2013's Hot Topics on Sounder at Heart

It's kind of funny writing about the site for the site, but it also seems like a good way to end the year. You guys read a lot, talked a lot and shared a lot. While it may seem silly for the Clint Dempsey story to be the most significant story in American soccer in 2013 to some people, when you look at the numbers on this site, it is not. The Thursday when the Shalrie Joseph deal was reworked and the Dempsey deal was rumored was the second most heavily trafficked day in the history of SaH. That Friday was the most popular by far. Saturday's gameday and formal announcement was the third most popular day. In fact the five-day stretch from Thursday to Monday brought in more traffic than any entire month of SaH prior to this year.

2013's Most Popular Topics

1. Clint Dempsey signs with Seattle - This was good for five of the six most read stories on the site. There were 47 total updates to the StoryStream on the move.
2. Obafemi Martins signing saga - A StoryStream that lasted more than a month as the rumor took forever to become reality. People didn't stalk Oba, but maybe they should have. Obviously, we need to work on our presence in Spain.
3. MLS Salary Topics - The single most popular post of the year, as well as the 10th.
4. AO Columbus v AO Seattle - The most read FanPost (a key part of what we are as we encourage the community to write what they want) was a local response to the controversy that fueled several Links stories.
5. Obafemi rumored to be leaving - It could be a loan or a permanent deal, but the recent rumors of his impending departure are grabbing eyeballs. He's linked to Turkish clubs (Rize, Gala) as well as West Ham. You guys care about this.
6. Primary & Secondary Kit stories - You guys obviously care how the Sounders look. The initial leak and follow-up confirmation were among our most popular posts. This year's release of the third kit will likely attract even more attention. Any guesses as to the color?
7. Eddie Johnson dealt to D.C United - In 2012 his acquisition was No. 1. His moving on only comes in at seventh.
8. Cooper, Marshall, Frei, Bowen become Sounders - This offseason overhaul is massive, but really does not compare to the in-season build. The Moffat-Cooper swap was the most read of these, but the 2013-14 break as a whole is fascinating many.
9. American Football - Whether it was news of the release, podcasts with the creator or clips from the movie, you guys drank up any information you could get about the film. It is now available as a Blu-Ray so you can watch the actual film rather than read about it.
10. Sigi Stay/Out - The other hot topic of the offseason had a couple fairly popular posts and the second most-read FanPost. That FanPost pointed out that there are viable options besides Schmid. (Two Sigis, Sigi Stay, Sigi Out, He Stayed Now What)