So far, the Seattle Sounders’ offseason has been a matter of subtraction.
The Sounders have lost players to retirement, to the Major League Soccer expansion draft, to the English Premier League and the general crash of contracts colliding with salary caps.
The transaction shrapnel has sliced the Sounders roster down to just one goalkeeper and there are “Help wanted” signs dotting the team’s back line.
It’s the dreary part of the Major League Soccer calendar: goodbye to goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, off to retirement; goodbye to defender DeAndre Yedlin, off to Tottenham Hotspur; goodbye to defender Jalil Anibaba, off to Orlando City in the expansion draft and then off again to Sporting Kansas City in a trade.
“This is a sad time of the year for us,” general manager Adrian Hanauer said. “We like to think of our organization as a family and at this time of the year, some of the family leaves town.”
But there is good news for those who don’t like goodbyes. The worst appears over. Get ready for hellos.
That process could begin at noon Thursday, when MLS holds the second phase of its re-entry draft. The Sounders sat out last week’s first phase — as did all but three of the 20 MLS clubs. However, increased contract flexibility makes the second phase more active.
And when the re-entry draft closes, a trade window opens leading to the SuperDraft on Jan. 15.
“I think it’s going to be a busy next few weeks,” sporting director Chris Henderson said. “… Now it’s about refining our team and looking at our biggest needs, and where we need to spend the money to improve our team.”
In terms of sheer numbers, the biggest needs are on the back end, where there are no reserves behind goalkeeper Stefan Frei because of the retirement of Hahnemann and the decision to decline the contract of Josh Ford.
Along the back line, defensive player of the year Chad Marshall returns, as does left back Leo Gonzalez, who dodged the bullet of the expansion draft. However, there are questions at center back and right back — each aggravated by the loss of Anibaba, who played both spots.
Just days before the expansion draft, coach Sigi Schmid had listed Anibaba as one option for the starting right back position vacated by Yedlin. The other choice he mentioned was Brad Evans, who has played right back for the U.S. national team but has primarily been a midfielder with the Sounders.
Also ominously open is the center back spot alongside Chad Marshall. Last season, that was filled by a rotation of Anibaba, Zach Scott and Djimi Traore. But now Anibaba is gone, Traore is considering retirement and Scott is facing foot surgery.
All of the key guys return at midfield and forward. But there could be a depth issue at midfield, especially if Evans moves to right back.
That probably takes precedence over forward, where the only real issue is age. Obafemi Martins, Clint Dempsey and Kenny Cooper are all 30 or older, and Barrett will join them by spring. But the serious work of freshening that position seems likely to be put off a year or two.
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