Traore figured in the 2014 Sounder plans, but injuries forced Zach Scott to turn in a heroic career season at centerback. Is more Scott heroism the 2015 answer?
By Steven Agen
In the Seattle Sounders’ inaugural year in MLS, the side finished third in the Western Conference and narrowly missed out on a place in the Conference Finals.
In the offseason before 2010, the conventional wisdom held that the Sounders should simply focus on retaining their core from the year before. The team needed time to gel, and another year with the same squad would surely produce even better results. Or, so said most fans.
The front office seemed to agree, as the most significant offseason signings present for the beginning of the year were Pat Noonan and David Estrada. Blaise Nkufo was due to arrive in July, bolstering the forward corps, but there was little new blood when Seattle handled Philadelphia 2-0 on opening night. What followed was the most tumultuous period in Seattle’s MLS history (barring the second half of 2014, of course).
John Kennedy Hurtado, in the running for MLS Defender of the Year in 2009, tore his ACL on May 22nd in a 1-0 home loss to San Jose. Freddie Ljungberg left for Chicago following a falling-out with the club. Osvaldo Alonso picked up a quad injury, and was out for a significant part of the year until July. This left centerback-by-trade Pat Ianni playing a defensive midfielder role in a makeshift, patchwork 4-3-3. This particular experiment, or act of desperation, was beyond ugly.
Following the 16th match of the year, Seattle’s record of 4-4-8 was cataclysmic for a fan base that had begun to develop their notoriously high expectations of the club. The run included a 4-0 loss to LA, prompting the infamous refund of match ticket prices from Adrian Hanauer and co. After that 16th match, a 1-1 draw with FC Dallas, Seattle sat 7th in the West and 11th overall in the league. Jeff Parke had arrived to offset the loss of Hurtado, but life in MLS wasn’t the rosy adventure year one had been.
Blaise Nkufo and Alvaro Fernandez joined the squad in the summer, and the season turned around. The Sounders would lose just twice the rest of the way en route to slipping into the playoffs. A second consecutive US Open Cup triumph came as well. The turnaround was remarkable, but this history lesson is focused on the first 16 matches of 2010.
Why? Because 2015 is starting to look a lot like 2010. Consider this:
So far, Seattle’s biggest offseason signings have been Tyrone Mears, Darwin Jones, and Cristian Roldan. Each is an untested commodity in MLS; a shadow still hangs over whether or not they’ll be significant contributors this season. Compare this to Noonan and Estrada in 2010, and 2015 looks favorable but far from world beating.
After a campaign that saw the club win two trophies, sentiments are similar to 2010. Who needs a few new big pieces, as long as the current roster sticks together? The logic was clearly a pitfall corrected on the fly the last time we saw such little attempt at offseason upgrading.
Chad Marshall, reigning Defensive Player of the Year, has yet to receive an upgrade next to him at centerback. Brad Evans has been taking minutes as his partner, but that just stretches the center midfield depth farther. Zach Scott, now in the twilight of his career, would likely be penciled in next to Marshall if the season were to start today. In relation to 2010, an injury to Marshall would likely have the same devastating effect losing Hurtado did. A season-ending injury is obviously a difficult thing to predict, but Chad Marshall is now on the wrong side of thirty. Expecting another MVP-caliber season out of him may well be a lot to ask. Clearly, without any more signings, there will be a tremendous pressure on Marshall to pick up the slack for the front office’s lack of movement.
Gonzalo Pineda, now 32 and only a year removed from a major injury, is 2015’s analog to 2010’s Alonso. An injury here would leave the Sounders precariously short in the center of the park. With backups Andy Rose, Michael Azira, and Cristian Roldan, the Sounders are without a player who can claim to be a proven starter over an extended period. Now ponder Evans’ potential move to centerback. It’s clear that the Sounders are short in one area or the other, if not both.
Leo Gonzalez, tabbed as a starter for both the 2010 and 2015 teams, is now approaching ancient for a regular starter at 34 years old. This wasn’t a problem in 2010 at 29 years of age, but five seasons makes a big difference. It’s been obvious that Gonzalez has lost more than a step, and fans are right to wonder if he can contribute at the same level as in seasons past. This is a new problem.
The disaster in 2010 was caused by several injuries to critical players. Most MLS sides would struggle to cope with such a loss – look at the Rapids’ defense last year. However, the midseason corrections from the management also highlighted that they hadn’t done enough in the offseason to prepare a suitable squad for the season.
The club still has plenty of time to make moves, and may well be waiting for the CBA drama to play itself out before committing to anything drastic. While it’s highly unlikely the Sounders lose so many key players again, the lack of any marquee upgrades to the squad should be met with worry by fans.
The similarities are clearly there, and there’s time to correct 2010’s struggles.
However, it does seem to appear that history may be repeating itself in Seattle. Standing still didn’t work the last time the club tried it, and repeating such a tactic may have serious consequences.
Hear Radio Cascadia debate whether the similarities to 2010 matter in 2015 on Episode 29, releasing this Friday. What’s your take? Will the league pass Seattle by if they fail to make any major moves? Let us know if history will repeat itself by commenting below.
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