Wes Knight On Trial With Seattle Sounders

Wes Knight is on his way to trial with the Seattle Sounders over the next few days. Joshua Mayers confirmed a tweet that indicated Knight would be headed to Seattle for a several day look. The 25 on Tuesday right back/right mid played with the Vancouver Whitecaps in both the USL (was a finalist for Rookie of Year in 2009) and in MLS. He had 10 assists in the second division in both 09/10 but only notched a single assist in 805 minutes (10 starts, 2 other appearances). Knight's release by the Whitecaps stunned their fanbase.

While Knight is only on trial, chatting with Ben Massey of www.EightySixForever.com shows that he has some significant upside;

Technically, he's not yet starting material. He's quick, both in a straight line and in terms of agility. He crosses decently and has good instincts for when to get forward. His positioning, defensively, can be solid: he marked the likes of Juan Agudelo entirely out of a game. Unfortunately he does get caught in the wrong place sometimes and, while he has a good eye for passing, his crossing is only decent and his shooting ability is nil. Knight also used to have an extremely long, accurate throw-in, but that's been demonstrated less and less after a right shoulder injury late in the 2010 season.

He's also a huge fan favorite.

Wes was Vancouver's most popular player because he loved the fans as much as they loved him. You'd see him standing outside of Empire Field after a game or a practice talking to nobody in particular: just a fan who recognized him and wanted to say hi. You could count on him for an autograph, of course, but also for a conversation, for candour, and for the sort of "Southern hospitality" that's become a stereotype.

Knight offers Seattle a back-up at their shallowest position, particularly now that Zach Scott is getting so much time at centerback. The bridge from James Riley to the unknown future right back may have been found, and at a loss for the Cascadia brother to the north. This of course assumes that during his trial he emulates what Sanyang, Ochoa and Rosales all have done during a similar opportunity.