Seattle Sounders: Flaco and Honda Out, DP Winger In?

With Flaco set to exit the Seattle Sounders for the second time this summer, and the Keisuke Honda link apparently over, where should the club look next?

The MLS secondary transfer window opens on July 10th, and it is safe to expect the Seattle Sounders attempt to fill their third designated player spot. Last summer’s arrival of Nico Lodeiro saw the club’s fortunes take a 180 and push them towards eventually winning the 2016 MLS Cup Final.

Flaco Out (Again)

Last summer also saw the return of Alvaro “Flaco” Fernandez after a four-year hiatus away from the Sounders. He filled in nicely as a role player throughout the midfield, but never quite found the impact either he or the team had hoped for. Of course, being overshadowed by Nico’s brilliance didn’t help, but even into 2017 Flaco has been average at best.

Alvaro tweeted that he was heading out from CenturyLink, which was later confirmed by Seattle’s general manager and President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey. Flaco’s exit doesn’t really hurt the club, and as the 8th most expensive player on the team, he frees up money to sign a player of higher quality and better aligns with their formation. He’s departure not only frees up a roster place, but an international spot.

Honda Rumors Closed Down

Throughout the first half of 2017, the Sounders were linked with Keisuke Honda. However, his chances of becoming Seattle’s third DP look to be over. The club apparently was unable to come to terms with him and appear to be looking in other directions.

Summer Signings

So if Honda is out of the picture, what does the summer hold for the Sounders? Lagerwey’s comments indicated two or three players being brought in. They have the financial resources and international spots to bring in a DP and TAM level player. However, Seattle has seen great success through the academy and S2 program in recent years.

The place for a TAM or DP level player is limited. Morris, Dempsey, Nico, Roldan, Alonso, Jones, Marshall, Torres, and Frei are locks in the ideal starting XI. That’s nice of the 11 filled, and you could make an argument that Brad Evans belongs in that list as well.

Even if not, the right back and a winger are the open places. Keep in mind that the club has Will Bruin, Harry Shipp and Aaron Kovar, plus young talents already on the first team such as Henry Wingo and Seyi Adekoya. Then throw in the possibility of a summer promotion for a current S2 player – Charles Renken, Ray Saari or Irvin Parra – and the attacking half of the field doesn’t really appear to have a lot of needs.

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Only if the club finds another game changing DP such as Lodeiro should they bring in another offensive minded player. Instead, the question should be if Seattle thinks Brad Evans or Jordy Delam are the best right back option moving forward. Someone like Adam Henley, offers an interesting option at a lower cost. Currently playing for Blackburn in the Championship, Henley has US ties and has a contract expiring this season.

Regardless, expect the Sounders to sign a TAM or higher level player in July, and another young player to push into the starting XI by the end of the year either already on the senior team or from S2.