2015 MLS Season Preview: Seattle Sounders
By Matt Hoffman
Barring a strike,
Hey! The strike’s been called off! And with that, we are now on the verge of the 2015 MLS season. Next in the ‘plex season preview series: the winners of the both the 2014 US Open Cup and the reigning Supporter’s Shield winners: the Seattle Sounders!
Record: 64 points (20-10-4)
“Second to One“
Top Scorer: Obafemi Martins (17)
Top Playmaker: Obafemi Martins (13)
Top Moment of 2014: They nearly win the triple. They (continued to) find more space to pack CenturyLink. They
Nov 30, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Sounders FC forward Obafemi Martins (9) dribbles against the Los Angeles Galaxy during the second half of the Western Conference Championship at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
were the first team in a decade to win 20 games. There were a lot of bright spots but only one noticeable pall on the 2014 Sounders that being that the team was 45 minutes away from playing for the MLS Cup. Finding a top moment would have to be the team’s win over the Galaxy on the last day of the season. For one brief moment, the Sounders were atop the Galaxy.
Key Players:
Obafemi Martins: The runaway candidate for MVP for the first 3/4 of the season, he lost his mojo for the home stretch. He scored four goals–all of which were blowout wins against bottom-feeders Colorado and Chivas USA–over the final seven weeks of the season.
Clint Dempsey: Unlike the Galaxy, Seattle lost one of its top players to World Cup duty. Despite only appearing in 26 games, Dempsey still got 15 goals and ten assists off 113 shots (compared to 77 for Martins).
Osvaldo Alonso: Long believed to be the lynchpin to the team, Sounders fans watch the team play out of form for long stretches as Alonso recovered from injury and eventually played hurt. The Sounders long-term survival is incumbent on Alonso’s health.
Key Departures: Jalil Anibaba (Orlando City), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham)
The Big Question: Can anything less than MLS Cup be considered a success?
Hot in the regular season but meh in the playoffs, Seattle compiled another season where season-long excellence (they’ve made the playoffs every year) culminated in another wet noodle playoff performance.
The team is built to compete for a title and the team’s window for success is diminishing. If not now, then when?
Outlook: The Sounders are essentially returning the same team. Yes, everyone is a year old and Yedlin is gone and a presence like his is hard to replace. However the hydra not only retains most of it’s tentacles, but the team did recoup some monies from a Tottenham club with a reputation for driving a hard bargain (just ask Real Madrid).
That’s not to say that there have been no major additions to the club. While Sigi Schmid is still one of the best coaches in North America, Seattle has added Garth Lagerway, probably one of the most successful and sought after GMs from Real Salt Lake to the fold.
Oct 25, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; The Seattle Sounders FC pose with the Supporters
Make no mistake, Seattle’s ambitions lie far outside of merely conquering Major League Soccer.
In the meantime though, Seattle needs to get past the LA Galaxy. Despite their burgeoning trophy case, time-and-time again the Sounders finals appearance of a given MLS season ends with a loss to the Galaxy.
Even without Landon Donovan, that’s anything but a given and Seattle needs their luck postseason luck to change for starters.