Freddy Ljungberg and Sigi Schmid lead the way again in 2010 for Seattle. (Getty Images)

We only have two more clubs to look at here in our preseason look-ins of each Major League Soccer club. Today we head to the Pacific Northwest to see how Sigi Schmid and his Seattle Sounders FC are doing this winter.

For the most part things have been fairly quiet for last year’s expansion darlings. Schmid has kept the majority of his club intact from last season which came very close to a western conference final birth, not to mention they were the winners of the US Open Cup.

So far this winter the Sounders have been fairly quiet, only signing a couple players. Though they will get one big boost this summer with Swiss striker Blaise Nkufo joins them. Until then the Sounders will have to rely on young star Freddy Montero to carry the offensive load, which shouldn’t be much of an issue.

Anyways, let’s dive in to see who Seattle has going into the new season and where else they need to fill in the holes. Continue Reading…

Landon Donovan and Kasey Keller are widely known as important soccer figures in and out of MLS circles. Through FIFPro, Donovan and Keller expressed their concerns on what a potential lock-out could do to the league and the sport in America if owners aren’t willing to compromise on a few key issues.

The statement outlined some of the biggest differences between the league’s stance and what the Players Union is asking for. The issues listed were:

• Player contracts are routinely terminated by the league during their term, as almost 80% of players in MLS do not have guaranteed contracts;
• MLS operates as a cartel in that every player’s contract must be entered into with the league instead of his club;
• The contract of virtually every player in the league contains multiple unilateral one-year options that may only be exercised by the league;
• Virtually any player in the league can be transferred to another club within the league without his consent even if such transfer is international, such as a transfer from an MLS club in the United States to or from an MLS club in Canada;
• There is no freedom of movement for any MLS player to any other MLS clubs when his contract expires – in fact, even if a player’s contract is unilaterally terminated by a club during its term, that club continues to hold such player’s rights and he is prohibited from signing with another club in the league.

Now I am going to keep my opinion on this matter to myself for the time being. I’m honestly still on the fence about a lot of things here. I do see the need for a few of these things that the players outline but I also understand a bit where the owners are coming from here too.

A lockout and/or strike will only do damage to the league and the sport. Keller and Donovan both present a case that should be heard loud and clear to the owners.

I did see a very interesting piece this morning on the Fake Sigi blog about this matter. He argues that the league is in no violation of the FIFA regulations that the players are arguing. Interesting to say the very least.

Freddie Ljungberg and Osvaldo Alonso were huge additions to Seattle and to MLS this year. (Getty Images)

Everyone knew going into the 2009 season that the new kids on the block would make a splash. Just the kind of splash the league needed in some folks eyes. The Seattle Sounders FC came into the year not as a typical expansion club. No this group broke the mold for expansion clubs by being able to sign players from their old USL club and by going out of their way to sign quality veteran players to play even before the expansion draft last November.

Yes, these Sounders made a splash on and off the field as well. Minority owner Drew Carey hyped up his club in every way possible on TV or the radio or in newspapers. For once it looked like a club just got “it” for getting people’s attention in a city.

And it worked too as Seattle became one of the most successful expansion teams in Major League Soccer history. No they didn’t end up winning it all like the 1998 expansion Chicago Fire but they did definitely bring in a new era of how to do things both on and off the field.

Seattle started off strong in 2009 with big wins at home in front of massively packed crowds that the league had never seen on a consistent basis before. Guys like Newcomer of the Year Fredy Montero and Nate Jaqua proved to be solid up top while former USL guys like Osvaldo Alonso and Sebastian Le Toux proved they had what it takes to be big time MLS players.

Then there was the DP, the designated player from Sweden Freddie Ljungberg. The Swede proved to a load of folks around the league that he still had some gas left in the tank and that the wouldn’t be a Denilson-type of DP.

The club was tough to figure out for others as they went on to win their first US Open Cup in DC back in September, securing a spot in next year’s CONCACAF Champions League. Let’s just hope this year’s bunch will be one that they can build on for years to come.

What Went Right In 2009:
As mentioned above on and off the field there was plenty to smile about in Seattle this year. Montero was a beast to handle. Veterans like Ljungberg and Kasey Keller were great when needed. New faces like Jhon Kennedy Hurtado made big impacts and Sigi Schmid continues to be the Sigi Schmid we all know. Winning the Open Cup was also a big step for this club as well. They proved late in the year when it mattered most that they could get the job done away from home. Oh and lastly, the fans in Seattle were amazing this year…no getting around it they were just amazing.

What Went Wrong In 2009:
The play on the field wasn’t always so rosy. May was a dry spell that saw the club not win a single game (though they didn’t lose a game either). They struggled at home against clubs they should have beaten and the defense was clearly the weakest link on the field at times. Until late in the year they struggled on the road and looked like they may even fall out of playoff contention. But getting in the playoffs they struggled offensively to beat Houston.

What’s Next:
I think next is just the start of what could be a good run for this club. The foundation is there and we know the veterans that are coming back. I believe the transfer talks surrounding Montero will continue to be there but he will return in 2010. I think they need to get some depth right away on defense and find some extra quality in the midfield. Lastly getting Montero some support up top wouldn’t hurt at all. There is work to be done but to be honest it won’t be as hard as other clubs out there.

Fredy Montero leads the charge for the expansion Sounders. (Getty Images)

The playoffs are finally here and tonight they kickoff with a bang up in the Pacific Northwest as the Houston Dynamo travel to Qwest Field to face the Seattle Sounders FC in a big first leg western conference semi-final series.

Seattle comes into the playoffs as one of the league’s hottest teams and with the opening game at Qwest you have to believe Sigi Schmid and company will pull out all the stops to make sure the expected large crowd stays happy. Schmid will have to rely heavily on Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Leo Gonzalez in the back to slow down the attack from Brian Ching and Stuart Holden.

The Dynamo need to find a way to get a goal early and then rely on their strong defense to carry them in this game and in the series. Catching Seattle off guard on corner kicks or free kicks could go a long way for the Dynamo. However the most important thing for Dominic Kinnear’s bunch is staying out of card trouble. These last couple months have been nothing but yellow and red cards for Kinnear’s team. Make no mistake if they get into card trouble it will be another early exit for the Dynamo this year in the playoffs. You can’t beat a club like Seattle with ten men, you just can’t do it.

I think tonight’s game will be physical as Houston will want to use guys like Geoff Cameron and Bobby Boswell to keep Fredy Montero and Freddie Ljungberg off the boards. Look for Seattle to play the wings a lot in this game and also look for Ljungberg to try to live up to his DP status with the Sounders.

I like the homeside by a slim margin in this one. These two played two exciting games in the regular season and I don’t see anything different here tonight. Goals by Ching for the Dynamo and goals by Montero and Nate Jaqua for the Sounders.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 2, Houston 1

While the day seems to be lost on everyone’s Twitter feeds being down, I figured it was a good time to get back in the award discussion once again here. Instead of waiting for putting this in the evening links and thoughts I figured I would break this discussion off into it’s own post for the day.

With a couple weeks left in the season the Newcomer of the Year award is starting to actually get a little tighter. For months it’s nearly been all Seattle Sounders leading the charge but now a couple other names are starting to emerge on the list and if some lead their clubs into the playoffs you can bet they will snatch up some of those votes from folks like myself.

Here is my top five for the Newcomer of the Year. Feel free to list yours below.

1. Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders): The one getting all the press is still Montero though he finally has some true company for this award. The more he produces in the final weeks the better his chances are at this award.

2. David Ferreira (FC Dallas): To be honest I wasn’t a huge fan of this guy early on in the season but since Jeff Cunningham got hot so did he. Ferreira finally found his way in the league and now he is starting to look like the playmaker that Dallas was hoping he’d be. You have to believe that if Dallas somehow makes it into the playoffs Ferreira will be a big reason behind it. He does have a lot of ground to make up to win this award though.

3. Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders): Keller’s stock continues to be in a holding pattern for this award. Not that its a bad thing and he has certainly done his part to get the Sounders where they are at right now.

4. Donovan Ricketts (LA Galaxy): LA returns to the playoffs for the first time in a couple years and believe it or not it has a lot to do with Ricketts. Now if he leads his club to a Supporter’s Shield title in the final weeks of the season you can bet he will move up these charts.

5. Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle Sounders): The last of the Sounders in my top five. He’s been a rock in the midfield for this club all year. Just a shame that no one signed this player before this season because he has potential to be a big time player in the league for years to come.

Others in consideration: Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle), Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle), Eduardo Lillingston (Chivas USA), Gregg Berhalter (LA Galaxy).

Fredy Montero. (Photo via Rick Morrison, www.digitaldadphotography.com)

Good evening folks. It’s been a rather slow day around the soccer world but there has been plenty of talk on one subject that has been pretty hot since late August, the possibility of a MLS-2. But more on that in a bit. And I have a link about SuperLiga below that is definitely worth a read.

I wanted to kickoff tonight’s thoughts/links with another look at the season awards. With a few weeks left in the 2009 season each award race is really hot right now. Tonight I want to look at the Newcomer of the Year award.

The newcomer award race pretty good this year, especially with one club the Seattle Sounders FC. That club has a chance to have three or four guys nominated for the award alone. Pretty crazy but that’s just how it worked with them this season.

Who’s on the watch list for this award? Below are the few that I think are gonna get consideration from me and other voters. And sadly most of my list below do revolve around Sounders players.

Fredy Montero (Seattle) – Pretty easy to say he may end up with this award based on his play. He’s one of the top goal scorers on the league and since the start of the season he has shown flashes of brilliance.

Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle) – Probably Montero’s biggest competition in this award is this former USL-1 star. Alonso is a beast in the midfield and has quickly become one of the best defensive midfielders in the league.

Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle) – No this has nothing to do with my biased towards Swedish players but Ljungberg has been a solid addition to the league and to Seattle since day one. When healthy he has proven to be one of the better DP signings in the league.

Kasey Keller (Seattle) – Weird to see this American keeper legend on this kind of list but it has been his first MLS season after all. No doubt he should have some consideration here because I really don’t see him winning the keeper of the year award (that should go elsewhere to Chivas’ Zach Thornton).

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle) – The last of the Sounders for me on this list. He’s been one of the better defenders in the entire league this season.

Emmanuel Osei (New England) – Not a house hold name but believe me this guy has been a great addition to Steve Nicol’s side. As a defender his stats won’t amaze you but he’s been a rather solid rock in the defense for the Revs this season.

Eduardo Lillingston (Chivas USA) – His numbers aren’t bad (7 goals and 1 assist) but he doesn’t have the hype to get a lot of votes out west. Still he is worth a look for this award.

David Ferriera (Dallas) – It really took him a while to get use to the MLS style of play but honestly he hasn’t been a terrible signing after all for Schellas Hyndman and FC Dallas. Six goals and four assists this season really isn’t bad.

From the looks of things you gotta just pick a Sounder for this award because after that group the pickings are rather slim. And again, this award goes to non-rookies that are playing their first year in MLS. Continue Reading…

Another full weekend ahead in Major League Soccer, hard to believe we are already into the thick of this this week with two league games under our belts. Things are certainly starting to speed up here as we move forward in the season.

Seven games to discuss here for the upcoming weekend, five on Saturady afternoon/evening and two more the next day on Sunday. All but one game are conference clashes this weekend, the lone inter-conference meeting is out in Sandy, Utah between RSL and New England.

All clubs are in action this weekend except for Houston, who has been off this entire week. All four clubs that had week-night games are in the mix again this weekend. Tough doubles for Chivas, Toronto, New York and Kansas City. Depth will come into question for each of those clubs this week for sure.

As always feel free to pipe in your score predictions below. Continue Reading…