Takahito Soma - Leftback of the Future?

by Dave Clark on Apr 23, 2011 7:12 PM PDT in Sounders: MLS Regular Season

The other day news came out that Takahito Soma will be leaving club Energie Cottbus this summer to come to Major League Soccer. The Japanese left back is quoted as saying

"I have had an offer from an MLS club and want to move in the summer," Soma was quoted as saying Thursday in the online edition of Lausitzer Rundschau.

Sure, his current club is in 2.Bundesliga, and he's just a reserve there, so why is MLS interested in the 29 year old?

He has experience playing for Maritimo of Portugal's first division. There he spent about 50% of his time as leftback, with occasional starts as a left mid, center defensive mid and even at forward. Maritimo has a recent history as a mid-table team in a solid league, but doesn't draw strong crowds on the island of Madeira. When Soma was in the J-League he played left mid much more in both 3-4-3 and 4-4-2 lineups.

If you think this type of player (older, left side) seem familiar. It should. Leo Gonzalez was a left sided player who had time in the midfield, but moved to left back over time. He was also a little older when he came to the League. Leo was more familiar to the American soccer fan because of his time with the Costa Rican National team.

Another thing that strikes me is that this isn't the type of player that MLS scouts as a league. He isn't someone who their new hire in Asia would find (Soma hasn't been in Japan for a few years), he isn't from Latin America (the league scouts there quite well), and he isn't the younger brother of a really famous player. Part of the other intrigue is that he's a player who isn't young and entering through the draft, which indicates that there is a team already interested.

Is this the leftback for 2012 as one year stop gap before the Michael Tetteh era starts? There are plenty of reasons to guess yes.

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It makes a lot of sense

As a converted left midfielder he’ll want to get forward in the attack which is what we need from our fullbacks. I like that he’s versatile and could come off the bench in a couple different roles. He should still have a few good years left in the tank. I don’t know if he would be an upgrade over Leo though. He’s only a year younger and Leo has looked much better to start the season.

by Dizzo on Apr 23, 2011 7:22 PM PDT reply actions

I don't think Leo's problem is his age really

It’s mainly his lack of speed. I have no idea how fast he was when he was at his peak, but if you look at athletes in other sports (I’m thinking baseball particularly here), it’s not uncommon for fast players to age more gracefully than slow players.

It seems like there are plenty of teams in the league who could use an extra leftback, though, so I’m not getting my hopes up just yet. (Because I would definitely like better depth at fullback. Wahl and Scott are certainly acceptable depth at fullback for MLS, but with multiple competitions, if the Sounders could find improvements over Wahl and Scott, that would be great.)

by ubelmann on Apr 23, 2011 10:20 PM PDT up reply actions

He looks better than Wahl

and would probably be an immediate challenge for Leo. Soma does look a bit small and is listed as being 5’9", though, so you have to figure he’d get knocked around in MLS quite a bit.

On the flip side, he looks really quick… not just fast, but in about two steps he’s up to speed. I’m a big, big Leo Gonzalez fan, but I’ll freely admit that he frequently doesn’t look as quick as many of the right wingers he’s matched up against.

Leo has had a number of pretty good games this season thus far, though, and rumor has it that he’s more settled in his personal life and it’s affecting his training and play. Plus, he’s got that green card, and that makes him quite an asset in MLS thanks to the roster rules.

by Blue Eyed Buddhist on Apr 23, 2011 7:43 PM PDT reply actions

Riley's 5'10"

seems to handle the physicality alright

Nos Audietis

by sidereal on Apr 23, 2011 8:52 PM PDT up reply actions

Knock an inch or two off that and you have his real height

But that doesn’t change the fact your point is correct :-)

by TheTank123 on Apr 24, 2011 10:37 AM PDT up reply actions

Actually impressed with Wahl's play

Lost in all the talk about Zakuani’s injury and his replacement was Wahl’s performance in Leo’s stead.

I’m guessing Sigi had Leo come on late to help him earn credit for clean games, right? Help with that yellow accumulation? Wahl had a few brain farts, but overall he played well. Good distribution from that side.

by ABTsportsline on Apr 25, 2011 9:37 AM PDT reply actions

I was also happy with Wahl's play

I tend to think Wahl is a much better player than the limited minutes he receives in league play. He’s more of a traditional left-back, but overall he’s an excellent option for Sigi.

by Dizzo on Apr 25, 2011 12:54 PM PDT up reply actions