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…

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.

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…

Fredy Montero leads Seattle tonight against New England. (Getty Images)

As mentioned yesterday, this week is loaded with MLS action. Tonight we get another primetime clash on ESPN2 as the Seattle Sounders FC host the New England Revolution.

This is a big match for both sides, New England is looking to prove to the rest of the eastern conference and the league for the matter that they are a playoff worthy club. Seattle is looking to inch their way up the standings in hopes at a Supporter’s Shield run.

The bad news for the Sounders is that according to the Seattle Times, Swedish midfielder and WVH fave Freddie Ljungberg looks like he’ll miss both tonight’s game and Sunday at Houston. Also the Sounders  will be without  Tyrone Marshall, who was sent off against LA. A win for Seattle puts them back in second place and one closer to securing a playoff spot.

New England needs the points in a bad way. With games in hand on everyone in the league this is the time that Steve Nicol’s side has to start stepping up and playing.

This should be a solid matchup in the midfield tonight. Even without Ljungberg and Marshall I still believe Seattle has the better side in this one, especially at home. Look for Brad Evans and Osvaldo Alonso to lock down the midfield. Fredy Montero should find some space to get behind New England’s defense. But keep an eye out for Shalrie Joseph, he’s always dangerous on big primetime games.

I still see Seattle pulling this one out. Sigi Schmid knows how important three points are this late in the stage and I would imagine his club knows that too. The Revs will keep it close but their offense doesn’t do it for me still without Taylor Twellman.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 2, New England 1

Time once again for the goals of the week. Not as many MLS games this week to pick goals from but there were still plenty of quality goals out there this weekend to view.

Order of goals: Omar Cummings, Brian Ching, Eric Avila, Fredy Montero, Chirs Pontius, Osvaldo Alonso, Nate Jaqua, Fredy Montero, and Christian Gomez.

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

While rookies have been doing well this year so far, so have the list of newcomers to the league that aren’t rookies. It seems like last year we talked at length about the lack of positive newcomers until the summer months when guys like Darren Huckerby came into town for the San Jose Earthquakes.

This season is far in a way different as plenty of newbies are making a positive impact on the league. Most of the list below does contain a lot of Seattle Sounder players, but there are a few others that have made similar headlines this year that aren’t in Sounder green.

The list below is really no particular order here. After a while though I will still track the newcomers to the league this season as we gear towards the end of season awards. If you see a newcomer that I failed to remember, be sure to post his name below. Again, no rookies please, they have their own watch list that will probably be updated again next week.

Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle) – As some of you know, I am part Swedish so I am a little biased on this one when I see a Swede in the league and one doing well. So far Ljungberg is playing just the way Seattle needs him to be, a strong part of the midfield and one that hits the back of the net when called to do so. Continue Reading…