the fact is feels like gaining an unsporting advantage. Except if done right (LA) and not bungled (NY) a DP can help you meet your goals. I don’t want to end another season saying “we would have had the most points if someone else didn’t have more” and “we had the best team in the playoffs except for those teams that won”. I want there to be no question we have the best team as we dominate. And right now it feels like we’re just tweaking around the edges for marginal improvement.
by CityDrew on Dec 9, 2011 1:29 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
Injuries and Years together
I agree with your premise that the Sounders did not accomplish their goals. In the context of the 2011 season this is appropriate.
But it should also be noted that the Sounders basically lost the Supporters Shield at the outset of the season when their team chemistry was a shambles and they lost in the playoffs in no small part to the injury to Rosales.
At the outset of the season Nkufo had held almost all of the meaningful preseason minutes at forward and then left the team on opening night. Rosales was not in playing shape and had just joined the team. Montero injured his wrist and then Zak and OBW went down. By the team started firing on all cylinders, LA had a lead in the SS that they never relinquished. Over the season, Sigi and his staff continued to develop the team chemistry and experimented with different tactics.
Fast forward to the start of 2012 campaign. There are still big questions to be resolved concerning the health of Zak and OBW. There is also the unknown quality of Gspurning and the FBs. But the team could start the season with the same offensive weapons that it ended last year with and significantly outperform last year’s team. Much will depend on health and luck. But just because the roster is roughly the same, it is not indicative that the team should expect the same results. This is a young team. One year of experience for these players is huge. One additional year of working together is huge. And if the team can weather the injuries that have plagued it to date, this team may yet produce the aforementioned results.
Well said, and I mostly agree
I just don’t think it’s an either/or situation. We had great depth and coaching in 2011 which helped us weather a particularly bad storm of injuries on the way to a fairly impressive regular season. And as you say we have players returning and an already pretty well gelled team playing together again. So we have the depth part of the equation covered. But what did that depth net us when Mauro went down? We competed well but didn’t win, which is very similar in the end to falling apart and not winning.
Let’s keep the depth and tweak the current settings. But let’s also acknowledge that if we can make larger strides in quality quickly with the swipe of Adrian’s debit card we shouldn’t hesitate. Both approaches can work together.
I wouldn't mind the team adding a quality DP
I agree that they are not mutually exclusive. I think the DP can be used judiciously. I am not a fan of the aging European who is looking for a final paycheck. I appreciate the contributions of Llundberg and Nkufo. But I don’t want the team to repeat those signings. I would much rather the team find another young budding superstar and use the DP to bring in rising talent that will be with the team on their way up. The downside of this strategy is that it is less likely to produce either the star power or the immediate augmenting of the Sounder’s roster. Its a tradeoff. I believe that the rented star can push a team over the top in a given year. I believe that the young rising DP can lead to a culture where the team reloads. LA and NY have the advantage of city recognition in ways that no other American cities can match. Their FOs take full advantage of this cache. Seattle is a beautiful place and is developing a soccer rep to go with its topography. But it doesn’t have the snob appeal of Manhattan or Hollywood. There are players who want that. Then there are players like Montero or Gspurning who want what Seattle offers. The Sounders FO is playing to the strengths of its product.
One side note concerning the Rosales injury is that it wasn’t isolated. Zak and OBW were still down. Show me another team in this league that can weather three of its offensive cornerstones being out of the mix during the playoffs and I will show you a team that is liable to have been bounced.
Charting the starters for next year
would be more fun if we dream. Can Montero play behind Forlan? OBW looked like he was about to become a monster, FM moves to CM
Club World Cup Champions 2012
No more forwards
every mid we have is a goal scorer and we play a 4-1-2-3-0
Club World Cup Champions 2012
by seattle dude on Dec 9, 2011 1:22 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
What stands out
when looking at the depth chart after the recent roster moves, is how young the team is, especially the attacking and midfield players. Ochoa is 25, White 25, Montero 24, Fucito 25, Fernandez 26, Zakuani 23, Neagle 24, Rosales 30, Estrada 23, Evans 26, Friberg 25, Seamon 23, Alonso 26, Carrasco 23, Sanyang 20. Brad Evans is the second oldest midfield – attacking player on the Sounders (or third, if you count Levesque), and would be the seventh oldest midfielder – attacker on the current Montreal Impact roster.
These guys are good now, but they should get better, except maybe Rosales, who doesn’t really have to.
Our veterans are role players/reserves
With the exception of Parke and Rosales. Which is an odd inverse of most MLS teams. It’s an age set-up you’d expect to see on a team doing a rebuild, but really we’re in the 4th year of a very successful run with a core group of guys in their early to mid 20s.
I love our front office.
by Dizzo on Dec 9, 2011 8:09 AM PST up reply actions 3 recs
Seems like it's about right for a minor league team, though
If you look at, say, constructing a successful AAA baseball team, you should probably be relying on a core of up-and-coming stars with some older “AAAA” players filling in the gaps.
I don't think this is true
If you want to build a minor league team that is going to help your major league team, this is the way to go. However, if you’re only concerned about your AAA team winning as many games as possible; you’re probably better off just getting older “AAAA” players. You can find them for almost free, and there is a long history of players who destroy AAA as an older player who simply can’t play in the majors.
I think you need the younger players
I don’t think there are so many “AAAA” players as you suggest. Most players who are good minor league players are good major league players, barring injury, etc., which generally also hurts their minor league performance.
It seems like soccer players peak earlier than baseball players (at least hitters), too. If you say most hitters peak around 27-28, then looking at the International League last season, there are only 3 guys over the age of 28 in the top 30 in OPS.
Youth and experience
For me the thing that stands out is how much experience the Sounders youth possess. I am particularly struck by how strong the bench is going to be. The tactical options that the coaching staff will have should make the Sounders very flexible both during a game and moving between competitions. Sigi can tailor his lineups for tactical opportunities and shift tactics on the fly. This tactical breadth will also make it difficult for the Sounders opponents to prepare game plans.
I expect that the FO will continue to bolster the defensive flexibility this offseason and then use the draft to continue to build the team’s developmental depth.
If a more posession-oriented...
…back 4 is anticipated, do not overlook Evans as right back. He can play anywhere on the field, his understanding of the game combined with more than adequate foot skills make him a terrific candidate, both to prevent horrific defensive error while delivering capably on the counterattack, combining with Rosales up the flank and Fernandez through CM. Thus, leveraging Fernandez as CM, leaving left OM to Zakuani/Neagle.
I put Evans below Estrada and Levesque only because their time at RB is more recent
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His late runs into the box are always well timed
That could be a very potent and unexpcted offensive weapon if can do that from the RB slot. It will require more defensive awareness from Rosales and the CBs, but it could work to great effect.
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