Seattle Sounders improved on their MLS Cup winning squad and want more trophies
Last year’s title-winning squad was a minor fluke. But if the Sounders repeat, that won’t be a surprise.
Seattle Sounders FC won the MLS Cup in 2016. They weren’t the best team. They got hot late, and somehow managed to survive an MLS Cup Final where they had no shots on goal. Then, in PKs, they won it all. It is quite likely that the Sounders have a better 2017 than 2016, at least during the regular season.
Clint Dempsey, sidelined last season by a heart issue, should play most of the year. Nicolas Lodeiro will be involved in the full season, as will Roman Torres. The roster from 1-15 is better than the roster that won MLS Cup. This is not to say the Sounders are the favorites to repeat. They are likely to make the playoffs for a ninth straight season, and just maybe dreams come true again.
Key facts
2016 record: 14-14-6, fourth in the Western Conference
2016 playoffs: MLS Cup champions
Head coach: Brian Schmetzer
Key additions: Will Bruin, Harry Shipp, Gustav Svensson, and Clint Dempsey, kind of
Key losses: Nelson Haedo Valdez, Andreas Ivanschitz, Tyrone Mears
Projected starting XI (4-2-3-1): Stefan Frei; Joevin Jones, Chad Marshall, Roman Torres, Brad Evans; Osvaldo Alonso, Cristian Roldan; Alvaro Fernandez, Clint Dempsey, Nicolas Lodeiro; Jordan Morris
Major trophies won, all-time: 2016 MLS Cup; 2014 Supporters’ Shield; 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014 U.S. Open Cup
What we think of our team: We’re the MLS Cup champions and you hate us for it.
What outsiders think of our team: “The pinnacle of soccer in the United States — fan support, major international and American star players, and current holders of the MLS Cup. You probably don’t like them, but you have to respect them.”
Seattle Sounders’ biggest rival: No question it’s the Portland Timbers. The Timbers are the Sounders’ most traditional rival, and their proximity means there’s always a large traveling contingent. Perhaps to outsiders, the teams and fan bases are in reality quite similar, but you know what they say: familiarity breeds contempt, and this rivalry has that in spades.
Best social media follow: Brad Evans is the former captain and a master at Twitter.
Our season hinges on … Dempsey’s heart (in a literal sense). With Dempsey, this is a team capable of winning at least one major trophy in ‘17. Without him? Well, they did win MLS Cup that way last year a but it definitely ups the difficulty level.
Why this year won’t be like last year: Brian Schmetzer is the coach from the get-go, and Lodeiro, Torres, and Fernandez will play from the start. When those four things were in place in 2016 the team went 12-3-5 in the regular season and playoffs.
Key player: Lodeiro showed that he’s on par with Sebastian Giovinco, David Villa, and Bradley Wright-Phillips as MLS MVP candidates. Lodeiro could finish with 12 goals and 20 assists in a season.
Projected finish in 2017: Second in the Western Conference.
Wild prediction: They’ll sign a World Cup-quality player in the summer transfer window.
Want to know more?
Sounder at Heart is the place to go.
