The Seattle Sounders set the blueprint for all of the incoming MLS expansion franchises to follow.

A well-run organization that put together a fine product on the pitch—and was heavily supported by legions of fans—made the Sounders one of the top stories in all of Major League Soccer last season.

This year, the Sounders will be out to prove that they are neither a novelty nor a fluke. They will look to build upon their first-round playoff finish last season.

On paper they look to continue on that path, as the Sounders return the core of their team from last season.

Captain and goalkeeper Kasey Keller returns to lead a defense that tied for the least amount of goals surrendered.

Also returning are designated player and midfielder Freddie Ljungberg, 2009 Newcomer of the Year Freddy Montero, and Defender of the Year finalist Jhon Kennedy Hurtado.

These four were the biggest reasons for Seattle’s success last season.

Keller and Ljungberg have countless years of experience at the international level and at some of the world’s biggest clubs, as well as World Cup experience. They, along with Hurtado, helped anchor arguably the league’s best defense.

Two returning players to look out for breakout seasons from are last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Steve Zakuani, and defender Brad Evans.

Zakuani can play both forward and as an attacking midfielder. He is a quick and agile player who likes to go at players one-on-one. Last year he played in 29 of the team’s 30 league games and posted four goals and four assists.

The numbers aren’t that impressive, but he is only a year removed from leading all collegiate players in goals (20) and points (47) at Akron. The tools are there, and with his first year under his belt, especially under the tutelage of a prolific goal scorer in Montero, Zakuani is poised for a bigger year.

Evans is a defensive midfielder who, even though he is only 24 years old, continues to gain more and more invaluable experience. Before coming to Seattle, Evans started all four of the Columbus Crew’s playoff games en route to winning the MLS Cup.

Over the summer he played in the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament for the USA, and this offseason he was a part of the U.S. men’s national team training camp and came on as a late sub against El Salvador.

Already a solid and steady player, Evans keeps moving on to bigger and better things. While he isn’t really a candidate to make this summer’s World Cup squad, just being in that environment—going to practice against other top players competing to earn the right to go to South Africa and getting more international experience—is invaluable and will only continue to make Evans a better player.

Going into the season, the Sounders only lose one player that saw significant playing time from last year’s roster—forward Sebastian Le Toux, who was selected by Philadelphia in the expansion draft. In 28 games, Le Toux was only able to manage one goal and three assists.

Seattle went out and got not only a replacement, but an upgrade by signing Swiss international Blaise Nkufo.

Nkufo is currently on the Dutch squad FC Twente, where he has been the leading scorer all six seasons he’s played there (excluding the current campaign). Although he is 34 years old, he still has quite the panache for finding the back of the net for both club and country.

Nfuko, however, will not be available until after Switzerland’s run in the World Cup is over.

While no deal is official yet, it has been highly speculated that Seattle will add defender Jeff Parke to an already staunch defensive unit.

Parke was originally selected by the Sounders in the expansion draft, but no contract could be agreed upon. Still without a contract, Parke was invited back to training camp with Seattle and has performed quite well.

A member of the New York Red Bulls for five seasons, Parke was the team’s Defender of the Year in 2007 and was a constant on the back line. Word is he still plays at a starter-quality level. Whether he finds himself in the starting 11 for Seattle, if a deal does get done, remains in question, but he will most certainly add to an already strong group.

The few additions the Sounders made in the offseason continue to push the team in the right direction, but the continuity of the roster from year one to year two is even more important.

Maintaining a good chemistry really helps build a successful club, as the players gradually become familiar with their roles, the expectations the coaching staff has of them, and the system and playing style in place.

The Sounders will not rest on their laurels after a successful first season that saw them win the U.S. Open Cup. They are already one of the best teams in the league, and the MLS Cup is what they are after.

The journey—provided the Collective Bargaining Agreement issue is finally resolved—begins in a nationally televised game on Thursday, March 25, when the Sounders will host the MLS team that will try to follow in their footsteps, the expansion Philadelphia Union.

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The MLS Players Union is getting ready to strike next Monday if a new collective bargaining agreement is not reached.

A Monday strike would come four days before the 2010 MLS season is supposed to kick off in Seattle with the Sounders facing expansion side Philadelphia Union and increase pressure on Major League Soccer with interest in the sport at an all-time high.

MLS players are prepared to strike by the league’s May 25 opener. Players are asking for more guaranteed contracts and free-agent rights.

Major League Soccer is a "single entity" league, which has a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) governing player contracts, salaries, and legal status. Contracts are owned by the league rather than individual clubs.

The players' union wants major changes to that structure, which it has called a cartel that restricts freedom of movement. Basically MLS players want the same freedoms as football players around the world. When their contract is up they want to be able to go sign for whoever they want.

John Wolyniec, New York Red Bulls player rep, said this on NJ.com about the union's position:

“What we’re asking for is reasonable, essentially player rights that most players in the world have. It can be frustrating but we’re still at the table. At the risk of jeopardizing those talks I can’t speak to specifics. Obviously the two sides are still negotiating so you take that as a good sign, but we need an agreement to play.”
 
The Seattle Sounders' Freddie Ljungberg in the Seattle Examiner added:

"Imagine you work at Burger King and you get sacked. Now, you want to get another job at McDonald's, but you're not allowed to unless McDonald's compensates Burger King. It seems absurd, but that's the way certain things work in MLS at the moment. If your team terminates your contract, it still can demand a trade from another club before you can go and play for that other club.'

"The CBA, for me personally, is a sad saga. I was told it would be settled when I came back to the USA in January. Now it plays a lot on the minds of players in the preseason because we don't know if the first game is going to be played on March 25 or not. If it isn't, it will be a very sad day for players and fans in this country."

MLS owners see it as bit differently. Sounders majority owner Joe Roth was quoted in Tacoma News Tribune as saying:

“From an entertainment standpoint, we haven’t made enough of an imprint on the national psyche…I don’t think there will be a national outcry like with the NFL if somehow we wouldn’t be out there for a year—which would be terrible. Everyone would lose their jobs. We would all lose our franchises. And that would be that.”

While Tim Leiweke of AEG and the Los Angeles Galaxy says:

"Even if it means that we go a year without soccer, so be it. We went a long time without soccer in this country and we''re not going to give up our belief in a system that works. We are unanimous within the owners. We will wait as long as it takes. We will never, ever agree to change the system."
 
The quotes by Tim Leiweke and Joe Roth scare the daylights out of me. This is a big year for soccer in the U.S. It is a World Cup year, which means that the casual sports fan in the U.S. will be watching the soccer this summer. MLS has a new team in Philadelphia and a new stadium in New York. MLS cannot afford to be shut down for any period of time.

The Seattle Sounders team is a huge success in Seattle both on an off the field. They have spent months promoting the opening game next week against Philadelphia. If the game is cancelled, the Seattle franchise might reach the heights that they did last year.

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The FC Seattle Sounders—the darlings of MLS last season—were thoroughly and completely dominated by the Portland Timbers tonight at Qwest Field in Seattle.

Ian Joy and Mamadou Dansu anchored a Timber defense that continually shut down the Seattle offense throughout the night. 

Steve Cronin played brilliantly in goal for the Timbers.

The Timbers' goal was made on an excellent pass from Ryan Pore to Gabriel Obatol, just out of the outstretched hands of Kasey Keller. Pore had stolen the ball from bumbling Seattle defender Tyrone Marshall, who gave away the ball just outside the Seattle 18-yard box.

The loss was especially embarrassing for the Sounders, considering they play in the MLS, a league—on paper anyway—that is thought to be superior to the United Soccer League (USL) where the Timbers play.

The Sounders, already reeling from a tumultuous offseason that saw their star player, Freddie Ljungberg, pining for a way out of town, didn't look like a top tier MLS team.

In fact, if the Sounders played the way they did tonight during the regular season, they'll be lucky to win a game.

No heart, no chemistry, and no teamwork seem to be the Sounders' motto these days.

I have to wonder if they were simply a johnny-come-lately squad their first season that will now languish at the bottom of the MLS tables?

Seattle is notorious for their fair-weather fans, and attendance will surely suffer if the Sounders can't keep their winning ways. It will be interesting to see how long the Seattle ownership suffers along with low attendance before they move the team?

Just ask the Sonic ownership, who were forced to move the NBA team when they couldn't draw fans to fill the mostly empty arena.

The Timbers, on the other hand, looked sharp and together all night long playing in front of their fans who ventured to Seattle to root them on. Most of the night, the Timbers' fans chanting and yelling drowned out the mostly subdued, and sober Seattle crowd.

In fact, a visitor could have easily mistaken the Timbers for the home team.

Another interesting footnote in the rivalry between the two Northwest cities.

This one clearly went in favor of the Portland Timbers.

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The Seattle Sounders FC will host the Portland Timbers in its only home preseason match on Thursday, March 11, at the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field.

Kickoff is 6 p.m. PST.

The Sounders will be looking to extend its preseason shutout streak which is up to 293 minutes after the 0-0 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps last weekend.

More than 13,000 tickets have been sold to Thursday's game. Qwest Field gates open at 5 p.m.

In the Vancouver game, the speed of the Sounders attack was obvious and Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid spoke about that yesterday when he met with reporters.

“Obviously we are a team that is built around quickness and speed, especially on the offensive part of field. The essence of our game with Ljungberg, Montero, and Zakuani and people like that is their ability to get isolated and use their quickness and use their individual skills and abilities to create space and make plays that way. When things are going well for us it means the ball is moving quickly and it means we are getting the ball early to our front runners and giving them some time and space to take people on.”

For the Timbers game, Schmid spoke about getting some playing time for Brad Evans, Patrick Ianni, and Roger Levesque, who all returned to training yesterday after recovering from injuries.

"It's good obviously to get those guys back in. We have been a little cautious with [Brad] Evans because of the type of injury it was. He probably didn't need to get held out as long as we did but he's back. [Patrick] Ianni looks like he is full-throttle. And Roger [Levesque] getting back in there is a big plus for us. It gives us more options and also when you get more options you get more competition and then everybody's game picks up a little bit."

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With the MLS Regular season less than a month away, most teams are wrapping up their exhibition schedules and fine-tuning their rosters.

FC Dallas did their fine tuning by making a deal to acquire four-time MLS All-Star keeper Kevin Hartman, one of the league’s most formidable back-stops. In exchange for Hartman, Kansas City received a second-round pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft.

Hartman appeared in all 30 regular season games for the Wizards in the 2009 season, earning a 1.40 goals against average and collecting an impressive 105 saves. Hartman's all-time regular season record is 146-120-64 and his postseason record is 22-15-7.

The former U.S. National team member holds all the major goalkeeping records in MLS history. He owns the record in games played in goal with 333, games started in goal with 328, minutes played in goal with 29,835, wins in goal with 146, saves in goal with 1,235 and shutouts with 84.

"I'm excited to be in Dallas," said the 35-year-old Hartman. "It's the place where I won the 2005 championship with the Galaxy and it's always held a place in my heart. I'm excited to be here to play in front of the Dallas fans and excited to start a new chapter in my soccer career."

Meanwhile, the expansion Philadelphia Union announced the signing of Colombian midfielder Roger Torres on loan from América de Cali of the Columbian First Division.

Torres has been with the club in training camp and will be officially added to the roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC).

Torres, 18, debuted with América de Cali last year, starting all 15 games in which he played. In 2008, he played his first professional game with Colombian First-Division-B club Alianza Petrolera.

Note: Hartman quote courtesy of FC Dallas.

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Two-time MLS Cup Champion Houston Dynamo has called a Tuesday, March 9 press conference to announce a player signing.

One can only speculate at this point, but there has been quite a buzz the past few weeks surrounding Jamaican National team midfielder Lovel Palmer.

Palmer, now in his second one week trail with Houston, has been somewhat impressive so far, his biggest moment to date coming in a friendly back on Feb. 27, when he scored a spectacular long range 35 yard goal in the 16th minute of a 2-1 win over FC Dallas.

"He obviously scored a great goal that stood out, but it was also the way he worked on and off the ball," Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear said. "He tried to get on the ball, he broke up plays, and he tackled—sometimes very hard—which we like in that position. He was clean with the ball and made good decisions."

In addition to his role with the Reggae Boyz (Jamaican National Team), the 25-year-old Palmer is also captain of the Jamaican Premier club Harbour View.

Granted, Palmer is currently under contract with Harbour View, but the Premier League Clubs Association in Jamaica has been in the market to sell some of its players to Major League Soccer to raise money.

Last February, Palmer had a trial stint with Norwegian club IK Start, so he is no stranger to the audition process, but maybe this time he has finally found a home. We will know for sure Tuesday afternoon.

Palmer, by the way, is also scheduled to see more action Thursday, March 11 in a 7 p.m. scrimmage against the Chicago Fire.

Houston will then play friendlies on March 17 and March 20 in California against MLS opposition before opening the season March 27.

The Dynamo's home opener is scheduled for Thursday, April 1 against defending MLS Cup champion Real Salt Lake.

Note: Coach Kinnear’s quote courtesy of Houston Dynamo.

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The Seattle Sounders are now 3-1-1 in preseason play after drawing 0-0 with the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday. The Sounders bossed the game but are not yet in regular season form, as the nine offsides in the game attest to.

If the Whitecaps game is any indication on the Sounders approach this season, it is apparent that the Sounders team speed will cause MLS teams a lot of trouble this season.

Sounders Notes:

Roster Not Trimmed: The ongoing MLS labor situation means that the Sounders have not cut down their roster since returning from Europe. The Sounders still have around 30 players in camp, and this has to be impacting the teams preparations as that is about right players too many.

Kasey Keller looking to extend his contract: It looks like once the MLS Labor Situation is resolved that Sounders keeper Kasey Keller will extend his contract for another year.

"We've talked about it," Keller said this week upon return from Spain, where Sounders FC held part of preseason training. "We've started talking about it, about extending my contract one more year. We're trying to get the CBA sorted out right now, make sure things goes off without a hitch this year, and then we should have plenty of time to talk about [his contract] through the season. The way I feel right now about the club and myself and everything, I'd be real surprised if I wasn't playing in 2011."

Keller was one of the Sounders stars last season placing second behind Chivas USA's Zach Thornton in league goals against average and earning an All-Star start.

Rivalry Week Continues: Up next up for the Sounders is a home game against the Portland Timbers this Thursday at 6pm at Quest Field.

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Look, I think you all know by now that I live here in the City of Brotherly love, and although the folks at City Hall have continued to ignore my requests and the numerous petitions to rename the City, Phillipdelphia, I still love it here.

I’m actually going to love it even more this spring and summer now that we finally have not one, but two professional soccer teams to root for.

Unfortunately, while the new teams in town continue to spread their branches and bury their roots deeper into the soccer rich environment here in the Delaware Valley, there are still those non believers who think soccer is a waste of time and won’t succeed here.

I’ve got news for you; it already has succeeded and in many cases at the youth level surpassed several other sports in participation numbers.  Trust me when I tell you,  there are more kids playing soccer year round in the tri-state area (Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) than any other youth sport.

As a matter of fact, the United States Youth Soccer Association boasts over three million players between the ages of five and 19, while the American Youth Soccer Organization has more than 300,000 players between the ages of four and 19.

Then factor in the USL (United Soccer League), which offers a number of youth leagues, including the Super-20 and Super Y-Leagues, amongst them a thousand teams and tens of thousands of players from the ages of 13 to 20. This makes soccer one of the most played sports by children in the United States.

Part of the reason for soccer’s increased popularity here in the United States over the last 10 years or so has a lot to do with the success of Major League Soccer (MLS).

I know, this is where you tell me that the North American Soccer League (NASL) back in the '70s and early '80s failed miserably, despite the presence of such big names as Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia,  Johan Neeskens, and Carlos Alberto, just to name a few.

By the way, those players all played for the same team, the New York Cosmos, who at the time were the Yankees of their respective league and the only NASL team to actually make a profit from the sport.

I get it, America was not ready for a professional soccer league at that period of time, but now the timing couldn’t be better, and there is plenty of evidence to support that theory.

For starters, the current MLS business model works. From the salary structure to the size of its stadiums, professional soccer is not only surviving, but thriving.

Granted, there is a bit of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that needs to be taken care of between the owners and the players' union, but the players have already said they don’t want to strike, and the league certainly can’t afford a lockout. For this reason, MLS will figure out a way to restructure and sign a new CBA.

As a matter of fact, MLS and the Players' Union have agreed to meet next week in Washington, D.C. to continue CBA negotiations through a mediator.

The other major factor that has helped MLS thrive is soccer specific stadiums. These venues are cozy confines that seat between 18-30 thousand fans, which allows for lower overhead and better cost control.

As a matter of fact, some MLS clubs became profitable for the first time in the mid 2000s, and Forbes magazine found that three clubs were already valued at $40 million or more, with the Los Angeles Galaxy worth about $100 million.

During the NASL era, teams played in NFL (national football league) sized stadiums. Heck, the Cosmos sold out 73,000 plus seats at Giants Stadium for their 1978 championship game. Unfortunately the Cosmos were the exception, not the norm when it came to game attendance. The overall average attendance of the entire league never reached 15,000 with some teams averaging even less than 5,000.

This much I do know; once the Philadelphia Union opens its new 18,500 seat PPL Park this June, their attendance will rank third here in the home of the Liberty Bell right behind the Eagles and Phillies and ahead of the Flyers and 76ers.

FYI, the Wachovia Center where the 76ers and Flyers play has a seating capacity in excess of 19,000 for both teams.

Oh and did I mention the television coverage? Today, the U.S. soccer fan has several different viewing options; Fox Soccer Channel, Gol TV, ESPN Deportes, and MLS Direct Kick just to name a few.  Five years ago, the 24/7 soccer channel didn’t even exist here in the US.

Would you like me to continue? 

How about the increased support for both the United States Men’s and Women’s National teams? As a matter of fact, when it came to fan participation at the last two Men’s World Cup Tournaments (2002, 2006), more tickets were purchased by Americans than any other nationality, despite the tournament being on foreign soil.

Speaking of foreign soil, there are currently over 50 American players scattered on soccer rosters all over the globe, most mainly in Europe.

The trend of American born players signed by European clubs actually started to heat up in the early '90s, thanks in part to the U.S. National teams' advancement  into the 1994 World Cup round of 16, where they lost a tough 1-0 decision to eventual World Cup Champ Brazil.

At the 2002 World Cup in Seoul, South Korea the USMNT advanced to the round of 8, losing another 1-0 decision to that year's World Cup runner up, Germany. So the men have made some noise at this event, question is can they better their efforts in South Africa this summer?

Meanwhile, the success of the Women’s National team during the 1999 World Cup played here in the United States led directly to the creation of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid professionals.

Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams here in the United States. Unfortunately the league suspended operations on Sept. 15, 2003, following its third season. The league was not able to withstand cumulative losses that ventured into the neighborhood of $100 million.

Enter the fledgling WPS (Women’s Pro Soccer), a restructured women’s league hoping to learn from the failures of its predecessor. The business model of lower salaries, smaller stadiums, and a more entertaining product should help give the league more staying power, especially with the world’s best women players wanting to play here in America.  

Now entering its second season, the WPS currently features eight teams: Atlanta, the Bay Area (San Francisco/Oakland), Boston, Chicago, New Jersey/New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. The average salary range is $20,000-$30,000, and soccer specific stadiums are already in the works.

So please, don’t tell me soccer can’t survive here in the United States. Oh, and to the gentleman I heard on the radio the other day who said he would rather watch Olympic Curling over soccer, I think it’s time to move out of your parent’s basement and get a new life. I’m just saying.

By the way, the rant you have just read is dedicated to all those soccer ignorant fans who always question why I write about the beautiful game.

Look, I grew up playing soccer as a kid in Europe, and I am involved as a coach on both the youth and adult level, and while I love me some NFL, NCAA Football, and NCAA hoops, I have never bought season tickets for any sport until the ones I recently purchased for the Philadelphia Union.  

I was also very fortunate to have been offered the position of game day announcer for all Philadelphia Independence home games. Hey, I don’t discriminate. The men and women have my undivided attention this season.

Oh Yeah! Professional soccer can and will survive this time around. Stick that in your upper right hand corner. 

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The Seattle Sounders FC are set to once again be the hottest ticket in Seattle this summer.

The Sounders announced earlier this week that the home opener on March 25 against first—year side, the Philadelphia Union, has been sold out.

Additonally, the Sounders May 8th game against the Los Angeles Galaxy is sold out as well.

With a capacity of 35800 set for MLS games and with 32,000 season tickets already sold, the Sounders have a very good chance of selling out every home game this season.

While the Sounders have the best fans in MLS, the question is whether the second year Sounders can be as successful on the park as they are off it?

Making the playoffs again is expected and the addition of Dutch FC Twente and Swiss international star, Blaise Nkufo, will help with that.

Nkufo, who will join Seattle in mid—July after this summer’s World Cup, where he will be playing for Switzerland, will bring some maturity and experience to the Sounders' attack. At six—foot—two inches, Nkufo has scored over 200 career goals in club and international play.

“He’s a proven goal—scorer who has had a good run with the Swiss National Team in their qualifying for the World Cup,” head coach Sigi Schmid said. “He’s had a tremendous run at Twente and is a player that knows how to find space in the box at appropriate moments.”

The Sounders will have 14 games left in their MLS schedule when Nkufo arrives and his first game could be the July 15 match at DC United. Additionally, the Sounders will be involved in the CONCACAF Champions League beginning in late July and Nkufo will be a welcome addition to the squad for those games.

For those looking to see the Sounders in action before the home opener, they will be playing two games against former and future rivals, the current USL Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Portland Timbers.

Seattle plays at Vancouver this Saturday March 6th at four pm at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, B.C.

The following Thursday, March 11th, Seattle hosts Portland in the inaugural Sounders FC Community Shield match. Kickoff is at six pm on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field.

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