Photo: Kari Heistad

By Steven Agen

Three Hopes

The Youth Will Step Up, and So Will the Bench

Garth Lagerwey, since his arrival in Seattle, has banked on the young players on Seattle’s roster. Instead of bringing in proven help at center midfield and center back, the GM has opted to trust his youth and draft picks. Damian Lowe, Jimmie Ockford, Dylan Remick and newcomer Andres Correa must play a prominent role on the Sounders’ back line for the team to be successful this season on multiple fronts. With Leo Gonzalez aging, there are serious doubts as to whether he can handle the MLS regular season, playoffs, US Open Cup, and CONCACAF Champions League as he has in previous years. Correa is yet to wrestle the starting job from him this preseason; for the Sounders to be an MLS Cup contender, he must do so at some point during the year. The young Colombian has all the talent required – however, that’s what everyone said about Michael Tetteh a few years back, and Gonzalez still starts today. The Costa Rican has lost a step. He stays at home more than any left back in the league. With DeAndre Yedlin moving to Tottenham in the offseason, it becomes more imperative for the left back to compliment the more moderate Tyrone Mears in the attack.

Similar goes for the center back position. Zach Scott is in the twilight of his career. Like a fine wine, he grows better with age – but he is not fit to be a regular starter anymore. Brad Evans, moving from the midfield to a starting role at center back, is untested at his new position. Should the Evans experiment fail, or should any one of himself, Marshall, or Scott get injured, the Sounders will have to rely on sophomore Damian Lowe. The Jamaican is a freak of nature: tall, strong, fast, and agile. He has the potential to be dominant next to Chad Marshall. Chances are, at one point or another he’ll need to be. Evans has a history of injuries and the Sounders can’t use Scott for an extended period of time again.

Jimmie Ockford, coming off a year with the Cosmos, appears to be the primary backup for Tyrone Mears. Mears also has a history of injuries. For the Sounders to achieve all they can, Ockford, Lowe, and Correa will need to not only step in and play well, but look like starters.

In the midfield, Gonzalo Pineda is aging as well. The 32 year old had a magical season last year, but he’ll cover even less ground in the center of the park than he did last year. I, for one, cannot see him starting 30+ games this year. His backups are Andy Rose and Cristian Roldan, two more youngsters who show real promise. Roldan is buried on the depth chart as of right now, but if Pineda sees a decrease in playing time, that may well change. The former University of Washington midfielder shows strength and composure on the ball, a keen eye for a forward pass and hasn’t yet been rattled when facing tougher opposition during preseason. As for Rose, he’s been poised to truly break out for a few seasons now. He could be the next Brad Evans; positionally excellent, strong in the air, and a good passer and finisher. Rose WILL need to play to his potential this year, should anything happen to Pineda.

The Sounders have already lost Alonso for a portion of the season, and that means a starting job for Michael Azira until he returns. Azira did well in the Western Conference Finals last season, and reports from camp indicate that he’s improved even more since. Along with Azira, substitutes Kenny Cooper and Chad Barrett must earn their keep. Marco Pappa and Lamar Neagle will need a break now and then, and Cooper’s $300k salary seems to show that he’ll need to be a capable replacement. If Barrett can have a similar season to last year, he’ll help the Sounders by providing a lethal goal scorer off the bench.

Up top, Darwin Jones is the young gun to watch if Martins or Dempsey ever need a break. The UW product would have been a top ten draft pick this season, but signed the HGP deal with Seattle instead. He’ll need to be competent in Open Cup and CCL if the Sounders are to make waves in either of those tournaments.

Pineda, Pappa, and Neagle Will Look Elite

I’ve spent the last few weeks detailing why the midfield trio around Alonso may be inadequate for the Seattle attack. However, if Pappa, Pineda, and Neagle all consistently perform at a high level, the one-dimensional concerns of Seattle’s offense disappear. Pappa can be one of the most dynamic attackers with the ball at his feet in all of MLS. If that translates into assists and the creation of space for Dempsey and Martins, interspersed with a few goals, then he can be a legitimate asset on the right side.

The same goes for Neagle on the left. His bull-in-a-china-shop mentality means goals for Seattle about half of the time he plays. Neagle will be relied upon as the starting midfielder with the most pace to get forward. His runs down the left will stretch defenses, and they must. Yedlin is gone; pacy wide play is entirely up to Neagle. If he does this well and scores 8-10 goals, then Seattle will have another option going forward.

Lastly, Pineda must show he can still be capable of running Seattle’s offense. The veteran needs to string creative passes to the forwards by linking up play from back to front. Defensively, he must do well enough positionally to make up for his lack of speed. Pineda, perhaps the least likely of the three to fulfill this hope, makes the Sounders a top side in the West again if he is above average.

Dempsey and Martins need help. People are going to figure out how to stop them from combining down the center. Without Yedlin, the attack needs to innovate. These three incumbent starters will have to be more consistent than last year, and more creative. If they are all in the top five in the league at their position, it gives the Sounders a shot. Unfortunately, none of the three have looked particularly inspired in the preseason. That better change quickly.

A New CBA is Signed, and Garth Has a Bunch of Money to Spend

The only way I can account for how quiet Seattle’s offseason has been is the CBA. Without one signed, they seem hesitant to make any big moves. That’s fair, but it also means potential midseason acquisitions that rarely work out in year one.

Here’s to hoping that there’s a big bump in the salary cap, a new designated player spot, and fewer draconian player acquisition rules. If all that comes true, it’ll be a field day for Lagerwey. Expect new signings at center back, center midfield, and wide midfield. These will be players of serious quality. For all we know, they’re already lined up and just waiting for pen to hit paper on the CBA. No one will do better with more money than the Sounders FO. All of the concerns about an aging squad, lack of proven depth, and a one-dimensional offense go away if Seattle get to sign a bunch of new players. Considering that I think this more likely than either of the first two hopes, it better come true for Seattle.

One Fear

None of These Hopes Will Happen

If the youth and bench players don’t step up, there isn’t a big salary cap increase, and Pineda, Pappa and Neagle can’t be stars, the Sounders are in trouble. The rest of the league has gotten way better in comparison to the Sounders. They look stale in the preseason, and toothless in the attack. Evans is not settled at center back yet. Gonzalez is getting caught out of position. Pappa and Neagle look aimless, and Pineda just plain looks old.

Without at least one of those hopes coming through, Seattle will look like they have in preseason matches. That’s simply not going to cut it in an extremely competitive Western Conference. In a nutshell: none of those hopes happen, Seattle’s current starting eleven remains the same throughout the year, the squad stays old and without a spark, and they miss the playoffs for the first time ever. If something doesn’t change, I fear that’s where they’re headed.

All 3 Hopes and One Fear