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The list of trialists shrank quite a bit over the weekend as Seattle Sounders FC is down to five in camp, plus the several unsigned draft picks. Cato is still listed on the roster but his contract status is still not complete. Duran is still working on the side and Patrick Ianni is getting an MRI on the foot he injured during the vertical jump test. The current trialists are;
- Doug Herrick - Keeper. He should be around for a long time. Seattle likes to have at least four keepers around for training.
- Phillip Lund - Mid
- Guy Essame - Mid
- Travis Bowen - Forward
- Ashani Fairclough - Defender/Mid. He is the most recent addition. Fairclough went undrafted out of South Florida and has time with the Jamaican youth national teams
Sigi indicated that one of the cut trialists was told that he may get a call due to positional needs. Today, while at media was at camp a report emerged that Canadian LB/CB Mason Trafford would be joining Seattle in Casa Grande.
Le Canadien Mason Trafford attendu au camp des @soundersfc après le match #CanMNT vs #USMNT de mardi à Houston. #MLS
— SoccerPlus (@SoccerPlusFR) January 28, 2013
Trafford played a few minutes at left back in the most recent Canadian national team match.
The larger game's most interesting moment came on a long ball from Leo Gonzalez to a sprinting up the middle Mauro Rosales. Osvaldo Alonso gave a stiff shoulder check and won the ball away from his captain. Like most of training camp the issue of who played where was less meaningful. Remember four national teamers are still away.
Alonso has been entering the attack more, but it isn't by design or to get more goals/assists. "No. I play the same. The main thing [this year] is my goal to win the Championship with my team. We want to win the trophy," Alonso told Sounder at Heart after the day's training session.
He thinks that the midfield is stronger this year than in year's past, but notes that they just "have to do our thing" winning the ball and transitioning to the attack. His greater familiarity with Christian Tiffert should help.
"It's been almost a year with him here. We have a good partnership. We will play the same. He has his style and I have mine and we will help the team.