It was a busy week this past week, as the Sounders front office managed to keep busy and active. Better than I can say, as I went (for the first time in months) to the gym to work out (because it is way too cold to play outside). I am still way too sore.
Kasey Keller gets to stick around for the big party next season
Welcome Erik Friberg
MLSTalk forgot one big winner: the Sounders. We got a 4th round draft pick absolutely for free by taking up Chris Seitz and dumping him off immediately, no cost to us.
Highlights of last year's 4th round include Chicago's Sean Johnson and Houston's Euan Holden, Stuart's little brother. The rest are all in developmental leagues. So at the very least, we got free insurance on a player. Booyah.
Also, this week CONCACAF released the list of venues for this summer's Gold Cup.
Funny thing, a friend of mine was complaining about this to me. And there seem to be a lot of people upset over the fact that Seattle got 'ignored'. I am also definitely bummed out, as I always love the chance to watch our Nats whenever I can.
However, I for one actually went to last year's Gold Cup matches. And it's kind of unlucky, as the USMNT played on the 4th of July against Grenada in front of a sparse 15,000. It wasn't as bad as the Columbus Crew stadium, but you'd think Seattle would put more butts in seats, especially on 4th of July for the national team. Anyways, the point is, Seattle didn't really show the passion for what a lot of people consider second-tier soccer (in America? is there even such a thing?) despite the fact that the winner goes to the Confederations Cup (still second-tier I guess), and as the deciding group CONCACAF seems to be pushing a clear agenda with selections of Tampa, Charlotte, and Kansas City. So I think we shouldn't feel too hard done by, as higher turn-out in those cities will help paint those cities in a better light for Garber and Co.
I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. If you are traveling, stay safe! I will try to write as I can in the next week or so, but if I don't get the chance, Merry Christmas!