McCormick, Sanyang Signings Build Strong Base for S2

by Steven Agen

Seattle Sounders FC 2 announced their first two signings Thursday morning, bringing in two men with Sounders experience under their belts already. Duncan McCormick is a Seattle academy product, and his father is currently in charge of the aforementioned academy. Amadou Sanyang returns to Seattle after a short stint with the first team in 2011. While both are young, each brings valuable experience to the new USL side.

As far as Sanyang goes, the 23 year old still carries a pedigree despite spending the last season with Charleston Battery. In his time, the central midfielder has played in Ghana, Canada, and the United States; he’s also received attention (at one point or another) from PSV Eindhoven and a few Ligue 1 clubs in France.

Most notably, he played for the Sounders in their 1-0 victory at Monterrey in the 2011-2012 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League. Those with an acute memory will recall that it was a landmark moment for MLS, being only the second win for an American club on Mexican soil. Alvaro Fernandez scored on 38 minutes, and, somehow, Terry Boss kept the heavy favorites at bay for the remainder of the match.

McCormick, for his part, turned down an opportunity to play for college powerhouse Wake Forest in order to sign his first pro contract. An out and out destroyer, McCormick makes up for his lack of pace with his tenacity.

Signing two central midfielders first is certainly more than symbolic for Seattle.

The club now has a strong base from which to build in the center of the park. Both McCormick and Sanyang fit the mold of high-ceiling players who need a place to develop. One wonders where Sanyang might be now had S2 existed a few years sooner. The point is both are contenders to start in USL play. Each knows the organization already. Ezra Hendrickson went so far as to refer to Sanyang as a coach on the field after Thursday’s practice.

“Winning is part of developing and I think Amadou is going to be a guy who can help us do that. He has been our captain so far this season and has been an extension of the coaching staff on the field.”

One half of the smart-signing equation is satisfied by their ability to grow, relative youth, and experience with Seattle.

With this area of the pitch already looking strong for S2, it allows the club to focus on building its attacking pieces in the coming weeks. Hendrickson intimated that the defensive unit is the weakest on the squad right now (of trialists, that is), and that it’s the primary area where they expect to receive players on loan from Sigi Schmid’s senior roster.

Considering the CBA cesspool we’re all still wading through, it may be weeks before the first team boss decides on who he wants to send down to S2. If a strike does end up being a reality, contractual issues may prevent any Sounders from dropping to S2.

For a side who has to wait awhile longer to figure out who’ll be playing in the back for them, having two proven and exciting defensive presences in the midfield may prove to be a pragmatic move from S2 GM Andrew Opatkiewicz. The satisfies the other half of the smart-signing equation. If the defense is out of Opatkiewicz’s hands, it makes an awful lot of sense to improve defensively in the areas he can control.