Player Profile: Jhon Kennedy Hurtado

If you were to graph Jhon Kennedy Hurtado's career arc with the Seattle Sounders it would be a big U. The one time finalist for Defender of the Year and MLS All-Star may just be on his way back to that level.

Less aggressive, but still a quality defender Hurtado may not have the pace he once did, but he is now a more mature defender.

Skills on offense: Not a threat on set-pieces, nor a good long passer, Hurtado still tries to dribble the ball forward when under less than moderate pressure.

Skills on defense:Hurtado used to play defense with all speed and aggression. In 2012 that transitioned to better positional awareness, toughness with less fouling. Less lateral burst than perfect Hurtado is still mistaken for being a small defender. He was one of the best set-piece defenders on the team. Of the returning defensive players only Alonso has a clearly better Net Duel Rate.

Best Case in 2013: Continued improvement in playing time and positional awareness could lead to a Jeff Parke level year or maybe even more.