Today, Sounders FC announced that it has declined the contract options of the following players: Micheal Azira, Chad Barrett, Andrés Correa, Leo Gonzalez, Marco Pappa, Troy Perkins, Gonzalo Pineda, Zach Scott and Thomás.
With General Manager Garth Lagerwey publicly stating that the Sounders need to get younger and faster, how many of these are a surprise?
Leo Gonzalez and Gonzalo Pineda – Expected
Both of these gentlemen have been exemplary servants to the club, but it was clear that age was catching up with them. Injuries hit both hard and the club’s desire to get younger and faster means that we have seen the last of these two in the Rave Green.
While still capable of contributing, it became painfully obvious that both had lost a step and could not be relied on to carry the same workload they could last year. The upcoming decision for both is whether to keep playing for another team or whether it’s time to retire.
Michael Azira – Expected
Although cheap, Azira is not young, so he cannot be listed as a prospect anymore. While it’s been noted that he’s well liked in the locker room, that’s not enough to keep him on the roster when he hasn’t shown that he can reliably produce when given the opportunity.
Andrés Correa – Mostly Expected
It’s tough to completely cut the cord with a young player (21) who makes just over league minimum, but he’s spent most of his time on the DL and occupies a valuable international roster spot. He played 16 games for Sounders 2 but didn’t impress enough to remain with the main club. Perhaps a signing with S2 is in his future.
Zach Scott – Mostly Expected, but still a Slight Surprise
It had to happen eventually, but Mr. Sounder has come back year after year and proven Father Time wrong. He played the most minutes of his career this year while on a broken foot. He makes league minimum. For sheer value of production versus cost, he’s worth keeping on the roster. Would anyone have been surprised if he was back again next year?
However, Sounders FC General Manager Garth Lagerway has indicated that the future lies in the team committing to a youth movement. As a result, Zach Scott is a casualty. It would be of little surprise if he opted to retire and immediately re-join the team in a coaching capacity. Whatever his future holds, we at Prost wish him well.
Chad Barrett – Mostly Expected
From a business side, there’s little surprise that Chad Barrett’s option was declined. He was usually brought in off the bench to provide an offensive spark and scored some dramatic goals, but was also notable for suddenly becoming invisible on the pitch. While not prohibitively expensive, he was also not a budget option. The signing of Nelson Valdez, as well as the usage of Valdez mostly at forward, relegated Barrett to a deeper bench role. One wonders if this indicates an imminent signing of Jordan Morris.
On a personal note, I’m sad that he’ll be leaving (barring a contract restructure).
From day one, he’s been willing to talk with me and give me more than “canned” answers to questions. When, at a fan event, I showed him some of the photos I had taken of him, he asked me to get him a copy of a couple of them so he could send them to his parents.
During games, when he was warming up on the sidelines, he was always paying attention to the game and passionate about wanting the club to win. Every goal scored usually resulted in a sprint away from the warmup area to join in on the celebration.
Troy Perkins – Slight Surprise
Perkins came in and did the job he was expected to do. With the exception of a forgettable appearance in the US Open Cup against Portland, he was a solid backup to Stefan Frei and could be relied upon to keep the Sounders in the game when called upon. He manned the posts for most of the CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage and filled in admirably when Frei was injured, only giving up three goals in three and a half games.
The fact that the Sounders lost all three of those games 1-0 is hardly the fault of the goalkeeper. However, due to the fact that he made over $130,000 and the Sounders are committing to a youth movement, it’s only a slight surprise that his option was not picked up. He should still have plenty in the tank, should another team come calling for his services.
After the Donovan Ricketts debacle in the play-in game, that club may be LA Galaxy.
Marco Pappa – Big Surprise
If any of these cuts can be considered surprising, it’s Marco Pappa. He has shown to be a regular contributor to the team and, despite missing time due to his drunk driving arrest and league-mandated DUI program, he returned strong and helped the club make the playoffs. However, the club has indicated that the price to pick up his option was too high and they are hoping to re-negotiate a deal before the December 10 deadline.
Thomás Jaguaribe Bedinelli – Slight Surprise
There’s no denying that he has skill on the ball and is dripping with potential. He’s also young, at only 22 years of age.
He entered the team partway into the season and Major League Soccer is known as a more physical league than he was used to. Additionally, his entry coincided with the Sounders going into their slump and missing its top players – it would be unfair to ask a new young player to carry the team. There are reasons why he was not set up for immediate success and there could be hope that an offseason with the team would better prepare him to be a contributor.
However, he is not a cheap option and was given almost three months to show what he could do. Most importantly, his style does not seem to match the way that the Sounders play. Oddly enough, his time with the first team seemed to end right as he was beginning to show quality (he had just scored a goal against Orlando City and had a good showing in the home CONCACAF game against CD Olimpia). Friberg claimed the spot and the summer signings, along with Andy Rose coming back from injury, spelled the end of his tenure.
Could he sign for a lower number and come back to the team? With the commitment to the youth movement, that would be a smart move for the Sounders, but it’s likely that his time with the team has come to an end.
