I’m back, but Obafemi Martins isn’t for the Sounders

My vacation is over, and my first assignment upon coming back was Seattle Sounders FC’s media day Monday at CenturyLink Field.

The big news surrounding the Sounders in advance of the 2016 season — the team’s first real game is Tuesday night when Seattle hosts Mexico’s Club America in first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal, with the MLS season beginning Mar. 6 when the Sounders entertain Sporting Kansas City — is the fate of star forward Obafemi Martins.

Martins was Seattle’s MVP each of the past two seasons, notching 17 goals and 13 assists in 31 games in 2014, then adding 15 goals and six assists in 21 games last campaign. The former Nigeria international was all set to lead the line again for the Sounders this season until news broke last week that Martins could be headed to China to sign with Shanghai Greenland Shenhua F.C., as the Chinese Superior League continues to shell out big bucks on players in an effort to raise its profile.

A few days later Martins tweeted the following:

Thanks to all who made these last three years an amazing experience. Seattle has a special place in my heart pic.twitter.com/qg3XxYRzbK

— OBA MARTINS (@Obafemimartins) February 18, 2016

That seems to settle the issue. However, Seattle has yet to confirm the move. Martins remains on the Sounders’ roster on their website, and on Monday Seattle general manager Garth Lagerwey continued to say that no deal has been finalized yet for Martins’ transfer, though he did seem resigned to losing his main attacking option. The timing of this, right before the season begins, leaves a lot to be desired for the Sounders.

Martins is one of Seattle’s three designated players — players who can be paid salaries in excess of the salary cap — along with fellow forwards Clint Dempsey and Nelson Valdez, so his departure would free up a designed player roster spot for the Sounders. However, Lagerwey said he had no timetable for filling that spot should the Martins deal go through. He also said one way he could address the situation would be to make midfielder Osvaldo Alonso a designated player, giving Seattle some flexibility to maneuver within the restraints of the salary cap. MLS teams must be salary-cap compliant on March 1.

The Martins situation means it was that much more important that the Sounders were able to get forward Jordan Morris signed. Morris, the Mercer Island product and great young hope of the U.S. men’s national team, left Stanford a year early and had a tryout with Werder Bremen in Germany, but instead decided to play for Seattle, which held his MLS rights as a homegrown player. Morris’ presence helps ease the likely loss of Martins, but it means the 22-year-old Morris will be thrown right into the fray rather than get eased into professional soccer.

The other news of the day saw the Sounders sign midfielder Nate Sturgis, who played for Seattle in 2009-10. He spent last season with the Houston Dynamo. Seattle’s players also gave good reviews of the new FieldTurf that was just installed at CenturyLink Field, saying it played much truer to grass than the previous surface, which had compacted and played substantially faster.