SEATTLE SHAPING UP
Sunday, January 25th, 2009
Seattle Sounders FC just kicked off their preseason camp this week. There is a buzz surrounding the new club and I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at what is going on in Seattle.
Not a bad start:
Seattle is starting off on the right foot. On the field, the club has already signed a number of quality players. Their first, and probably most significant signing was for arguably the best goalkeeper in US history, Kasey Keller. In the expansion draft they secured the services of MLS veterans James Riley and Jeff Parke to anchor the backline. In the midfield they acquired eight year MLS veteran and former LA Galaxy captain, Peter Vagenas. Brad Evans is coming off a championship winning season with Columbus and should provide an offensive punch through the middle of the pitch. Their crop of available play-makers and goal scorers is enviable. The club signed former Arsenal winger and Swedish International, Freddie Ljunberg. Ljunberg has played at the highest level and has won many trophies at every level of the game. The club also signed Colombian goal scoring ace Fredy Montero. Montero, 21 year old Deportivo Cali forward, was the leading goal scorer in Colombia this past season and has already been capped by the national team. Throw into the mix the 6’4 former Houston Dynamo striker Nate Jaqua; and USL and Seattle Sounders standout Sebastian Le Toux and you have the ingredients for a deadly offense. To top it all off, the Sounders lured 2008 MLS Coach of the Year, Sigi Schmid, from the Columbus Crew, the 2008 MLS Cup and Supporters Shield winners.
Off the field, the club has also made a host of great moves. They were able to secure a $20 million, 5 year sponsorship with Microsoft and Xbox. The Sounders have sold 19,000 season tickets since they became available and are leading MLS with most season ticket holders. Maintaining the USL franchise name “Seattle Sounders” was a smart move by the organization. The name was originally not considered because the club wanted a “fresh start”, but the fans rallied in masses to preserve the long soccer tradition that comes with the name “Sounders.” The most interesting development is the creation of their supporters group “Seattle FC Alliance.” Minortiy owner, Drew Carey (comedian), created this group and modeled it after a similar supporters group for FC Barcelona. The Alliance members have the ability to vote for the General Manager of the club and other soccer related issues.
The Coach:
Sigi Schmid brings with him a long tradition of coaching excellence. He led UCLA to 3 College Cup championships, won the MLS Cup with the Galaxy and last year with the Columbus Crew, and led our U20′s to the second round of the World Cup on two occasions. Although he hasn’t specifically stated what his plans are for the Sounders, we can look back at his MLS record to figure out what he might be thinking.
Formations:
He typically uses some type of 4-4-1-1 formation. With Columbus he lined the team up as a 4-1-3-1-1. Brian Carroll was the the lone player in front of the back 4, with Rogers and Gaven providing width. He used Schelotto as a roaming forward and Moreno as the target striker.
In LA he used a more traditional 4-4-2 that could look like a 4-1-3-2, and in his last few years as coach in LA he used a 4-1-3-1-1. Schimd relied on Danny Pena in his first couple of years with the Galaxy to cover the back four and then Peter Vagenas to provide that cover for his final years with the club. He had players such as Cobi Jones and Herzog manning the flanks. Mauricio Cienfuegas had the freedom to create for the team. He would usually deploy Carlos Ruiz or Moreno alone up top with Kirovski roaming behind them.
With the U20′s he used a 4-2-2-2, playing Eddie Gaven and Adu centrally in front of two holding center mids, Feilhaber and Dalby. Adu and Gaven had the freedom to play centrally or attack from the wings.
In his most recent scrimmage with the Sounders, Sigi lined the team up in a 3-4-3. It is likely that he is testing out formations and probably doesn’t have all the players he needs to play his favored 4-4-1-1. It isn’t the first time he’s used 3 in the back, so we will take into consideration as we discuss the Sounder’s options.
Goalkeeper:
Kasey Keller . . . . moving along.
Defense:
On the defensive side of the ball it is very clear that he prefers to play with four in the back. Defensive strength has always been a key trait for a Sigi Schmid team. His early Galaxy teams, led by the likes of Robin Fraser an Paul Caligiuri, had the stingiest defense in the league. Last year the Columbus Crew finished with the 3rd best defensive record (36 goals against), only 3 more goals than league leaders Houston. At Columbus he partnered the large and imposing Chad Marshall (MLS Defensive Player of the Year), with the faster and more workman like Danny O’Rourke. Sigi Schmid has always relied heavily on his defensive mids to provide cover for his backline. Last year Carroll was a key to their success, just as Danny Pena and Peter Vagenas were for the Galaxy. Similarly, Benny Feilhaber was the glue that kept the U20′s together, providing exceptional defensive cover (responsible for marking Lionel Messi) and distributing after recuperation. Schmid also likes his outside backs to join the attack. Frankie Hejduk is a prime example, as is Marvel Wynne.
Currently the Sounders have Tyson Wahl, Taylor Graham, Jeff Parke, and James Riley as their defensive options. Sounders have the size and experience they need in the middle of the defense with Parke and Wahl. There have been rumbling, though, that Parke might be on his way to Europe. Riley is likely to be deployed as an outside back because of his speed, but would be comfortable in 3 man backline as well. Graham was a USL defensive player of the year finalist last season and should be battling for a spot along the back line. This is Graham’s third stint in the MLS after two unsuccessful attempts with the KC Wizards and the NY Red Bulls. If the Sounders go with a 3 man backline he has the calibur to step into one of those positions. Sigi is likely to to be auditioning some outside backs for the upcoming season. The holding mid spot is also up for grabs.
Here are his options for outside back: Quavas Kirk, previously with DC United and Galaxy, is on trial with the Sounders. Kirk was a forward with our youth national team system, but was moved to right back after he was drafted by the Galaxy in 2005. Kirk is young, 20, and is very physically gifted. He can also be used as an outside mid. The Sounders also drafted the offensive minded right back Evan Brown. Brown provided 14 assists as a right back in his final two seasons with Wake Forest, and has drawn comparisons to Frankie Hejduk. Left back Jared Karkas, out of Azusa Pacific University, brings similar qualities as Brown.
The battle for the holding mid spot: Right now the two front runners for the spot are Peter Vagenas and Nathan Sturgis. Vagenas was coached by Schmid at UCLA and the Galaxy. Vagenas (30) is a conservative but hardworking center mid. He rarely has any offensive bite, but does his job well. Nathan Sturgis (21) is a young and upcoming midfielder/defender. He was drafted out of Clemson in 2006 by the Galaxy and quickly became a key player for them as a defensive center mid. His passing ability is well beyond his years and his defensive bite and timing also make him a viable option in the backline. Schimd coached Sturgis during his time with the U20′s. The dark horse in the race to win this spot is Stephen King. King is an excellent player who didn’t have much of chance to shine on the stacked Chicago Fire roster. He is still young with a ton of upside. Schmid should be pleased with his options here.
Midfield:
It is no mystery that Sigi loves to play with fast and attack minded outside mids. Robbie Rogers and Eddie Gaven manned the flanks for Columbus last season. Schmid also likes to have a two way offensive minded center mid in the mold of Cienfuegos or most recently Brad Evans.
On the outside: The discussion about the outside mids begins with Freddie Ljunberg. It isn’t clear if Schmid wishes to play the Swedish international closer to the middle of the park or in his traditional role as a winger. One thing that is for sure, is that Sigi will need to find someone to replace Freddie when he is injured. The Sounders can do a lot worse than Khano Smith on the left wing. He is a tall and speedy winger that most recently had a starting role with the New England Revolution. Another option with New England connections is Sanna Nyassi, Revs winger Sainey Nyassi’s twin brother. Sanna is a fast and skillful player and if he is as good as his brother he should step into a starting role right away. The Sounders first round and #1 overall pick in the 2009 Superdraft, Steve Zakuani, might also be an option out wide. His speed and ability to go at players would be make him an excellent option on the wings. He might not be ready to get the nod up top in his more familiar role as a striker, but could fight for a starting spot right away as an outside mid. Another option on the left wing is left footed midfielder Michael Fucito. Fucito scored 32 goals and provided 24 assists during his career at Harvard. The Sounders drafted him the 4th round of the 2009 Superdraft.
To way mid: Schmid knows Brad Evans very well and there is little reason to doubt that Evans will be starting in this position for the Sounders. Evans was a key member of the Crew’s championship winning season last year. With most of the other midfielders being wingers or defensive center mids, Sigi will need to scout some depth in this position. There is also the option of converting Sebastian LeToux into a center mid or pushing Ljunberg into the middle.
Forwards:
Schmid likes to play with one big striker and a roaming forward. In LA, Schmid played Jovan Kirovski behind Ruiz. At Columbus, Schmid played Schelotto behind Alejandro Moreno. With the U20′s Schmid opted for a more traditional two striker system, but it is clear that he prefers to have a target forward. Recent scrimmages suggest that Sigi might opt for 3 up top, and with his current crop of players it wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
Typical Schmid teams like to spread the scoring around the field. The 1999 Galaxy team, Western Conference Champs, spread the scoring around and its two leading goal scorers, Cobi Jones and Carlos Hermosillo, only had 8 goals a piece. In 2001, the Galaxy had the second best offense in the league scoring 52 goals, but the club’s leading goal scorer, Cobi Jones, only scored 6 goals that year. With the exception of Carlos Ruiz (24 goals in ’02 and 15 in ’03), who joined the club in 2002, the Galaxy saw goals from all over the field. Similarly, the Columbus Crew spread out he scoring this past season. Alejandro Moreno was their leading goal scorer with 9 goals, Schelotto was second with 7 goals, Robbie Rogers 6, Brad Evans had 5, and Chad Marshall and Steven Lenhart both had 4. Fourteen Columbus players hit the back of the net last year for 50 goals and the second best offense in the league.
The forward pairing: The Sounders have some great offensive talent already signed up. They were able to acquire the services of Nate Jaqua in the expansion draft. Jaqua stands 6’4, and will likely play the role of a target striker. He has excellent ball skill and is a smart player, but he probably won’t get the Sounders more than 8 goals a season. The big question is, who will play with Jaqua? If Sigi stays with only two up top, the candidates are Fredy Montero, Freddie Ljunberg (when healthy), and Sebastian LeToux. Zakuani could throw his hat into that ring, but recent developments suggest that he will play outwide.
The forward trio: If Sigi decides to play with three up top, he could have the opportunity to play most of his attacking talent at once. Nate Jaqua and Sebestian LeToux will probably battle it out for the target striker role. On the wings we could see Sanna Nyassi, Fredy Montero, Ljunberg, and Steve Zakuani. A strong combination would be Montero on the left wing, Jaqua in the middle, and Ljunberg on the right. The speedy Zakuani and Nyassi could step in to spark the attack late in the match.
Final Thoughts:
The Sounders still have some holes to fill but they are on the right track. Sigi has a tough road ahead of him trying to cut down his roster to 24 players and build chemistry. As it stands right now, Seattle has six solid starters and probably 2 or 3 guys that will perform adequately in their position. There is a significant drop off after that and Schmid needs to find players who will provide depth. Schmid is currently auditioning 16 USL players to try and fill those gaps, but I’m sure he has his eye on a few trades. Here is my guess at the starting lineup if the season started tomorrow:
Keller
Wahl Graham/Parke Riley
Sturgis/Vagenas
Nyassi/King Evans Smith
Zakuani/Ljunberg Jaqua/LeToux Montero
If you actually read through all this, let me know what you think about the Sounder’s so far? What do you think the lineup will look like?