Press release from Sounders U23s:
The Boys are Back! Bajza and King return for Sounders U23
Michael Bajza returns to the Sounders U23 team for the summer of 2015 after a successful fall at North Carolina State and a transfer to the University of South Florida. Bajza led his Shattuck St. Mary’s USSDA team to the national final as a senior before leading the Wolfpack the past two years playing 34 games and finishing as the leading scorer in 2014 with 12 points.
“After last summer’s season, I am excited to get back to Seattle and get to work. To be able to represent a club like Seattle at the PDL level is an honor and the goal is to win every time we play,’ says Bajza.
Working this year to rehabilitate after surgery for a torn ACL suffered early in the 2014 PDL season, Michael King comes back to Seattle with a pedigree of high level soccer. King was a member of the United States U17 National Team and was ranked as the #23 player coming out of high school by College Soccer News. King started all 19 games as a freshman at SMU and garnered All Tournament honors at the SMU Invitational in 2013.
“I am so grateful and honored to be returning to don the Sounders crest for another summer. It’s a great opportunity to play with quality players from around the country and be coached by some of the best coaches to help elevate my game. I can’t wait to get back to work this summer and work towards winning the PDL Championship,” added King.
The Sounders U23 team plays in the ultra competitive PDL Northwest Division. The Portland Timbers U23 and Kitsap Pumas have won the PDL Championship with the Victoria Highlanders and Sounders U23 team making the PDL national semi-finals in the past six years. The Kitsap Pumas also made the 2014 final falling to the Michigan Bucks.
“Playing in the Northwest Division of the PDL is a perfect place to continue the development of these young players,” included Darren Sawatzky, head coach Sounders U23, “In Kitsap, you have the only team in the PDL that pays their players and attracts young professionals with something to prove. We have teams connected to MLS franchises and teams working hard to put a very competitive product on the field. Every game in our division is a worthwhile game and both Bajza and King will help us in our quest to win games.”
