The Seattle Sounders announced two more signings on Wednesday: veteran centerback Ryan Sailor and goalkeeper Max Anchor. Both players have strong Pacific Northwest connections.
Sailor, who spent the last four seasons with Inter Miami after being picked No. 9 in the SuperDraft, played collegiately at the University of Washington where he was a teammate with Kalani Kossa-Rienzi and former Sounders midfielder Dylan Teves. But after making 22 appearances and logging more than 1,500 minutes as a rookie in 2022, his playing time diminished considerably. Last year he only made five appearances and logged just 95 MLS minutes. The 27-year-old was a free agent.
“Ryan is a defender we’ve been familiar with for a long time, dating back to his days at University of Washington. We’re excited to bring him into our environment,” Sounders FC General Manager & Chief Soccer Officer Craig Waibel said in a team release. “He’s a competitive, intelligent player who brings physicality and composure to the backline, and we believe his profile fits well with the way we want to play. This signing adds important depth to our defensive group, and we’re looking forward to continuing his development within our system.”
Jeremiah Oshan
Anchor, 21, is a British Columbia native who had been signed to a Homegrown Player contract with the Vancouver Whitecaps and even made a start in 2022, but spent most of his career in MLS Next Pro and the Canadian Premier League. Anchor has logged more than 5,000 professional minutes, including 16 starts between Whitecaps II and Pacific FC last season.
“Max is a young goalkeeper with a lot of upside, and we’re excited to bring him into a strong, experienced group,” said Waibel. “Training alongside Stefan Frei and Andrew Thomas, and working under Tom Dutra, gives him an excellent environment to continue his development. We believe this is the right setting for him to grow and reach his potential.”
Combined with the signing of Hassani Dotson on Tuesday, the Sounders now have 25 players on their roster with roughly $1.6 million of estimated salary cap space.
