Since entering Major League Soccer two years ago, the Seattle Sounders have set the standard for fan support, with raucous crowds rocking Qwest Field on a regular basis.
At times, the Sounders have matched that support with beautiful soccer, but consistency has eluded Seattle, and so has post-season success. Seattle has won a pair of U.S. Open Cup titles since starting out, but a pair of goal-less first-round playoff exits leaves the Sounders looking like a team that has failed to meet expectations.
The fact that Seattle has such high expectations says a lot about just how well the second-year club has done in such a short time. The Sounders boast some of the league’s most exciting young players, and Sigi Schmid is one of the best head coaches in MLS, but if Seattle is going to improve on its fourth-place finish in the Western Conference it will do so with a squad that saw little turnover in the off-season.
Two players who will assume larger roles in 2011 than they had in 2010 are Alvaro Fernandez and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado. Fernandez was brought in as a Designated player after last summer’s World Cup, but the Uruguayan winger struggled to settle in and became an expensive substitute. The Sounders need him to start and be an impact player if Seattle is going to improve an offense that ran hot and cold last season.
Hurtado’s return should boost a defense that actually held up well despite losing him to a torn ACL last May. Jeff Parke stepped in and became the club’s defense leader, and he will now partner with Hurtado in a centerback tandem that could be one of the best in the league.
As important as Hurtado and Fernandez are to Seattle’s chances of improving on 2011, it will be up to strikers Fredy Montero and Blaise N’Kufo to maintain a high level throughout the season if the Sounders are going to mount a serious threat to win the Western Conference. Montero is one of the most exciting players in the league, but he’s also inconsistent, and last season he followed up MVP-level form, with a major dip in form late in the year that ultimately hurt Seattle’s quest for a first playoff series victory.
N’Kufo showed glimpses of the standout striker who enjoyed such a stellar European career, scoring five goals in 11 matches, but he also looked to tire late in the year, perhaps from the lack of rest after the World Cup. With a long off-season to rest up for his final season as a pro (N’Kufo has stated he plans to retire), N’Kufo could challenge Montero for team scoring honors.
Montero and N’Kufo should both benefit from the arrival of Swedish midfielder Erik Friberg, who signed with the club this off-season and who will be expected to provide an attacking spark in central midfield that has been missing since Freddie Ljundberg’s departure. Between Montero, Argentine Mauro Rosalez and Brad Evans, who missed the second half of the 2010 season due to injury, Seattle’s forwards should benefit from a stronger midfield providing service.
If there is an area of concern that isn’t being talked about enough, it’s the form of veteran goalkeeper Kasey Keller. The 41-year-old former U.S. national team star showed his age at times last season, with some uncharacteristic blunders. Even with his diminished form, Keller is still a useful goalkeeper, though you wonder if there is any chance Seattle might consider bringing in U.S. national team goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, a 38-year-old former member of the ULS Seattle Sounders who looks ready to wrap up his European career.
If Keller can post one final strong season to finish off his amazing career, and if N’Kufo and Fernandez can prove their Designated Player worth, the Sounders just might be able to challenge the likes of Los Angeles and Real Salt Lake in the West. However, if any or all of the aforementioned players doesn’t come through, Seattle could be doomed to another season of being a fun but underachieving team known for its fans rather than its on-field success.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS
KEY LOSSES: Sanna Nyassi, Nathan Sturgis
NEW ARRIVALS: Erik Friburg, Mauro Rosales, Michael Tetteh, O’Brian White,
BIGGEST QUESTION: Can Alvaro Fernandez bring Designated Player value to the table? Skillful but a relative non-factor in 2010, Fernandez needs to impose himself this season and show that he isn’t a bust.
X-FACTOR: O’Brian White. At one point considered the best player in college soccer before an ACL tear, White never really had a chance to shine on a poor Toronto FC side.
OUTLOOK: Sigi Schmid has quietly added some promising pieces to a roster that was already filled with talent. If Friburg can be the midfield maestro the attack needs, Montero and N’Kufo could lead the league in goals. The defense should be very good, though concerns exist about Keller’s form. The Sounders have the weapons to get past the first round of the playoffs, but will need Montero to have an MVP season if the Sounders are going to have any serious chance of being a title contender.
Ives Galarcep is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering Major League Soccer and the U.S. national team.
