Prost Amerika video columnist Alan Hinton shared his thoughts on the Seattle Sounders FC 2015 season, Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid, MLS Conference Finals, Clint Dempsey’s role with the U.S. Men’s National Team and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho in the latest edition of Hinton Unleashed.
Clint Dempsey
“His employer is the Seattle Sounders…He really should consider retiring from national team duty.”
At the 10:41 mark of the interview, Hinton urged Clint Dempsey to focus his future efforts with the Sounders and drop his USMNT responsibilities.
At the age of 32, the team’s highest paid player has missed a third of his MLS matches and doubts are creeping in about his durability.
Seattle Sounders FC 2015 season review
“The veterans froze a little bit.”
The injury-depleted Sounders ended their 2015 with a loss to FC Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals. Hinton noted the make-shift backline and key veterans (Andreas Ivanschitz and Chad Barrett ) missing their penalty kicks as key factors in the playoff defeat.
Hinton felt Seattle’s season went downhill after their mid-June U.S. Open Cup loss to the Portland Timbers. The match featured Dempsey’s ejection and subsequent suspension, and Obafemi Martins carried off on a stretcher due to a groin injury.
When asked about which Sounders may be gone next year, Hinton identified the following players: Zach Scott, Leo Gonzalez, Troy Perkins, Osvaldo Alonso and Obafemi Martins.
Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid
“He’s a very good head coach. He’s a good judge of talent.”
Seattle has made the playoffs in each of their seven seasons under head coach Sigi Schmid. With the 2015 campaign ending in another non-MLS Cup trophy, doubts were cast about Schmid’s return. General manager Garth Lagerway announced last Thursday that Schmid would definitely be back in 2016.
According to Hinton, the Sounders’ only head coach deserved credit for his management of a squad hindered by numerous injuries to the playoffs.
