Seattle Sounders 2016 season thread

[Uncle Si]

I didn't say Lagerwey shoved Oba out the door.

But the fact is Oba was under contract, and we didn't have to sell him, especially for the small amount we got for him.

But IMO Lagerwey IS culpable for thinking the combo of Valdez and Morris would pick up the offensive slack and not ruin the good thing we had going with Clint and Oba.

You're right Smurf, the season is young and there's more talent coming. So I'm not panicking, just stating that I've been very disappointed in what I've seen so far.

The Sounders have set a precedent of treating its players well...that includes moving players who are still under contract if they wish to leave.

In every circumstance Oba leaving under contract is better than Oba leaving out of contract. Selling Oba was not only the correct move, it was the only move.

Lagerway, to my knowledge, does not believe Valdez and Morris will pick up the slack of Clint and Oba's magic....Both we're purchased to be accessories to the Damage Clint and Oba could inflict. They are not replacements, but rather, they are tools meant to be used in collaboration. Valdez playing next to Oba, is a better player than Valdez playing next to Dempsey. Morris, would purely be an option off the bench early in the season.

The entire pre-season was spent working on incorporating the team into a new 433 formation, with the focal point being Oba...and since Oba has moved on, we have to learn a new style to play...


...somewhere Si is going on about how players should know to play most positions in a variety of systems, but for me, it takes time to build chemistry in certain systems...especially with a rash of young players.

Did you breathe through a snorkel when typing all that out?

Si is just sitting back watching all of his premonitions from 2 years ago on come to fruition...The Sounders are old in key places, inexperienced in others and run very poorly. Your rivals have now won an MLS cup and are taking over the Cascadia as the best club with a top environment.

but yeah... they just need to get to know each other better.

Also, you don't buy one of the hottest commodities in the US soccer program just to play him out of position and bring him off the bench. Seriously, who do the Sounders think they are? They aren't Chelsea, and the MLS is not some top tier league where young super stars can bide their time with patience while learning under experienced players. They choose the MLS because a. their aren't better options for them as players, 2. they want to feature.

If you aren't going to use young talent properly then move him on to somewhere that will. Here's Dortmund using a 17 year old kid from Philly off the bench as a change of pace and starting Bundesliga games for one of the top 5-6 clubs in the world but Morris has to wait because they don't see him as a replacement and the system hasn't been properly vetted? Right. The problem was that the 433 was never going to work with those players, Oba or not. They had 4 central strikers ffs.

Morris should have stayed in Germany. And I tell you what, if he sees himself behind Bobby Wood (giggety) heading into the Summer he will be lobbying for a change soon enough.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

In every circumstance Oba leaving under contract is better than Oba leaving out of contract. Selling Oba was not only the correct move, it was the only move.

Baloney. Soccer is a business, a cruel business where players who are unhappy spend years waiting to leave their club. Why? Because like in EVERY professional sport, when a club has leverage, that club uses that leverage until the trade, deal, sale, whatever is in their advantage.

Oba was no different..............and like I said I was fine with selling him, but not for 2 million net when China was throwing around absurd money for lesser players.

Rule #1 of owning a soccer club, you NEVER sell your best player under contract unless it's for an obscene amount of money.

 

[Uncle Si]

In every circumstance Oba leaving under contract is better than Oba leaving out of contract. Selling Oba was not only the correct move, it was the only move.

Baloney. Soccer is a business, a cruel business where players who are unhappy spend years waiting to leave their club. Why? Because like in EVERY professional sport, when a club has leverage, that club uses that leverage until the trade, deal, sale, whatever is in their advantage.

Oba was no different..............and like I said I was fine with selling him, but not for 2 million net when China was throwing around absurd money for lesser players.

Rule #1 of owning a soccer club, you NEVER sell your best player under contract unless it's for an obscene amount of money.

Absolutely correct....

I'd add one caveat... never sell your best player unless you have his backup ready to jump in. (and if you have his back up then play him)

 

[Sgt. Largent]

I'd add one caveat... never sell your best player unless you have his backup ready to jump in. (and if you have his back up then play him)

That's why I don't believe Smurf, I do think Sigi and Lagerwey thought the combo of their new 4-3-3 formation with Valdez and Morris would pick up the slack of Oba's goal production.

In fact, I bet Oba's departure was a condition of Morris and his agent agreeing to sign with Seattle. No way in hell the most heralded college player going pro agrees to sign with an MLS club to play part time or come off the bench because he's not one of the primary offensive options.

 

[Uncle Si]

I'd add one caveat... never sell your best player unless you have his backup ready to jump in. (and if you have his back up then play him)

That's why I don't believe Smurf, I do think Sigi and Lagerwey thought the combo of their new 4-3-3 formation with Valdez and Morris would pick up the slack of Oba's goal production.

In fact, I bet Oba's departure was a condition of Morris and his agent agreeing to sign with Seattle. No way in hell the most heralded college player going pro agrees to sign with an MLS club to play part time or come off the bench because he's not one of the primary offensive options.

Which is criminal if true. Means they brought Morris in knowing he'd be played out of position and now have him on the bench because he hasn't adapted?

 

[Chapow]

Why are you guys saying that Morris has been benched or is coming off the bench? I haven't heard or read this anywhere and I've looked.

He has played in 5 MLS games and started 4 of them including the most recent game 2 days ago. The only game he didn't start was against Montreal on a Saturday when he had played in an Olympic qualifier a few days earlier.

Here is a bit of an explanation of why Morris didn't start that one, single game.

Seattle manager Sigi Schmid, as wise a coach as there is in MLS, noticed Morris' play and body language, and with his prized rookie coming back from international duty with the U.S. U-23 team, he opted to sit Morris for the first 56 minutes of last weekend's 1-0 win over the Montreal Impact. He explained his reasoning to the player beforehand and Morris sounded grateful for the temporary reprieve.

http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-socc ... as-mls-pro

Again, he was back in the starting 11 2 days ago. I don't think you guys are correct. I don't think Morris has been benched or is now a sub as opposed to a starter.

 

[Uncle Si]

Fair enough. There was talk on here if benching him.

He's still played out of position, which is my biggest issue.

 

[SeatownJay]

Fair enough. There was talk on here if benching him.

He's still played out of position, which is my biggest issue.

The last game Sigi finally played him as a center forward. Of course nobody in the midfield could get him the ball...

 

[Uncle Si]

Fair enough. There was talk on here if benching him.

He's still played out of position, which is my biggest issue.

The last game Sigi finally played him as a center forward. Of course nobody in the midfield could get him the ball...

That's a start.

I don't want to come off as some Sounders hater. I'm not (I just hate Smurf... the jerk). I really want Morris to succeed. I thought the Sounders were the right "club" for him, but don't think Sigi or the current lineup is the right "team"... if any of that makes sense.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Why are you guys saying that Morris has been benched or is coming off the bench? I haven't heard or read this anywhere and I've looked.

He has played in 5 MLS games and started 4 of them including the most recent game 2 days ago. The only game he didn't start was against Montreal on a Saturday when he had played in an Olympic qualifier a few days earlier.

Here is a bit of an explanation of why Morris didn't start that one, single game.

Seattle manager Sigi Schmid, as wise a coach as there is in MLS, noticed Morris' play and body language, and with his prized rookie coming back from international duty with the U.S. U-23 team, he opted to sit Morris for the first 56 minutes of last weekend's 1-0 win over the Montreal Impact. He explained his reasoning to the player beforehand and Morris sounded grateful for the temporary reprieve.

http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-socc ... as-mls-pro

Again, he was back in the starting 11 2 days ago. I don't think you guys are correct. I don't think Morris has been benched or is now a sub as opposed to a starter.

Why does it matter why Morris was sat down? It's semantics.

The fact is Morris is struggling mightily, and Sigi benched him for a game as a starter so he could try and get his head right. Morris hasn't been the wunderkind we all thought he'd be, in fact he looks like a deer in the headlights half the time.

It was a calculated risk by our front office, and I'm OK with that. But I wasn't OK with selling our best player for pocket change to make room for a college player. If Morris was signed, it should have been to GROOM him to take Oba's place in a year or two..............that's how all the top clubs bring along their best young players. Unless it's Messi, you don't just put a 21 year old on the pitch and expect results.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Great article by Sounders at Heart about the DP mids we may be looking at.

http://www.sounderatheart.com/2016/4/13 ... pa-edition

 

[SeatownJay]

Nice to see Morris get his first goal and the team pick up a win, but the defense, especially in the midfield, continues to be horrid.

 

[hawkfan68]

Nice win for the Sounders...but that should be expected when you are playing 11 on 10. The Sounders were getting dominated early by the Union but the Union couldn't finish their shots, they had number of chances. The Sounders defense needs a lot of work and so does Roldan's passing. He passed the ball to the guys in white more than he did to his own teammates.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Cool video blog by a Chelsea fan from the UK visiting Seattle and documenting his awesome weekend taking in the city and match vs Philly.

[youtube]3j8btBVd-nA[/youtube]

 

[Chapow]

Thanks for posting that vid Sgt, really enjoyed that. Super cool to see that a born and raised die hard EPL and Chelsea fan (and brit) was pretty blown away with his Sounders experience. Maybe, just maybe, the MLS and the Sounders aren't quite as rubbish as many would like us to believe.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Thanks for posting that vid Sgt, really enjoyed that. Super cool to see that a born and raised die hard EPL and Chelsea fan (and brit) was pretty blown away with his Sounders experience. Maybe, just maybe, the MLS and the Sounders aren't quite as rubbish as many would like us to believe.

This is what I loved about the video. The kid is very honest when he said "hey the EPL is still the best league in the world, but even we could learn a thing or two from the MLS and the Sounders on how to make the game fun again for the fans."

Which IMO is what the MLS has going for it, it's not old enough to be run by a bunch of fuddy duddy soccer snobs that suck all the fun out of the sport with their negativity. Which is very prevalent in other parts of the world.

Nothing wrong with embracing your enthusiastic fans and saying even if you don't know anything about our sport, lets make this the most enjoyable sports experience in the country with marches, bands, crazy support groups, etc.

 

[Smurf]

Thanks for posting that vid Sgt, really enjoyed that. Super cool to see that a born and raised die hard EPL and Chelsea fan (and brit) was pretty blown away with his Sounders experience. Maybe, just maybe, the MLS and the Sounders aren't quite as rubbish as many would like us to believe.

If you want more of his views of the city, he has a video of when he arrived in Seattle, and a video of his first day after the sounders game. Looks like he'll be in the region a week to do some sight seeing. So if you enjoyed the non-football bits of his video, check em out!

 

[Uncle Si]

Thanks for posting that vid Sgt, really enjoyed that. Super cool to see that a born and raised die hard EPL and Chelsea fan (and brit) was pretty blown away with his Sounders experience. Maybe, just maybe, the MLS and the Sounders aren't quite as rubbish as many would like us to believe.

This is what I loved about the video. The kid is very honest when he said "hey the EPL is still the best league in the world, but even we could learn a thing or two from the MLS and the Sounders on how to make the game fun again for the fans."

Which IMO is what the MLS has going for it, it's not old enough to be run by a bunch of fuddy duddy soccer snobs that suck all the fun out of the sport with their negativity. Which is very prevalent in other parts of the world.

Nothing wrong with embracing your enthusiastic fans and saying even if you don't know anything about our sport, lets make this the most enjoyable sports experience in the country with marches, bands, crazy support groups, etc.

It's not prevalent. at all.

Many European soccer matches are filled with the energy and festivity that is being touted as unique to a Sounders game. This past week was absolutely full of it. Witness Liverpool-Dortmund just last Thursday. Parades through several streets, marches, sing alongs, great flair and pomp and ceremony before, during and long after the match. The fuddy duddy soccer snobs have been a part of the culture for generations. Passed down to their kids and grandkids. Literally for decade upon decade. They created that atmosphere. Its a bit over the top to suggest that European soccer could learn something from the MLS. The Sounders are taking their experiences from Europe, not vice versa.

Now, some of the old guard (fuddy duddy soccer snobs, if you will) are being priced out of the match day experience, however. Chelsea is one of those grounds set in a wealthy neighborhood. The world brand has made it a tourist spot more than a sporting event. This is because people from all over the world flock to these grounds. So the atmosphere suffers a bit. This is taking hold in other places as well. Arsenal struggles with that. West Ham may lose their famous atmosphere as they move to Wembley. But check out those fans at an away match....

European soccer is at its peak here in the US. Alot of that is the drama of the matches, which is fed by the energy of the crowd witnessed thousands of miles away. The MLS is decades from being able to match that. All the planning and organizing in the world won't change that until the games mean as much to the match day going crowd.

It was a nice video. But it shouldn't be used to beat the same drum with. Better to embrace the similarities and celebrate the sport than find more derisiveness.

I was at the MN United home opener this weekend with the boys. Had a great time. Lots of chanting and flares and all that from the supporter groups. Made it louder. Soccer is soccer...

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Thanks for posting that vid Sgt, really enjoyed that. Super cool to see that a born and raised die hard EPL and Chelsea fan (and brit) was pretty blown away with his Sounders experience. Maybe, just maybe, the MLS and the Sounders aren't quite as rubbish as many would like us to believe.

This is what I loved about the video. The kid is very honest when he said "hey the EPL is still the best league in the world, but even we could learn a thing or two from the MLS and the Sounders on how to make the game fun again for the fans."

Which IMO is what the MLS has going for it, it's not old enough to be run by a bunch of fuddy duddy soccer snobs that suck all the fun out of the sport with their negativity. Which is very prevalent in other parts of the world.

Nothing wrong with embracing your enthusiastic fans and saying even if you don't know anything about our sport, lets make this the most enjoyable sports experience in the country with marches, bands, crazy support groups, etc.

It's not prevalent. at all.

Many European soccer matches are filled with the energy and festivity that is being touted as unique to a Sounders game. This past week was absolutely full of it. Witness Liverpool-Dortmund just last Thursday. Parades through several streets, marches, sing alongs, great flair and pomp and ceremony before, during and long after the match. The fuddy duddy soccer snobs have been a part of the culture for generations. Passed down to their kids and grandkids. Literally for decade upon decade. They created that atmosphere. Its a bit over the top to suggest that European soccer could learn something from the MLS. The Sounders are taking their experiences from Europe, not vice versa.

Now, some of the old guard (fuddy duddy soccer snobs, if you will) are being priced out of the match day experience, however. Chelsea is one of those grounds set in a wealthy neighborhood. The world brand has made it a tourist spot more than a sporting event. This is because people from all over the world flock to these grounds. So the atmosphere suffers a bit. This is taking hold in other places as well. Arsenal struggles with that. West Ham may lose their famous atmosphere as they move to Wembley. But check out those fans at an away match....

European soccer is at its peak here in the US. Alot of that is the drama of the matches, which is fed by the energy of the crowd witnessed thousands of miles away. The MLS is decades from being able to match that. All the planning and organizing in the world won't change that until the games mean as much to the match day going crowd.

It was a nice video. But it shouldn't be used to beat the same drum with. Better to embrace the similarities and celebrate the sport than find more derisiveness.

I was at the MN United home opener this weekend with the boys. Had a great time. Lots of chanting and flares and all that from the supporter groups. Made it louder. Soccer is soccer...

Fair enough, but I have quite a few friends in the UK, mainly Villa and West Ham fans............and ALL their time, energy and conversations on Facebook and with me is 100% negative.

Now I know those two clubs aren't doing well, but even when they were these guys were glass half empty fans. That seems to be the norm IMO for EPL fans, it's such life and death that they're consumed with the negative side of being fans. Inequity between clubs, REALLY hard on players, managers, owners, constant sniping back and forth with other club's fans, etc.

Really doesn't seem like there's a lot of joy and fun.

 

[Uncle Si]

That I can see. The games definitely mean more to them and I imagine that takes alot of fun out of it for some people. I know a handful on both sides of the ocean who are the same.

I see that as the same as the NFL here in terms of reaction to games. But, while you're there, I imagine the event trumps the result