Seattle Sounders FC announced today that it has released preseason training players Kevin Sakuda, Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar, Kenji Treschuk, Youssouf Kante and John Fishbaugher.

Fishbaugher is a former member of the Tacoma Tide and the USL Sounders.

The Sounders completed their initial part of training at the Seahawks facility in Renton today. A practice that had been scheduled for Saturday has been canceled. Next, the team shifts to Oxnard, Calif., for training and its first friendlies, Monday through Feb. 14.

That's the take of the Vancouver Sun in this story, which portrays the stadium troubles in Ottawa as an opportunity for Vancouver.

I hope they're right, because Seattle-Vancouver certainly seems to hold more rivalry potential than Seattle-Ottawa.

I missed training today while heading off to Arizona with the UW basketball team.

However, FC kindly sent along some quotes from Sigi Schmid's meeting with the media, and I'm passing along a few highlights here:

On today’s training regiment: “Today’s training we wanted to make a little bit shorter then over the last couple of days. We did a little bit of fitness at the very beginning with Dave (Tenney). Then we had a little bit of a fun that wasn’t as much running in it. And then we just wanted to work on a game where we would have to do a little bit of shifting and sliding. The reason the cones were there was that when a ball was in the middle part of the field, I wanted all the defenders in the middle part of the field, and when the ball went to the other side make sure everybody got across. So we were looking for that. And then offensively looking for them to do a better job of changing the ball. I think we have the defensive point better across then the offensive point.”

On player combinations: “We’re starting to see which combinations we think are going to look better for each other. Guys are at different levels of fitness, so we’re trying to bring guys along there as well. Obviously, we want to see the 11-v-11 scrimmage, where we sort of have an idea which cuts we’re going to probably make tomorrow, and then what combinations we want to start looking at in Ventura.”

On when newly acquired Patrick Ianni will join training: “Our decision was this week was to keep him working on the strengthening stuff. We’re happy with the progress he’s making, and that way he’ll be able to jump all in when we get to Ventura. We want to bring him along that way. And (Osvaldo) Alonso, like yesterday we pulled him out a little bit. Tomorrow we’ll pull him out a little bit as well. So we want to bring him along fitness wise also.”

After weeks of negotiation, defender Jeff Parke has decided to test the soccer waters overseas.

“We have been in touch with Jeff Parke’s representatives," general manager Adrian Hanauer said through a news release today. "We are aware that Jeff is planning a trip to Belgium and has tryouts with two clubs. We think Jeff is a tremendous player, and that’s why we were willing to risk selecting him in the expansion draft. We will continue to keep in close contact. We continue to hold his MLS right and we’re hopeful that he will some day play for Seattle Sounders FC.”

Parke played last season with the New York Red Bulls. The Sounders selected him in the MLS expansion draft. However, because his contract had expired, all they actually secured were his MLS rights while he was free to negotiate elsewhere.

With Parke apparently out of the picture, the center back position is being contested among Patrick Ianni, recently acquired from Houston; Nathan Sturgis, formerly of Real Salt Lake, Tyson Wahl, fomerly of Kansas City, and Taylor Graham and Zach Scott, formerly of the USL Sounders.

The Sounders' 30-game regular-season MLS schedule was released today (see posts below).

This morning I got a chance to discuss a few aspects of it with general manager Adrian Hanauer and coach Sigi Schmid.

A few highlights:

Hanauer overview: "It’s never perfect. It is front-loaded. We take some rough road trips at the end of the year. But it is what it is. We just need to focus our energy on taking care of business, getting points wherever we can and hope that we’re in the playoffs at the end."

Hanauer on the early cluster of home games and late road trips: "For sure playing in a facility that has an NFL team and other events plays into the overall scheduling. As do international windows that are opening up now for international competitions, the all-star game and various other things within mls that affect the scheduling."

Hanauer on the three friendlies included in the season-ticket package yet to be named: "We think we’re getting close to adding in pieces of the three friendlies. But it’s interesting: Those international games tend to be a moving target."

Schmid overview: "It is what it is. I’ve always felt as a coach you control what you can control and don’t worry about what you can’t control."

Schmid on the two games against Columbus, his former team: "They might circle that one more than me. For me, it’s three points whether we beat Columbus or three points whether we Chivas. And the three points against Chivas are probably more important because it’s three points inside of conference and those become six-point games. For me we always focus on the conference. It’s important that we do that and it’s important to do well at home. If you can have a winning percentage at home, that’s going to help your opportunity to get to the playoffs."

Schmid on the extra travel West Coast teams endure: "It is what it is. I went through it in LA. It makes it a bit tougher when you’re going coast to coast on consecutive weekends. That definitely makes it a little bit harder, and it’s harder because you lose training days. But it’s a reality of our league and its something that our players, between taking care of themselves with nutrition and psychologically. Psychologically I don’t want to make a big thing of it because if you talk about it as a problem it becomes a problem."

Sounders 2009 MLS regular season schedule

March 18 vs New York
March 28 vs Salt Lake
April 4 at Toronto
April 11 vs Kansas City
April 18 at Chivas USA
April 25 vs San Jose
May 2 at Chicago
May 10 vs Los Angeles
May 16 at Dallas
May 23 at Colorado
May 30 vs Columbus
June 6 at Chivas USA
June 13 vs San Jose
June 17 vs DC United
June 20 at New York
June 28 vs Colorado
July 11 vs. Houston
July 25 vs. Chicago
Aug. 2 at San Jose
Aug. 8 at Salt Lake
Aug. 15 at Los Angeles
Aug. 20 vs New England
Aug. 23 at Houston
Aug. 29 vs Toronto
Sept. 12 at D.C.
Sept. 19 vs Chivas USA
Sept. 26 at New England
Oct. 3 at Columbus
Oct. 17 at Kansas City
Oct. 24 vs Dallas

Early impressions: Sort of front-loaded with home games, probably clearing out for Seahawks weekend dates. Could work for or against the team. (Most likely: for early, against late.)
... Starting and ending at home is always nice. ... Three friendlies that will be complete the 18-game season ticket package will be announced later.

Dates to circle: March 19, the opener; April 4, first road game at another wildly successful expansion city; April 25, first visit from old NASL side; May 10, first chants of "Beat LA" in Qwest Field; May 30, MLS champions/Sigi's old team visits.

The 2009 MLS schedule has been released.

The Sounders' will open the season with a pair of home games: the previously announced March 19 game vs. New York at Qwest field and then home to Real Salt Lake on March 28. Then they head to Toronto April 4.

Here's the release from MLS:

The 2009 MLS regular season kicks off Thursday, March 19 with a spirited and historic match – the inaugural game of Seattle Sounders FC. In front of an anticipated capacity crowd at Qwest Field, U.S. goalkeeping great Kasey Keller and Sounders FC will host the MLS Cup 2008 finalist New York Red Bulls, led by striker Juan Pablo Ángel, in a game aired live in high definition on ESPN2.

Today MLS and its national broadcast partners announced the entire regular season schedule for 2009, the League’s 14th season.

The complete schedule is listed below. Throughout the year, the most up-to-date version and the team-by-team schedules are available at www.MLSnet.com.

Each of the 15 teams in MLS will play 30 regular season games for a total of 225 games. Fans can watch any of the 225 games live via the national broadcast partners, regional telecasts, the Direct Kick television package or MLSnet.com. Regional broadcast schedules will be announced by the teams as they are finalized.

The 15 MLS clubs will face each other twice for a base of 28 games per team. The two remaining games for each team will be against intra-conference opponents, with a priority on rivalry matchups.

This year 90 percent of MLS games will be played on weekends (Friday, Saturday or Sunday), compared to about 84 percent in 2008 and 80 percent in 2007. MLS reduced the volume of games on or around Aug. 12, Sept. 5 and Oct. 10 – all World Cup Qualifying dates. Teams will have occasional bye weeks because of the odd number of teams in MLS this season. An effort was made to schedule byes during international competitions for the teams competing in CONCACAF Champions League (Columbus Crew, D.C. United, New York Red Bulls and Houston Dynamo) and SuperLiga (Chicago Fire, New England Revolution, Kansas City Wizards and Chivas USA).

First Kick, presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods, is the opening weekend of the MLS season and features seven games. After Seattle’s inaugural game, Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español bring fans an exciting, live Saturday night doubleheader on March 21: First, the past two MLS Cup champions – Houston Dynamo and Columbus Crew – square off, then the Colorado Rapids visit Chivas USA in a Western Conference showdown. Concluding the opening week of MLS action is a match between the two winningest clubs in MLS history, as the LA Galaxy host D.C. United on TeleFutura on Sunday, March 22 at 3 p.m.

Most games on ESPN2 will be offered in high definition with the polished play-by-play of JP Dellacamera and expert insight of U.S. national team great John Harkes. Seven games on ESPN2 will air in an extended 2 1/2-hour window. One regular season game, Seattle at Chicago on July 25, will be broadcast on ESPN. All MLS games on ESPN2 will be simulcast on ESPN360 and ESPN Deportes. In this, the third year of an eight-year agreement, MLS and ESPN have mutually agreed to schedule select matches outside the Thursday night window. Thirteen of the 27 games on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes will air on weekends (Friday, Saturday or Sunday).

TeleFutura’s MLS broadcasts return to their Sunday afternoon timeslot, usually between games from Mexico’s Primera Division, the most successful sports programming on Univision’s family of networks. TeleFutura’s knowledgeable tandem of Jorge Perez Navarro and Diego Balado will add information, analysis and excitement to the Spanish-language network’s 24 regular season games.

Fox Soccer Channel is again scheduled to broadcast its complete slate of 33 regular-season games with on-site 30-minute pre- and post-game shows for a live three-hour programming window called “MLS Saturday on FSC,” featuring Max Bretos (play-by-play), Christopher Sullivan (color analyst) and Todd Grisham (host) along with sideline reporters including Mark Rogondino, Christian Miles, Brian Dunseth and Steve Bell for thorough, fan-friendly coverage. Most Fox Soccer Channel MLS games are also scheduled to air live in Spanish in two-hour programming windows on sister network Fox Sports en Español, with some airing on a tape-delayed basis.

MLS is in discussions with HDNet to continue broadcasting games on the first all-high definition national television network. HDNet has partnered with MLS since 2003.

The regular season concludes Sunday, Oct. 25 with two games: Houston at Chivas USA on TeleFutura and the New England Revolution at Columbus. Eight teams will qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs, which begin Oct. 29 and culminate in MLS Cup 2009 on the weekend of Nov. 21-22 at a site to be announced at a later date.

MLS reports "slight technical delays" with the release of the regular season schedule, which was planned for 9 a.m.

They say it should be up shorts, and I'll post as soon as it is.

(Meanwhile I see that San Jose has found a jersey sponsor: Amway. Not as cool as X-Box, but ...

Osvaldo Alonso, a first team All-USL First Division midfielder and league rookie of the year in 2008, has signed with Seattle Sounders FC.

Not surprisingly, all early opinions are optimistic.

I asked Alonso for a self-scouting report on what he can bring.

"He can help a lot in the defense and attacking," his interpreter said from Alonzo's response in Spanish. "He’s very equal in terms of being able to attack and play defense. He plays the ball extremely well."

And this, from coach Sigi Schmid: "He’s a good player, that’s why we wanted to get him. He had actually trained with us a year ago when I was with Columbus … but our midfielder line was a little bit deeper and it was a situation where he was coming off not having played for a while, so we felt that there was talent there but he wasn’t going to displace anybody on our team at the moment and we said hey you have to go find a team, which he did. He had a good season at Charleston. He’ll be OK."

Here's the Sounders' release:

Sounders FC acquired Alonso’s rights from the Charleston Battery of USL-1. Per club and Major League Soccer policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. He will be added to the club’s official roster upon the arrival of his transfer documents.

Alonso, 23, started 31 games for the Charleston Battery last summer, scoring four goals and adding two assists. He also scored two goals in Open Cup play and another in the USL postseason. The Battery advanced to the U.S. Open Cup final, losing to D.C. United, and also qualified for the USL-1 playoffs.

A native of Cuba, Alonso defected during the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup in Houston. He made 17 international appearances for Cuba, scoring twice. Earlier he served as captain of the U-23 national team during qualifying for the 2008 Olympic Games.

“It’s great to get a player like Alonso,” said Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid. “As a technical central midfielder, he’s very good with the ball, a clever passer and he’s coming off a very successful USL season.”

Alonso played three years (2005-07) for FC Pinar del Rio, winner of the Cuban championship in 2006.

Transaction: Seattle Sounders (MLS) – Signed MF Osvaldo Alonso
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-11
Weight: 165
Birthdate: 11/11/1985
Hometown: San Cristóbal, Cuba
Last Club: Charleston Battery (USL-1)

Major League Soccer will release the entire 2009 regular season schedule tomorrow at 9 a.m. Wednesday on www.MLSnet.com. The announcement will include the national broadcast schedule for the 2009 season including times and dates for games broadcast by Major League Soccer’s national television partners ESPN2/ESPN Deportes, Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Sports en Español and TeleFutura.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Sounders FC has announced a handful of preseason games. Unfortunately, none are both local and open -- however one open match is as near as Portland, and two others will be in Southern California.

In Seattle, there will be only a pair of closed-door matches at Qwest Field: the Vancouver Whitecaps on Feb. 22 and Colorado Rapids March 12.

Seattle hosts the New York Red Bulls to open the MLS season March 19 before a national television audience on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Fans can come to that one.

Here's the preseason schedule as it now stands:

Date Time Game Location
Feb. 9 3:00 at L.A. Galaxy Home Depot Ctr. Fld. 1/2, Carson, Calif. (training game)
Feb. 10 4:00 Shandong Luneng Oxnard College, Oxnard, Calif. (training game)
Feb. 11 7:00 at Ventura County Fusion Buena High School, Ventura, Calif. (public)
Feb. 13 7:00 San Jose Earthquakes Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Calif. (public)
Feb. 20 7:00 at University of Portland Merlo Field, Portland, Ore. (public)
Feb. 22 12:00 Vancouver Whitecaps Qwest Field, Seattle, Wash. (closed)
Feb. 27 TBD Argentina
Feb. 28 TBD Argentina
Mar. 3 TBD Argentina
Mar. 5 TBD Argentina
Mar. 12 7:00 Colorado Rapids Qwest Field, Seattle (closed)

I just got a first meeting with the newest Sounder, defender Patrick Ianni, who was acquired in a trade with Houston. (See two posts below, and here's my story from the Tuesday paper.)

"Very happy to be here," he said. "I got up here no problems. The facilities are incredible. Just ready to get to work here. ... (Houston) was a very good three years for me, but I’m happy with this opportunity and looking forward to this year."

Sounders coach Sigi Schmid seemed happy as well.

"It gives us a little more depth at center back," Schmid said. "Obviously, Patcick Ianni is a player I know having coached him with the under-20 national team. He was a starting center back for me there. At Houston he would have probably liked to have played more games, so however it works out sometimes a player needs a change of scenery. … I think Patrick is going to have a good run here in Seattle. He gives us a cernter back who’s got good size, he’s good in the air, he’s got good speed as well. He’s obviously played at a good level having been on the Olympic team."

Schmid said Ianni will compete with Nate Sturgis, Taylor Graham, Zach Scott, Tyson Wahl and Jeff Parke -- if he ever signs on.

“We wanted to be a little bit deeper there and have maybe a little MLS experience," Schmid said. "Ianni has) been part of a cup-winning team as well, so I think those are all positives."

In addition to the trade, there also were four cuts over the weekend. No more of those are expected before the team breaks Seattle camp at the end of the week.

"This is the group we’ve decided we’re going to train with this week," Schmid said. "And then we’ll make some decisions as we go to Ventura (Calif.). It will be a lot of this group, and then we’ll be adding players there."

Coach Sigi Schmid had implied on Friday that roster subtractions were coming, and today they came.

The club has announced that defender/midfielder Nik Besagno, forward Jason Cascio, forward Andre Schmid and forward Craig Tomlinson are all no longer with the team. All played with the USL Sounders last season.

The club also announced a trade for Houston Dynamo central defender Patrick Ianni (see post below).

Seattle Sounders FC has announced that it has acquired Patrick Ianni of the Houston Dynamo, a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, in exchange for a conditional 2010 MLS SuperDraft selection.

Here's the release from the Sounders FC website.

Ianni, 23, is a 6-foot-1 central defender who played the past three seasons for Houston. He saw action in 17 matches, starting 10, in 2008. He also played nine more games for the Dynamo during SuperLiga, Champions Cup and CONCACAF Champions League play. Although he did not see action in Beijing, he played in three of five qualifying matches for the U.S.

Houston receives Seattle’s third-round pick in 2010. However, if Ianni plays in 20 or more MLS regular season and playoffs games, Houston will instead get the Sounders FC second-round selection.

“Ianni gives us a young, experienced central defender with a big upside,” said Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid. “He’s very strong in the air, which is something we need to add to our team right now.”

In his three seasons for the Dynamo, Ianni played 35 regular season games, starting 19 and scoring one goal. Houston won the MLS Cup in 2006 and 2007.

Ianni (pronounced ee-AW-nee) started for Schmid while with the U.S. U-20 National Team at the 2005 World Youth Championships. He was an All-American and Hermann trophy semifinalist in his only season (2005) at UCLA.

Following his freshman season at UCLA, Ianni signed with Generation adidas and was selected by Houston with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft.

His older brother, Tayt, played for Schmid and was a teammate of Seattle technical director Chris Henderson on the Bruins’ 1990 NCAA championship team. Tayt also played two MLS seasons (1996-97) for San Jose.


Transaction: Seattle Sounders (MLS) – Obtained D Patrick Ianni from Houston Dynamo for 2010 SuperDraft conditional draft pick

Position: Defender
Height: 6-1
Weight: 175
Hometown: Lodi, California
DOB: 4/15/1985 in North Babylon, New York
Last Club: Houston Dynamo (MLS)

Sounders FC coach Sigi Schmid canceled practice for today, giving the Sounders a weekend off before reporting back on Monday.

“Early in the week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we’re going to get some testing done as well," Schmid said. "Part of testing is to establish their heart rates and so forth. So from a standpoint of fitness, we can get all the numbers and start to compile those things. It will start Monday with obviously the big beat test, which none of the guys like, but is something we got to do. And there will be some other testing, and we’ll train. It will be a combination of testing and training in the early part of the week. Then we’ll push in the training full again at the end of the week. We’ll keep it at one-a-days until we go down to Ventura (Calif.).”

(Schmid, by the way, used part of his day off to take in the UCLA basketball game at UW. He was shown on the video board and introduced during the second half. Schmid was previouly the Bruins soccer coach.)

Without much more Sounders news expected this weekend (except maybe a personnel addition or subtraction), I'd really appreciate hearing from some of you. I get the internal numbers of views of this blog, and every bit as many folks are reading this blog as my UW basketball blog. Yet the basketball readers are offering far more comments.

I think it's in everyone's interest for this blog to become an interactive thing. So please step right up and share your thoughts on how the first week of training has gone, how you like the current shape of the roster, or the kinds of questions or stories you'd like to see me pursue in my Sounders coverage. Etc. No limits. Just keep it clean enough where I don't have to pull out the yellow card.

Here's a news release from the PASL:

The Tacoma Stars of the Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL-Premier) find themselves in the quarterfinals of the US Arena Soccer Open Championships after upsetting the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL-Pro) Wenatchee Fire 10-9 in overtime on Saturday.

Tacoma is currently the only PASL-Premier team to beat a PASL-Pro team in the 25 team tournament. Led by Greg Howes, the Stars rallied from a 9-6 deficit to send the game into overtime where Howes' fourth goal of the game ended it in sudden death.

The Stars will now host the Denver Dynamite, another PASL-Pro team, on January 25 at The Soccer Center in Tacoma at (noon). If Tacoma wins they will face the Stockton Cougars in the semifinals.

The Stars are led on and off the field by Howes. The 31-year old three-time MISL MVP and Tacoma native was signed in the offseason as the Head Coach and director of the Tacoma Stars Academy Program.

Other notable players include former MISL player Lee Williams and goalkeeper Chris Kintz, who join Howes on the US National Arena Soccer Team (USNAST), and Erik Sterling. Sterling is one of 10 finalists out of 1,000 entrants in the MLS Sounders Super Search open tryout.

Denver is 5-6 in the PASL-Pro season and reached the quarterfinals by beating the Ft. Collins Fury and Colorado Lightning. Player/coach Chris Handsor is the team's leading scorer with 12 goals and 14 assists in 11 games. Ryan Creager, Tony Thomas, Jay Hamilton, Garth Archibald, and goalkeeper Justin Dzuba also all have caps on the USNAST.

The Stars have excelled in the 51 team PASL-Premier, winning the National Summer Championship in 2004 and four Northwest Division titles from 2003 to 2007.

"We knew when we formed this tournament that one or more of the professional teams would lose to a Premier team," said PASL Commissioner Kevin Milliken. "The PASL-Premier has been in existence for 11 years, and it has developed some very good players and teams."

About Professional Arena Soccer League
PASL-Pro is a new professional league which began play on October 25, 2008 when the Stockton Cougars defeated the Colorado Lightning, 10-5 at Stockton Arena. The 2008-09 season concludes with Championship Weekend March 13-15 at Stockton Arena. PASL-Pro consists of 8 US teams, the CMISL, and LMFR. The San Diego Sockers have been added for the 2009/10 season. PASL-Premier just completed its 10th season as the nation's top amateur arena soccer league. PASL-Pro and PASL-Premier are members of Federacion Internacional de Futbol Rapido (FIFRA).

It may be the most trivial of trival quiz answers, but the Sounders practiced 11-on-11 for the first time today, and the first goal was scored by forward Nate Jaqua, finishing a nice cross from short range past Chris Eylander. (Here's my story from the Saturday paper.)

Jaqua ended with two goals during the work. Fredy Montero scored on a header. And Sebastien Le Toux scored on a breakaway which just might have drawn an offsides call in a game.

"It was good," coach Sigi Schmid said. "The guys, you could see that their raised their level a little bit in terms of their energy. Everybody loves to play when a game gets big. I thought some guys had some good moments. It’s nice to be able to score goals: right away in the 11 v. 11, Nate scoring a couple of goals, Montero getting a goal, as well, Zakuani I thought had some good moments on the wing – he showed that wide left is definitely an option for him. Overall it was good."

Jaqua, acquired from Houston in the expansion draft, Montero and keeper Kasey Keller were all on the blue team, which won 3-1 and looked suspiciously like a No. 1 unit. But coach Sigi Schmid cautioned us afterward not to read anything into the player groupings.

"At this stage we were trying to mix it a little bit," he said. "We didn’t want to say OK this is first team or second. It wasn’t anywhere close to that, and obviously we still have some players missing at this stage and we’re adding as we move forward. We’re always going to keep our eyes and ears open, so we’re probably looking at a couple of things here soon, as well. It was good. It was good because the guys worked hard these last three days."

With that duly noted, here's how I saw the blue lineup (with the disclaimer that this is unofficial, written in shivering hand on a cold day by a guy who doesn't yet know everyone on sight):

Keeper Kasey Keller; defenders Zach Scott, Taylor Graham, James Riley and Kevin Sakuda; midfielders Sanna Nyassi, Khano Smith, Brad Evans and Steven King; and forwards Nate Jaqua and Fredy Montero.

A couple of other quick camp notes:

Forward Jarrod Smith sat out today, nursing a hip flexor. Smith had wanted to play through the injury, but Schmid made it pretty plain that Smith's best chance of making this team is at 100 percent and his top priority now is getting healthy.

Forward Jason Cascio also missed today to take part in a tryout in Portland ... and Schmid made it sound like that's Cascio's immediate future is more likely there than here.

Schmid also implied heavily that a few new players will be brought in soon.

Finally, the scheduled training that had been planned for tomorrow has been canceled. Schmid said the team will meet again Monday for some baseline training tests then continue on through the week with one-a-day practices until they break this initial phase of camp next Saturday and then head for California where two-a-days and friendlies await.

Coach Sigi Schmid ran his team through its second workout at the Seahawks training facility Thursday and saw progress from the day before.

“Each day you see a little bit more -- you see more from players,” Schmid said. “Day One was a lot of energy, a lot of excitement. Today was a little bit better. Everybody has calmed down, and you start seeing people’s habits come out. That’s what you’re looking for.”

Friday will bring another important step, as the roster will be broken into 11-man teams for the first time.

In their first work on Wednesday, the Sounders participated mostly in seven-on-seven work. Today, Schmid put a couple of five-man teams on a fraction of a regular field and pulled the goals in close – forcing fast decisions in tight spaces.

“You’re looking for people who quickly assess the situation, and can solve it,” Schmid said. “Defensively, things happen quickly and if you hesitate for a second, the guy’s inside of you and then it’s a goal. Offensively, we are looking for who can assess the situation (quickly). … You’re looking for people’s reactions to situations.”

The drill used goalkeepers: 39-year-old Kasey Keller on one end, 24-year-old Chris Eylander on the other.

Both made impressive saves. But the veteran also offered vocal leadership, which Schmid welcomed as he tries to instill a shared expectation of excellence through a new team searching for identity.

“He’s certainly in command of his guys,” Schmid said. “… He was demanding of them. He wasn’t degrading them or anything like that, but he was very demanding of them. You have to be demanding. You’re not going to win if you’re not demanding of each other. All of us will get that at the end of the day.”

I mentioned in the post below that I neglected to take my recorder to today's Sounders' practice, so I had to paraphrase the folks I talked to.

Now the Sounders have ridden to the rescue with a transcript of our interview with coach Sigi Schmid.

Here's his overview on his team's second practice:

“Each day you see a little bit more. You see more from players. Day one was a lot of energy, a lot of excitement. So today was a little bit better. Everybody has calmed down, and you start seeing peoples habits come out. That’s what you’re looking for. Tomorrow will probably be a little bit bigger. Play some 11 v 11. We’ll have a look at them in that setting. We’ll have three days now. We’ve seen them with possession. Day two, today, we want to see them with goals in tight. See what there reactions were in transition, and how quickly they reacted to things. Tomorrow, we’ll make it bigger and see them 11 v 11.”

The Sounders have just completed their second day of practice. And while it’s a young team, I’m the one who made the rookie mistake today … leaving my recorder at home.

Therefore, you’ll notice an absence of quotation marks in today’s report.

Coach Sigi Schmid said every day he learns a little bit more about his team. Today, some of that learning came in a five-on-five drill with the goals pulled in tight. The point of that was to watch the players making quick decisions in tight space.

Kasey Keller was part of that drill – with Chris Eylander at the other end. Keller made some nice saves and also made his presence known vocally. Schmid said he appreciated that Keller was demanding but not demeaning.

We also got a few minutes with Fredy – yes, one ‘d’ – Montero, the young but apparently highly skilled forward from Colombia. He doesn’t speak English yet, but Schmid was impressed that when he – Schmid – commented “Well done,” while watching a nice play, he noticed Montero repeat, “Well done.”

Finally, I also got a few minutes with Jordan Jennings, the Tacoma Tide keeper who was invited in at the suggestion of keeper coach Tom Dutra. Jennings says this is obviously a step up in competition level. But he says he’s not just here for a first taste of the big leagues … he’s here to make the team.

Word is going round that Seattle Sounders FC will host Chelsea of the English Premier League on July 18 at Qwest Field.

The Sounders aren't confirming. But neither are they shooting the report down.

Sounds to me like the Blues will be meeting the Rave Greens come summer.

If it happens, the game will be included as part of the Sounders' season ticket package.

Expect an announcement before the league schedule is announced early next month.

Jordan Jennings and John Fishbaugher, invited to MLS training camp

Two former members of the Tacoma Tide have received an exciting opportunity to train with the Seattle Sounders FC for the 2009 Training Camp. This camp will give them the chance to show what they can do among MLS Veterans and newcomers, while jockeying for a spot on the ’09 roster. Jennings (goalkeeper) spent ’06,’07, & ’08 with the Tacoma Tide, and Fishbaugher (midfielder/defender) spent ’07 with the Tide. To see their stats while with the Tide, click HERE.

Sounders FC is real now. They came off of the roster and onto the training field at the Seahawks facility in Renton at 10 this morning and were off the field around 11:15.

In that little more than an hour, they jogged, loosened up, kicked the ball around and were divided up into seven-on-seven games.

A few early reactions:

Coach Sigi Schmid: “It’s tremendous to see some bodies on the field. You get tired of looking at things on paper, and shoving pieces of paper around, saying ‘how would this look like this, or like that?’ You actually get to see people out there, and then you see how people work together. Already there were a couple things I put down on paper, like this guy will player here, this guy will play here. And then on the field, you already saw them shift. So you see who is comfortable where. And even though you think you might be comfortable there, it shows right away by his play that he’s more comfortable some place else. All those things start to answer questions for you. I thought it was a good first day. No injuries. That was good too. And I thought everybody came through it very well.”

Keeper Kasey Keller: "You're starting from scratch, so it's a process."

No. 1 draft pick Steve Zakuani, on his excitement to get started: "I could hardly sleep last night. I have a lot of fun. Obviously, there are a lit of new guys. It was fun, you know? Being out there with a soccer ball was fun."

Former USL Sounder Adam West, speaking of the jump from first division to MLS: We know the level -- it's definitely higher. It will take a while to adjust."

I got other reactions from a few players, too, and will try to turn that into something for the Thursday paper.

I suppose the first ball has been struck. The Sounders are about a half hour from the official start of their first training session. However, a few players already are out on the field.

Here's my preview story from today's paper.

Practice is supposed to go until around 11:30, so I should be checking back in in the early afternoon with a first report.

On Wednesday, Seattle Sounders FC will take the pitch for its first training session.

On Tuesday, the club announced invitations extended to 17 non-contract players: Columbian forward Freddy Montero and 16 members of the old Seattle Sounders USL first division team, including Taylor Graham, Leighton O’Brien, Roger Levesque, Nik Besagno and Danny Jackson.

Thirty-one players are expected to report Wednesday, including eight of the players picked up in the expansion draft and two of the SuperDraft acquisitions.

Expansion pick Peter Vagenas has been given permission to join his new team next week, while Jeff Parke has not signed a contract.

Third- and fourth-round SuperDraft picks Jared Karkas and Michael Fucito will join the team Feb. 2.

Designated player Freddie Ljungberg also will not practice while continuing rehabilitating from hip surgery.

Practices are not open to the public.

Here is the full roster, from the Sounders FC site.

Sigi Schmid completed his inaugural Sounders FC coaching staff today, announcing the addition of Ezra Hendrickson.

Hendrickson, 37, played for Schmid the past three seasons in Columbus, and was a member of the Crew’s 2008 MLS Cup championship team. It marked the third championship season of his career. He announced his retirement Jan. 8 after 14 years, including 12 in MLS.

“In the latter years of his career, Ezra was like a coach on the field for me,” Schmid said through an FC press release. “It’s that ability and his wealth of recent playing experience which he brings to our staff.”

“I’m very excited. Seattle is very good organization, and I am joining the staff of arguably the best coach in the league,” Hendrickson said in the release. “After taking the coaching course, I realized coaching was something I would like to do and I feel privileged to have this opportunity immediately after my playing career.”

The complete release is available at SoundersFC.com.

First Montreal and now Atlanta have dropped out of the running as MLS expansion cities. Northwest candidates Portland and Vancouver remain, along with Miami, St. Louis and Ottawa.

Here's a look at recent developments from the Provence of Vancouver.

Former Tacoma Stars great Preki fell short of the number of votes needed for induction to the National Soccer Hall of Fame. However, he had the highest vote total among the candidates not selected this time around.

Here's the report from the Associated Press:

Former U.S. defenders Jeff Agoos and Joy Fawcett were elected Thursday to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Agoos was named on 108 of the 159 ballots and Fawcett got 106 votes to equal the 66.7 percent necessary for election. Preki Radosavljevic (60.4), Thomas Dooley (53.5) and Marco Etcheverry (49.1) were next on the list.

Agoos, the sporting director of the New York Red Bulls, had 134 international appearances and won five titles over 10 seasons in Major League Soccer.

Agoos’ 134 caps is second highest in national team history and his U.S. career included the 1998 and 2002 World Cups and 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Fawcett was a key part of the U.S. team that won two World Cups and two Olympic gold medals from 1991 to 2004. She appeared in 239 international matches, fourth in the history of the U.S. women’s team.

A panel of media, coaches, administrators and Hall of Fame members vote in the election. The induction ceremony will be held Aug. 2.

Cox, selected in the 4th Round with the 54th Overall Pick to Real Salt Lake

After the draft had run it's course, Raf had this to say:
"I couldn't be happier getting drafted to Salt Lake City. They have a great program, and I can't wait to contribute to a strong franchise."

Cox watched the 2nd through 4th round of the MLS SuperDraft online. In response to the long wait to read his name, he said:
"I was a little worried as the draft went on but it all worked out in the long run."

As to what's next for the sometimes singularly named, RAFAEL:
"I leave in 2 weeks. Then camp starts and from there I work to get on the field. There's a brand new stadium, and they made it to the Western Conference Finals, so I'm excited."

For info on Cox and his career with the Tacoma Tide & the UW Huskies, see TacomaFC.com

There were a few early signings, then the expansion draft and today the SuperDraft. Next will come a few international signings. But as of today -- after adding four college players -- the Sounders feel like they're set up well to go into training camp in a couple of weeks with no gaping holes.

That sense general sense of comfort with where the expansion team is today was my main take from a post-draft press conference this afternoon with Sigi Schmid, Adrian Hanauer and Chris Henderson.

Here's my SuperDraft overview story.

Regarding those top two picks, Hanauer said Zakuani "has the potential to be a big star in soccer, he's got all the tools," while No. 2 pick Evan Brown is "just a good quality soccer player."

Hanauer said there were a couple of times when they gave serious thought to trading the pick, but obviously they decided Zakuani was better than what they were being offered. "We didn't chase it that hard because of Zakuani," Hanauer said.

As a Generation adidas player, Zakuani is signed and assured of a spot on the roster. The other three players are unsigned, but the team did it's homework and expected to be able to get them all, including Fucito who made it clear that he wants to try soccer before going on to whatever that Harvard education might bring.

The Sounders have made their final selection of the SuperDraft. They used it for Michael Fucito, a midfielder/forward from Harvard, where he was his team's captain. He is 5-foot-9, 165 pounds, from Medford, N.J.

Information on all other picks is available in posts below. And here's the full SuperDraft list from MLSnet.com.

We're expecting to hear from coach Sigi Schmid, general manager Adrian Hanauer and technical director Chris Henderson at mid-afternoon as they discuss what they accomplished today.

I'll pop back in later with some highlights from that.

The Sounders just used their third pick to select Jared Karkas, a senior left back from Azusa Pacific. He's 22, 6-feet and from Upland, Calif.

Here's his school's scouting report on his senior season and some highlights from his junior year:

THIS YEAR: Senior Jared Karkas is Azusa Pacific's most experienced returnee and is one of the top left backs in the nation ... Has started all 3 seasons entering his senior campaign and has the most collegiate game experience on the Cougar roster ... Has a dangerous left foot to go with his size and terrific speed ... Provides a reliable target in the box and is great going forward.

2007 (Junior): Was the only Azusa Pacific player to start all 22 contests during the Cougars' 2007 NAIA title run, anchoring a defense that posted program single-season records of 14 shutouts and a 0.49 goals-against average ... Was 1 of 6 Cougars to be accorded All-GSAC recognition ... Registered 15 points, scoring 2 goals and notching a team-high 11 assists ... Posted a 7-point weekend, scoring 1 goal and assisting 5 more in season-opening wins over Northwestern (Iowa) and Dominican at Westmont's Heritage Club Classic ... Scored on a spectacular 20-yard strike from a sharp angle with less than 7 minutes left to force overtime in an eventual 3-2 win over Westmont ... Assisted 2 of Steven Lenhart's 4 goals in the Cougars' 4-0 win over Concordia, which was ranked No. 1 in the NAIA at the time ... Provided the assist on Mike Wilson's insurance goal in Azusa Pacific's 3-1 NAIA quarterfinal victory over Fresno Pacific.

The Sounders used their second pick to select Wake Forest defender Evan Brown.

Brown is a senior at Wake, 21, 5-foot-11, 165 pounds, from Raleigh, N.C. He played in 89 games over four seasons with four goals and 15 assists.

Some of his honors:

College
Coached at Wake Forest by Jay Vidovich
• 2007 Deacon Award
• 2007 Nike/Carolina Classic All-
• 2006 Most Improved Player award
High School
• Three-time academy all-conference
• Two-time All-Pac VI Conference
• All-region and MVP as a senior
Club/National Team
• Plays for Capital Area Soccer League

FC Dallas has selected University of Washington midfielder George John with the No. 14 pick of the MLS SuperDraft.

He is from Shoreline and attended Shorewood High School.

One pick later, the first round concluded.

The Sounders are back on the clock to kick off the second round.

Sounders FC held onto the top pick and selected Akron goal-scoring forward Steve Zakuani, the Mid-America Conference player of the year.

We just got a few minutes to talk with him, and he seems at least as excited as Sounders fans may be:

:It’s an honor to me and a dream come true as well," he said. "I just really can’t wait to get started, you know? I’m so happy to be going there and to be playing for Coach Schmid, who I know all about – he’s got a great track record and I respect him as a coach."

He was asked how he felt went his name was called as the No. 1 overall pick:

"I was in shock," he said. "I was in shock because up until the last minute I had no idea where I was going to go. Last night I was trying to figure out, and you can’t know, you just can’t know. When I heard my name called first, it was a relief. And to go to the Sounders, I’ve been telling people all week this is probably the team I’d want to go to the most because they’re a new team and it will be good to be part of something brand new, so I’m excited."

As for what he can contribute, he said: "I don't know yet. I'm just going to go there and play. I'm confident in my abilities and what I can do. And obviously Coach sees something in me that he likes. We'll see how it works out.

He's 20 years old, 6-feet tall, 160 pounds from the U.K., presently living in Akron. In two seasons at Akron, he played 44 games with 43 starts, and scored 26 goals with nine assists.

He was born in the Congo and moved to England when he was four years old. He trained with the Arsenal youth team from 1997-2003. However, when an ACL limited his club opportunities there, he looked to the United States and accepted a scholarship offer from Akron. He says the Arsenal background has shaped his playing, although his heart remains with the Congo when it comes to playing for a national side.

"Anybody who’s seen Arsenal play knows they play probably the most attractive style in the world," Zakuani said. "I grew up under that tutelage for five years, they drummed in me the principles that I still use today and I traveled around the world with them to some major tournaments and played against some of the best players in England week in and week out, and some of the best players in Europe, and that’s really where I got my soccer education in the early years."

Other honors:

Coached at Akron by Caleb Porter
• 2008: Led nation in goals and points, MAC Hermann
Trophy finalist, Soccer America Player of the Year,
TopDrawerSoccer Player of the Year, NSCAA/adidas
First Team All-American and First Team All-Great
Lakes Region, Soccer America First Team All-
American, College Soccer News First Team All-
American, MAC Player of the Year, All-MAC First
Team, Soccer America Preseason All-American,
College Soccer News Player to Watch, two-time
TopDrawerSoccer National Player of the Week,
College Soccer News National Player of the Week
• 2007: College Soccer News All-Freshman Team, MAC
Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-MAC,
NSCAA/adidas First Team All-Great Lakes Region

Well, what do you know. Some Sounders news broke this morning, and it has nothing to do with the SuperDraft.

The Sounders have named News Talk 97.3 KIRO FM as their radio home for all home and away matches.

“A key ingredient to the success of the Sounders FC will be identifying the right partners who share our values and passion about the game and this community,” CEO Tod Leiweke said in a news release. “We have found a proven and truly enthusiastic partner in the Bonneville Seattle Radio Group.”

Here's the rest of that announcement release:

Bonneville will air Sounders FC match broadcasts as well as pre and post game shows on 97.3 KIRO FM. Bonneville and Sounders FC will also join forces to produce a weekly 30-minute Sounders FC show on the new 710 ESPN Seattle.

“Soccer is the world’s most popular sport, and we’re convinced that the Sounders FC will quickly find a passionate following here in the Northwest,” said Bonneville Seattle Radio Group Vice President and Market Manager Carl Gardner. “We’re delighted to have the chance to bring these games to our listeners.”

KIRO has received the highest national honor for radio – The Edward R. Murrow Award of Excellence for outstanding broadcasting achievement – five times, in 1982, 1989, 1991, 1996 and 2001. In 2005, 710 KIRO won more Edward R. Murrow awards than any other station in the United States.

710 ESPN Seattle, which debuts in April, will feature radio play-by-play and comprehensive coverage of the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners. 710 ESPN Seattle will broadcast a line-up of local Seattle-based sports news and sports talk programs, along with selected nationally-syndicated programs from ESPN Radio Network.

As I start this post, the first pick in the MLS SuperDraft is about 45 minutes away, and as of now that pick still belongs to Seattle Sounders FC.

As I write this, the first pick in the MLS SuperDraft is about 45 minutes away. As as of now, that pick still belongs to Seattle Sounders.

Once that first pick is made, things should move along pretty quickly. The 15 MLS teams have four minutes to make a selection in the first and second rounds, and hree minutes in the third and fourth rounds. Each team get one five minute timeout.

The Sounders have the rights to the first pick in each round, meaning the first, 16th, 31st and 46th picks overall.

Here's how Steve Davis of MLSnet.com sees Seattle's goals for the day:

Seattle: The Sounders pick first, and Steve Zakuani is the name everyone is hearing as (potentially) the next MLS No. 1 pick. Of course, we've all been wrong before. Remember, at this time last year Eric Avila and Julius James were the most-often floated names to be called No. 1. Avila fell all the way to No. 17. James was taken in the ninth spot. So, bet on Zakuani at your own peril.

Then again, don't be surprised if Sigi Schmid sends the No. 1 pick elsewhere, adding an extra early selection to the Sounders' list of assets. With only 15 players currently on roster, it could serve Schmid well to utilize two good picks instead of one great one.

I'll be back with each FC pick as it is made and Sounders reaction as it is made available.

The first hour of the draft will be shown on ESPN2.

Things could change at any moment, but they haven't changed yet, so here' my Sounders SuperDraft preview.

Last night I got what is likely my last pre-draft chat with Sounders coach Sigi Schmid.

I had been on the road most of the day, so the first thing I had to ask was whether the Sounders still had the No. 1 pick.

Schmid's answer: "Not yet, anyway, but the night’s still young."

Interesting as that answer is, Schmid seems to have absolutely no problem holding on to the No. 1 pick.

"I think we picked up a good mix of veterans from the expansion draft," he said. "We’re still looking at signing a couple of foreign players for sure, and we’ll add some veteran players as well. So I think we’re going to get a good mix that way. So I think I’d feel OK about that. But if the right veteran came along, we’re certainly not going to close our eyes to it.

"Using the No. 1 pick we want it to be a player that A, has a big upside and somebody that can step in and contribue now. If you can get that out of a first-round pick, I think that’s tremendous as well."

As for positions of need, well, there are enough of those where the Sounders are free to go with the best soccer player available.

"Everything’s really open," he said. "Being an expansion team not having played any games it’s not like we can say “OK this is the area now we really need to concentrate on or focus on. We’re just trying to keep adding good players. I’m a coach who – when I was a college coach and even in MLS – sometimes have a tendency to move players to different positions. ... I think when you find a good player and you have too many players in one position, generally you can find one of the guys who might be adaptable to another position, so it’s a matter of getting good players."

Of course, we'll find out about all of this within a matter of hours.

The plan is to keep the running blog open all day with the picks/trades as they happen, and hopefully for your comments.

I was speaking with Sounders FC general manager Adrian Hanauer exactly 50 hours before the MLS SuperDraft begins at 11 a.m. Thursday.

As we spoke, over the phone I could hear a soccer game going on at the combine, where this season's No. 1 pick is likely playing.

That pick is the property of the Sounders, although they haven't yet decided on whether to use that pick or trade it.

Here's Hanauer's thinking as of now:

Use the pick or trade it?
"We’re still open to any possibility. I think the one thing we’re clear on are any of the players that we might like or might pass on. But we’re still open to all sorts of creative opportunities."

Are you seeing talent at the combine that lines up nicely with your areas of need?
"There’s talent at every position here. We still need quality at depth at effectively every position. It helps for our decision-making that we don’t need only one position, so we’re able to think about it a little more open-minded. There is no one position and corresponding player that makes this a no-brainer for us."

How will the organization use these remaining two days leading to the draft?
"We’ll have our draft board of players that we would like to take. We’ll continue to fine-tune that over the next day, day and a half. At the same time, everything is in motion because there are teams continually jockeying and proposing trades. So we’ll sort of weave those two things together, and if there’s a trade to be done it will be because we think we’re more likely to get players that we covet."

If you hold on to the pick, and you decided on your guy?
"We have a fairly clear idea of what we want to do."

Seattle Sounders FC must have seen a lot of upside to New York Red Bulls defender Jeff Parke, because they gambled to get him.

Parke's MLS contract ran out at the end of the season, and therefore what the Sounders really acquired was his MLS negotiation rights. He's fully free go play anywhere else in the world he chooses, but a smaller European league seems most likely if he doesn't sign with the Sounders.

Before flying to the pre-draft combine in Fort Lauderdale, Sounders technical director Chris Henderson said he believes Seattle is the best spot for Parke at this stage of his career, although Parke hasn't yet agreed.

"We have an offer out to him," Henderson said. "I was teammates with him in New York. Good solid athletic player. He says he has some options overseas. A lot of the options overseas are in Scandinavia, they’re not in the big leagues. I think for him if he can come here and have a good two, three years, maybe there’s a big club that comes and is trying to get him. For him it would be a better situation for him to sign in Seattle, but we’ll see how it plays out. Every player has their own plan."

One other complication is that if Parke remains in MLS, he will still have to serve the second half of a 10-game suspension issues in October for use of a banned substance.

Either way, it would be useful for the Sounders to know if he is joining them or not before they head into the SuperDraft on Thursday.

Here's the thumbnail on Parke from the Sounders:

JEFF PARKE
Position: Defender
Height: 6-1
Weight: 185
Birthdate: 3/23/1982
Hometown (Citizenship): Downington, Pennsylvania (USA)
Previous clubs: New York Red Bulls (MLS/2004-08)
College: Drexel University (2000-03)
How Acquired: Selected from New York in 2008 Expansion Draft, Nov. 28,
2008
Pronunciation: PARK
Appeared in 132 games, all for New York, starting 126. Received 2007 Red Bulls Defender of the Year Award. Named 2006 Red Bulls Ironman of the Year, starting a career-high 31 games and logging a team-high 2,771 minutes

Apparently impressed by the democracy over here around Puget Sound, Philadelphia's MLS expansion team apparently is going to give fans a say in selecting the team name.

Here's a quick MLS combine overview from the Miami Herald, along with some speculation that Miami might be re-joining MLS someday soon.

The Sounders' naming of David Tenney as firness coach this week wasn't the kind of announcement that sets hearts racing -- like the signing of a player or naming or a coach or unveiling of a kit.

However, FC clearly sees this hiring as one more step along a road that will make them one of the elite soccer clubs of MLS, and beyond.

I spoke to technical director Chris Henderson just before Tennery was hired, and the guy is clearly going to do more than wrap ankles.

"I think you have to balance their training ... and that’s where the fitness coach is so key," Henderson said. "Each player will have heart-rate monitors every day. We’ll measure the exertion rates. There’s a formula where you can tell if you’re over training or players are under traiing, and if you can keep them in that range, you’re going to get the most out of them over the 10 months. It’s amazing the science behind what goes into it. Just spending the time around the Seahawks this year, we’ve picked so much up from them. Even though it’s a different sport, just the ideas of where it could go and the details that go into it – I think more MLS teams should go into the details because in the end I think that’s what’s going to make you an elite club."

Here's the hiring announcement from the Sounders website.

The Seattle Sounders FC brain trust will be in Fort Lauderdale this weekend when the best players availble in next week’s SuperDraft will be on display at a five-day combine.

However, the player that impresses the Sounders the most may not be as important to the future of the franchise as the player that impresses some other MLS team the most -- because the Sounders are willing to part with the top pick for the right price.

“We have to see what’s going to be presented to us,” FC technical director Chris Henderson said this week. “There have been some nice things put on the table so far, and I think it’s only going to get maybe better for us. Other teams are desperate for that No. 1 spot, and as we get toward that draft day we may get some pretty good options there.”

Henderson said the Sounders “have some ideas” who they would select if they hold on to the pick.

He will attend the combine along with coach Sigi Schmid, assistant Brian Schmetzer and others from the FC front office.

“There are a few players on our radar who we think could really contribute from the beginning,” Henderson said.

The combine runs through Tuesday.

Here's my preview story.

Good piece on the MLS website taking a team-by-team look at each club's needs heading into next week's SuperDraft.

Here's their take on the Sounders:

Seattle: With just 15 players on the roster, including headliner Freddie Ljungberg, who won't be tearing up the flanks any time soon, the newbie Sounders could use a little bit of everything. (Well, Sigi Schmid's team is set at goalkeeper, with Kasey Keller in command. But they'll need a little of everything else.)

At present, they're probably best stocked in the midfield, where Brad Evans, Khano Smith, Nathan Sturgis, Peter Vagenas, Stephen King and the recovering Ljungberg present some good options. But they'll need more bodies in defense and at striker, plus depth for the midfield. As for another recognizable name, look for someone with "goal scorer" on his resume. At present, former Toronto reserve Jarrod Smith and Sebastian Le Toux are the only two strikers signed up. Le Toux had 14 goals in 30 games last year in USL for the Sounders; he'll be monitored closely this year as a test-case for how a big scorer in USL stands up in the MLS game.

And here's the whole story.

Chris Eylander, who led USL First Division goalkeepers in saves the past two seasons, has signed a contract with Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer, the club announced today.

Eylander, 24, is as local as they come. He was born in Tacoma, lives in Auburn, attended the University of Washington, and played the past three seasons with the USL first-division Seattle Sounders, making 78 appearances with 29 shutouts.

He is expected to back up Kasey Keller, who was signed previously.

“Having played for the USL Sounders the past three years and having grown up in the area, I had always wanted to play in MLS,” Eylander said in a Sounders' press release. “To reach that goal and do so by playing for the first MLS team in Seattle is really, really special for me and very exciting.”

“We’re very excited to have Chris join our team,” said head coach Sigi Schmid. “I’ve seen him play at the University of Washington and I also followed his career with the USL Sounders. “He’s a quality goalkeeper and a quality individual for our team.”

More information is available at the Sounders FC website.