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)