Meet the Sounders’ 2016 starting XI
The Seattle Sounders enter their 2016 campaign with as straightforward a goal as ever: Lifting the MLS Cup that has eluded the club since its inaugural season. Seattle fell in a penalty shootout at FC Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals last November, spending the offseason retooling its roster. Star forward Obafemi Martins is gone, having signed with Shanghai Shenhua of the Chinese Super League last month, but read on about the projected starters that remain.
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Stefan Frei, Goalkeeper
Age: 29
Height/Weight: 6-3, 195 pounds
Hometown: Altstaetten, Switzerland
Frei has established himself as one of the most reliable netminders in MLS after arriving before the 2014 season. He set the club record for saves with 111 last year and ranked first in MLS in save percentage (77.1). Frei’s 44 wins over the past two campaigns also top the league.
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Joevin Jones, Defender
Age: 24
Height/Weight: 5-11, 160 pounds
Hometown: Carenage, Trinidad & Tobago
Jones arrived via draft-day trade with little fanfare – the club wasn’t even able to confirm the deal until hours after it happened because they were trying to track him down. But if he can find the right balance of attack and defense on the left flank, Jones could go down as one of the sneakier deals of the offseason.
“Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson was blown away that we were able to acquire him,” Seattle captain Brad Evans said last month. “He thought he was their best player last year.”
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Chad Marshall, Defender
Age: 31
Height/Weight: 6-4, 190 pounds
Hometown: Riverside, Calif.
The physically imposing center back won the league Defender of the Year award in 2014 but was less consistent amid Seattle’s moving back line parts last year. On his best day he is a force to be reckoned with in the air. Also known as the locker room’s most consistent and effective prankster.
Brad Evans, Defender
Age: 30
Height/Weight: 6-1, 170 pounds
Hometown: Phoenix
Evans, on being team captain: “When you look back on your career in 15, 20 years, it’s something you want to tell your grandkids about. … As we watch the league grow, that’s something that will be special to me. … It’s not a superpower, but it’s somebody who wants to represent the team in the right way, and the city, most importantly. That’s what it’s all about.”
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Tyrone Mears, Defender
Age: 33
Height/Weight: 5-11, 163 pounds
Hometown: Manchester, England
For half of last year, Mears was on pace to go down as one of the best offseason additions in the league. He faded a bit down the stretch, however, and looked out of sorts throughout the Western Conference semifinal series against FC Dallas.
Andreas Ivanschitz, Midfielder
Age: 32
Height/Weight: 6-0, 163 pounds
Hometown: Eisenstadt, Austria
The Austrian David Beckham is renowned for his dead-ball ability for whipping in corners and free kicks with speed and wicked curve. He will be asked to play more of a complete role in Seattle’s new formation. He has been the standout Sounder during preseason and looks set for a breakout year.
Osvaldo Alonso, Midfielder
Age: 30
Height/Weight: 5-11, 155 pounds
Hometown: San Cristobal, Cuba
For so long an automatic in Seattle’s starting lineup, Alonso spent his offseason plagued by trade rumors and second-year Cristian Roldan’s bid to take his defensive midfield spot. At 30 he must prove he still can hack it as a two-way threat.
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Erik Friberg, Midfielder
Age: 30
Height/Weight: 5-11, 154 pounds
Hometown: Goteborg, Sweden
He arrived for his second Sounders spell during Seattle’s summer spending splurge. He spent time in Italy, Denmark and his native Sweden during the interim. His willingness to help Alonso on defense could make or break the Sounders’ new formation, and Friberg’s direct passing style could mesh well with rookie Jordan Morris.
Nelson Valdez, Forward
Age: 32
Height/Weight: 5-10, 160 pounds
Hometown: Caaguazu, Paraguay
Valdez has played in Germany, Spain, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Greece since making the leap from his native Paraguay to Werder Bremen in 2001. He is good in the air and a proven goal scorer. He will interchange with Clint Dempsey on the wing and up top. He likely will represent his country against the U.S. at this summer’s Copa America Centenario.
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Clint Dempsey, Forward
Age: 32
Height/Weight: 6-1, 170 pounds
Hometown: Nacogdoches, Texas
The former captain of the U.S. men’s national team, Dempsey opted to spend a full preseason with the Sounders instead of joining the national-team camp in January.
He was the top scorer at the 2015 Gold Cup with seven goals, but his national-team future is in question with one eye on the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He has notched 26 goals and 20 assists in 55 MLS appearances since joining from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013.
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Jordan Morris, Forward
Age: 21
Height/Weight: 6-0, 185 pounds
Hometown: Mercer Island
The once and future savior of the Sounders and the U.S. men’s national team signed out of Stanford following a multiyear pursuit and a temporary dalliance with a German club. He will be expected to not only replace but surpass Obafemi Martins, the most consistent attacking threat in Seattle’s MLS history. It should be noted he has yet to play a professional league game.