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IN THIS ISSUE Editor-In-Chief Robert Casner
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Creative Director/Designer Ty Kreft Assistant Editors Kristi Bruner Alex Caulfield Danny Ciaccio Ryan Krasnoo Kelly Schutz Kyle Sheldon Matt Winter
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2017 SCHEDULE
10
MEET THE TEAM
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THE ART ON THE ARTIST
Cover Illustrator Tom DesLongchamp Contributing Photographers Hana Asano Mike Fiechtner Jane Gershovich Dan Poss Julienne Smith Corky Trewin Charis Wilson Getty Images USA Today Sports Images
23 games down, 11 to play in the MLS regular season
Tummies grumble as a few of the guys discuss their favorite meal
Stefan Frei tells the stories of his ink WORDS BY DANNY CIACCIO
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MR. CONSISTENCY
400 appearances, three MLS Defender of the Year Awards, one Chad Marshall WORDS BY RYAN KRASNOO
Morale Support Blaine Uhlman
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THE FUTURE IS NOW
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ANATOMY OF A GOAL: CLINT DEMPSEY vs COLORADO RAPIDS
© 2017 by Major League Soccer, LLC and Seattle Soccer, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written consent of Seattle Soccer, LLC is prohibited. Seattle Sounders FC 159 South Jackson, Suite 200 Seattle, WA 98104 887-MLS-GOAL SoundersFC.com
CLOSER LOOK
Pineda steps in as head coach, Roldan gets his first cap and a new Sounder arrives
There is tons of talent coming down the Rave Green pipeline
Deuce made jaws drop with a Fourth of July stunner – here’s how it went down
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THE ADVENTURES OF JORDAN & CRISTIAN
The search for Stef’s lucky gloves continues as the boys visit Pike Place Market COMIC BY MLS WATERCOLORIST
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CLOSER LOOK
JULY 8, 2017
Assistant Coach Gonzalo Pineda stands on the sideline prior to a 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt at CenturyLink Field. For the friendly, Pineda filled-in as head coach for the first time in his career.
JULY 13, 2017
Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan walk out for the United States, while Jordy Delem represents his native country of Martinique in a 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup group stage match in Tampa, Florida.
JULY 31, 2017
Midfielder Victor Rodriguez arrives at Starfire Sports, Sounders FC’s training facility, for the first time. He joined the club after nine professional seasons in Spain.
2017 SCHEDULE OPPONENT
DAY
DATE
TIME
TV
Houston Dynamo
Sat
March 4
5:30 PM
Q13 Fox
Montreal Impact
Sat
March 11
4:00 PM
JoeTV
New York Red Bulls
Sun
March 19
4:00 PM
FS1
Club Necaxa*
Sat
March 25
7:00 PM
JoeTV
Atlanta United FC
Fri
March 31
7:00 PM
FS1
San Jose Earthquakes
Sat
April 8
7:30 PM
Q13 Fox
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Fri
April 14
7:00 PM
Q13 Fox
LA Galaxy
Sun
April 23
1:00 PM
ESPN
New England Revolution
Sat
April 29
7:00 PM
JoeTV
Toronto FC
Sat
May 6
12:00 PM
ESPN
Chicago Fire
Sat
May 13
6:00 PM
ESPN2
Sporting Kansas City
Wed
May 17
5:30 PM
JoeTV
Real Salt Lake
Sat
May 20
2:00 PM
JoeTV
Portland Timbers
Sat
May 27
12:00 PM
Q13 Fox
Columbus Crew SC
Wed
May 31
4:30 PM
Q13 Fox
Houston Dynamo
Sun
June 4
7:00 PM
JoeTV
New York City FC
Sat
June 17
10:00 AM
ESPN
Orlando City
Wed
June 21
7:30 PM
JoeTV
Portland Timbers
Sun
June 25
1:00 PM
ESPN2
Colorado Rapids
Tue
July 4
6:00 PM
Q13 Fox
Eintracht Frankfurt*
Sat
July 8
12:00 PM
JoeTV
D.C. United
Wed
July 19
7:30 PM
Q13 Fox
San Jose Earthquakes
Sun
July 23
7:30 PM
JoeTV
LA Galaxy
Sat
July 29
7:00 PM
ESPN2
Minnesota United FC
Sat
August 5
5:00 PM
Q13 Fox
Sporting Kansas City
Sat
August 12
1:00 PM
JoeTV
Minnesota United FC
Sun
August 20
7:00 PM
FS1
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Wed
August 23
7:00 PM
JoeTV
Portland Timbers
Sun
August 27
6:30 PM
FS1
LA Galaxy
Sun
September 10
6:00 PM
FS1
FC Dallas
Sat
September 16
5:00 PM
JoeTV
Real Salt Lake
Sat
September 23
6:30 PM
JoeTV
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Wed
September 27
7:30 PM
JoeTV
Philadelphia Union
Sun
October 1
10:00 AM
ESPN
FC Dallas
Sun
October 15
4:30 PM
JoeTV
Colorado Rapids
Sun
October 22
1:00 PM
JoeTV
HOME MATCH
AWAY MATCH
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY
RESULT
RADIO BROADCAST ON 107.7 FM THE END
All matches broadcast LIVE on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM | El Rey 1360AM
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MEET THE TEAM
My mom’s enchiladas. They are so good.
12 SEYI ADEKOYA FORWARD
15 TONY ALFARO DEFENDER
6 OSVALDO ALONSO MIDFIELDER
3 BRAD EVANS DEFENDER
91 ONIEL FISHER DEFENDER
24 STEFAN FREI GOALKEEPER
80 VICTOR MANSARAY FORWARD
14 CHAD MARSHALL DEFENDER
18 KELVIN LEERDAM DEFENDER
13 JORDAN MORRIS FORWARD
8 VÍCTOR RODRÍGUEZ MIDFIELDER
7 CRISTIAN ROLDAN MIDFIELDER
23 HENRY WINGO MIDFIELDER
BRIAN SCHMETZER HEAD COACH
Oxtails, rice and peas always hit the spot.
I really love burritos. Chicken burritos.
29 ROMÁN TORRES DEFENDER
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Q: WHAT’S YOUR ABSOLUTE FAVORITE MEAL?
17 WILL BRUIN FORWARD
21 JORDY DELEM MIDFIELDER
2 CLINT DEMPSEY FORWARD
33 JOEVIN JONES DEFENDER
11 AARON KOVAR MIDFIELDER
10 NICOLÁS LODEIRO MIDFIELDER
32 ZACH MATHERS MIDFIELDER
35 BRYAN MEREDITH GOALKEEPER
1 TYLER MILLER GOALKEEPER
19 HARRY SHIPP MIDFIELDER
4 GUSTAV SVENSSON MIDFIELDER
5 NOUHOU DEFENDER
TOM DUTRA GK COACH
DJIMI TRAORE ASST. COACH
GONZALO PINEDA ASST. COACH
I can’t get enough of my dad's flank steak and potatoes.
Gotta be tacos al pastor.
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BY DANNY CIACCIO
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Colors always popped.
He was called Swiss.
As the train carved through the Swiss landscape, windows on the roaring locomotive provided all the entertainment needed for the quiet, introverted boy. He often travelled the country from his home in Altstätten. On those journeys, each fleeting moment beyond the window was unique – different shapes, different colors would come to view. They popped before his eyes.
After moving from Switzerland to the Bay Area as a young teenager, his teammates at Concord’s De La Salle – a football powerhouse – gave him the nickname. The moniker stuck in college, too, when he starred at Cal-Berkeley. Swiss intended to earn an Art degree at Cal, but the soccer schedule wouldn’t allow it. Though he was told it would be too time-consuming to accommodate his team travels with the demands of the art program, the sketchbook stayed with him. He began to doodle tattoos, even though ink had yet to stain his own skin.
“I was always fascinated by that. To me, colors are exciting. I don’t see pain and suffering in those bright colors. It is innocent.” From where he sits now – in Chicago for the 2017 MLS All-Star Game – the high-rises paint a different landscape than the one of his childhood, but he remains drawn to the other side of the window. He sees a concrete jungle and pinpoints a modern skyscraper. Squares and rectangles. Pillars and windows. Shapes and angles.
It was fitting for Swiss to pay homage to his native country for his first tattoo. He drew inspiration from an old stamp that he came across in his childhood, but his tattoo artist told him that such detail would require a full back canvas. Instead, he started his tattoo journey with a simplified version – the Swiss crest with his birth year and the Latin word for Switzerland.
He feels unsatisfied. “When I look out the window I get inspiration, but I feel more stress because now I want to go put that inspiration into a piece of art. The inspiration itself isn’t the calmness that I get [when viewing art] – the calm feeling is getting lost in my art. Putting this line there and that line there and seeing where it goes.” From innocently watching shapes whiz by through a train window to now feeling compelled to build from it. It’s one many juxtapositions that make up the Sounders’ 31-year-old star goalkeeper. For one who creates his own art, his job on the soccer field is rooted in preventing people from creating their own. For one who creates his own art, his body is a canvas for others to create their own. To understand Stefan Frei, you must start with the ink immortalized on him.
The red color on his left bicep popped. “It’s an addiction. It opened the door and I slowly started to move on to more of that.” While in college, Frei elected to take a Classical Civilizations class. This is where he became passionate about Egyptian etymology. Creatures and gods. Day and night. Life and death. “The class pushed me to the idea of my fascination of mythology. Ultimately, they are talking about the same concepts we have in today’s religions, but in a very colorful way. It’s fascinating; it’s cool.”
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This captivation manifested itself into art. First in his mind, then on his body.
get devoured and you won’t go to the proper afterlife.”
“My first Egyptian tattoo was on my right ribs. The exact translation is ‘Live and Let Live,’ which is a motto I live by. I do my thing and I will let you do your thing. If most people lived their lives that way, we would be pretty well off.”
Beneath the scale, there is an archaic quote. The rough translation: Even if people don’t see your actions, your actions are accounted for.
He had a professor at UC-Berkeley assist with the proper translation. Soon, he would set off for a new adventure in a distant place to explore, learn and grow: Toronto. As his promising professional career began to prosper on the shores of Lake Ontario, his tattoos did, too. A scene from Book of the Dead appeared on the left side of his torso. Anubis, the Egyptian god who ushered souls into the afterlife, is seen using a scale to weigh a heart against a feather.
“In the end, you don’t want to have a heavy heart.” After inking both ribs, he returned to his left arm. The Swiss crest on his bicep paid respect to his past, while his ensuing sleeve would tell a story of humanity. All in Egyptian etymology, of course.
“It’s where the saying, ‘Why a heavy heart?’ comes from. The belief is that when you sin in your life, your heart becomes heavy. If you sin too much, your heart will
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The design is conceptual, void of quotes and color. Anubis and Horus – another deity of the afterlife – are on the bottom, near his hand. King Tut and the Great Pyramids fill the center of his arm. Ra, the sun God, and the ankh – a looping ideograph meaning “life” – stand out above the rest. The Underworld. The Kingdom. The Afterlife. The cycle of life is sprawled from wrist to shoulder. There is also ink of a scarab, which plays a significant role to the arm’s narrative. Ancient Egyptians saw the beetles as a representation of reincarnation. All aspects of life and death, and the cycle it encompasses, are found on the goalkeeper’s left arm. “I wanted it all to be connected, not a patchy sleeve. I didn’t want it to be a catastrophe.” Nary a single inch on his left arm was vacant, but Frei was determined to add to his etymological collection. He researched different pieces of jewelry that pharaohs wore and came across big, elaborate necklaces. After piecing a few sketches together, he designed a half-necklace that was etched onto his left pec. By then, his time had come to an end in Toronto. In December 2013, he was traded to Seattle. A new city; a new team. In this period of transition, Frei was ready to fill the largest canvas his body had to offer. He began sketching ideas for a fully covered back tattoo.
“I have been fascinated with skulls, but I didn’t want it to be a normal skull. I wanted it to be an Egyptian skull.” Finding windows of opportunity with his tattoo artist has proven to be difficult. The piece has taken well over a year and it isn’t finished. But as any artist knows, patience is a virtue. His most recent tattoo is the smallest in size, but perhaps the most significant. In the scope of his entire left arm, it may seem like an extension of the story written above, but there’s no underlying metaphor or fundamental moral. It’s simply a small, dark star, signifying an MLS Cup championship. It rests on his left hand – the same hand that made seven saves, plus another during the ensuing penalty-kick shootout, en route to winning MLS Cup MVP last December. While he says he would have gotten the star placed on his chest, in the same place it is found on this year’s Sounders FC kits, had it not been for previous artwork occupying that real estate, for Sounders faithful who witnessed his play that night, the star on his hand seems more than appropriate. “You never forget the people, you never forget the moment. It was natural. It was a must for me to get that immortalized and put on my body.” More tattoos will continue to appear on Frei’s body, but they will come with time. Each move of his body art is tactical. The ink he gathers is purposeful and driven from considerable inspiration. Frei became an American citizen in July, and he already has ideas of how he wants to commemorate this achievement in tattoo form. Additionally, he’s confident that his “ever-growing obsession” with the number 24 will find its way onto his skin, as well. “I am trying to do more and more with art, but I can’t forget that I am still a soccer player. I need to make sure everything I do in that is to the best of my ability.”
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Frei is a paradox, but everything is connected. His sketchbooks and paintings are full of geometric shapes and colors. His tattoos vary from black and white Egyptian etymology to a red Swiss crest to a massive Egyptian skull to a simple MLS Cup star. Yet each one is defined by his past or his future – a picture of who he is and aims to be. Frei is a creator of art and prevents opposing teams from creating their own, though he looks at it in a slightly different way. While a big save denies someone from creating their own art, it produces an opportunity for him to then, in turn, become a creator. “More and more the game has changed where goalkeepers are asked to be the first attackers, the first creators. If I’m able to ping a ball 30 yards onto a guy’s foot, you can take a step back and say, ‘Ah that felt good.’” Frei creates one kind of art when playing, but finds real peace in the art he creates
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away from the pitch. Whereas goalkeeping requires him to do be “four, five steps ahead,” and every decision comes as a high-pressure situation, his art off the field is taken one step at a time, one line at a time, one stroke at a time. “With art, there is no pressure. Mistakes lead to beautiful things. I try to be as perfect as I can. I still know that if one isn’t going to pan out perfectly, it will be totally fine. Meanwhile, if you make one mistake in a soccer game it could cost you.”
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BY RYAN KRASNOO
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FROM THE TOP,
THE ONLY PLACE TO GO IS HIGHER. YOU CAN’T STOP SOUNDERS FC.
OFFICIAL AIRLINE
, CHAD MARSHALL S INTRODUCTION TO MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER WAS ONE AS A WIDE-EYED 19-YEAR-OLD WITH SPIKED HAIR AND A COLUMBUS CREW SCARF DRAPED OVER HIS TOWERING 6-FOOT-4 FRAME OF WHICH HE HAD YET TO FILL OUT. THE CREW SELECTED MARSHALL OUT OF STANFORD WITH THE NO. 2 PICK IN THE 2004 MLS SUPERDRAFT – ONE BEHIND TEEN PHENOM FREDDY ADU AND SIX AHEAD OF FUTURE SEATTLE SOUNDERS TEAMMATE AND UNITED STATES NATIONAL TEAM LEGEND CLINT DEMPSEY. Marshall was as decorated a domestic player entering MLS as anyone had ever been. He was a two-time Parade Magazine All-American, an NSCAA All-American as a senior and was Soccer America’s No. 1 recruit out of Rubidoux High School in Riverside, Calif. He was a member of the United States’ U-20 and U-17 teams, as well as the U-17 World Cup side, and led his Irvine Strikers club to four state championships before earning a scholarship to compete with the Cardinal. In his freshman season in Palo Alto, Marshall started 20 of 21 matches and earned Second-Team All-Pac-12 honors. The Soccer America NCAA Freshman of the Year, Marshall twice scored game-winning goals in the NCAA tournament — against Dempsey’s Furman in the third round and Creighton in the NCAA College Cup semifinals — en route to being named to the All-Tournament team.
in Seattle in 2014. “He’s been consistent since day one. That’s how you consistently get awards and that’s how you consistently win. He’s done the same thing throughout his entire career and that’s what makes him such a special player.” Added Sounders FC Head Coach Brian Schmetzer: “Do you know what I get [with Marshall on the field]? And this is what I love as a coach. I get consistency…
Now in the midst of his 14th MLS season, Marshall has surpassed 400 appearances in all competitions and solidified his ranking as one the best center backs the United States has ever produced.
THE THING ABOUT , HIM IS HE HASN , T CHANGED. HE S DONE THE SAME THING THROUGHOUT HIS ENTIRE, CAREER AND THAT S WHAT MAKES HIM SUCH A SPECIAL PLAYER.
“The thing about him is he hasn’t changed,” said Brad Evans. He spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons as Marshall’s teammate in Columbus before Marshall rejoined Evans
DEFENDER BRAD EVANS ON LONGTIME TEAMMATE MARSHALL 25
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Chad’s consistency to be at that level, a high level, for that long, is his [best] quality. When I put him on the field, I know exactly what I’m going to get. That’s reassuring.” Marshall is a bona fide defensive prototype. He’s physically imposing, is strong and technical in the air, is solid with the ball at his feet, can read the game well and has innately smart positioning. In his first year in Columbus, he made 27 starts and anchored a back line alongside MLS Defender of the Year Robin Fraser. The Crew finished the season on an 18-game unbeaten streak to secure the Supporters’ Shield and Marshall was a finalist for MLS Rookie of the Year behind the winner Dempsey.
, WHEN IT S ALL SAID, AND DONE, THEY RE GOING TO NAME IT THE CHAD MARSHALL DEFENDER OF THE YEAR AWARD. THAT'S HOW GOOD HE'S BEEN IN THIS LEAGUE. ESPN ANALYST HERCULEZ GOMEZ , ON MARSHALL S MLS IMPACT Marshall was named MLS Defender of the Year himself just four years later in the first of back-to-back honors. He and Evans led Columbus to its first and only MLS Cup in 2008, when Marshall scored the eventual game-winner on a header in the 53rd minute in a 3-1 win over the New York Red Bulls. Marshall is a four-time MLS All-Star, a three-time MLS Best XI member and earned his third Defender of the Year nod in 2014 in his first year in Seattle. He is still
the only player in MLS history to have won it three times. “When you talk about center backs who have scored goals, who have played in the amount of games that he has, who have won Supporters’ Shield, Defender of the Year, All-Star Games, MLS Cups, there’s nobody who comes close,” said Evans. “I don’t think there’s anybody who even touches him.” The Sounders acquired Marshall following the 2013 season in exchange for allocation money and a 2015 third-round MLS SuperDraft Pick. Marshall rejoined Evans and former Crew Head Coach Sigi Schmid, as well as the recently acquired Dempsey from Tottenham Hotspur. Marshall had always been a fan of the Sounders’ atmosphere — he wanted to play in an environment with 40,000 plus people — and said it was hard not to notice what was budding in Seattle. He started 31 games in 2014 and helped the Sounders earn the Supporters’ Shield before tying his career high with four goals in 2016 and leading a stingy back line to the franchise’s first MLS Cup. Given all his club success, it’s understandably baffling why Marshall has only 12 U.S. caps. He went seven years without a call-up between 2010 and this past January when Bruce Arena, who first called in Marshall in 2005 during Arena’s initial stint with the USMNT, selected Marshall for a January camp. Unlike other U.S. defenders who plied their trade abroad, Marshall, despite several offers from European clubs, opted to stay in MLS, perhaps to his detriment on the international stage. “If Chad would have played abroad anywhere else in the world, he would have been a national-team mainstay because of that [MLS] stigma,” said ESPN analyst and former United States and Sounders forward Herculez Gomez last fall. “When it’s all said and done, they’re going to name it the Chad Marshall Defender of the Year Award. That’s how good he’s been in this league.”
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Said Evans who himself has 27 U.S. caps: “He’ll always be underrated because he stayed in MLS. There are some coaches that the requirement was to play abroad and test yourself to be really involved in the national team, and I think there were center backs who were called in that weren’t as good as Chad, but sometimes coaches want to see a player step outside his comfort zone.” Marshall looks at it differently. He didn’t feel like the offers he had abroad were the right fit for him at the time and is proud of the role he’s played in helping develop MLS on a global level. “When I came into the league, there were only 10 teams,” Marshall said. “It’s cool to be a part of that and to watch it grow, and I’ll still take pride in that long after I’m done playing.” Marshall refuses to acknowledge any of his accomplishments or his illustrious career.
Marshall receives framed Columbus Crew and Sounders jerseys from owner Adrian Hanauer to mark his 400th Major League Soccer appearance. He doesn’t think it means much coming from him and would rather let other people talk about what’s he done and his nearly incomparable MLS legacy. “I’ll let them decide that,” Marshall said. “If they’re including me in that conversation, then I must have done some good things. “I would hope the fans appreciate that I gave it my all every time that I was out there,” he continued. “I would hope coaches felt that I made their team better, and I would hope that teammates I’ve had enjoyed playing with me and thought that I played for them and gave my all for them. That’s all I really care about. All the other stuff is just extra.”
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Last issue, we examined the international reach of Sounders FC – highlighting the signings of players from over 50 countries across six continents since 2009. While the international marketplace continues to play a key role in shaping the club, there is an increasing emphasis on the academy system. The current structure begins with a discovery program, which gives elite preteens and 13-year-olds an opportunity to join the academy. Each age from 14-18 has its own squad. Then there is S2, which is the USLaffiliated side that directly feeds into the First Team. There are seemingly endless ways for players to be brought through the Sounders’ pipeline. Here we look at several different examples of how young players end up pulling on the Rave Green jersey, the paths they take, and a top prospect from each track.
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Ocampo-Chavez first joined the Sounders youth system the summer of 2016. He was originally placed on the U-14 squad, but soon moved up to the U-16s. He is part of the homestay program, which connects out-of-market academy players with Sounders fans to provide residency.
HOMESTAY PROGRAM NAME AGE TEAM POS
Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez 15 U-16s Forward
Ocampo-Chavez recently led the United States U-15s to victory in the Torneo Delle Nazioni in Gradisca d’Isonzo, Italy, with three goals and three assists from just four matches. He made his professional debut for S2 in USL play against Real Monarchs SLC on July 8. He was awarded the Golden Boot as the Youdan Trophy’s leading scorer with eight goals and two assists from five matches against the likes of FC Basel and Everton FC.
Gonzalez came to Sounders NAME Azriel Gonzalez Academy at age 13-yearsold, moving to Seattle from 16 AGE Las Vegas. In his three years in the system, he routinely TEAM S2 played up to three years above his own age group. His POS Midfielder/Forward participated in preseason with the First Team in January. Gonzalez signed his first professional contract with S2 on July 17, becoming the youngest pro signing in club history. Gonzalez won the Golden Boot at the Youdan Trophy in Sheffield, England, in August 2016, helping the Sounders U-16s win the tournament with five goals in five matches. Gonzalez is also a regular with the U.S. U-16s. He has made seven appearances for S2, two of them starts, and recorded his first pro assist in a 3-0 win over LA Galaxy II on June 3.
FAMILY MOVES INTO MARKET 33
COLLEGE PROSPECT NAME AGE
Handwalla Bwana 18
Bwana first joined the Sounders in 2015, spending his U-18 season with Sounders Academy and scoring nine goals in league play. His performances for the youth team warranted a call up to S2, making six appearances before joining up with the University of Washington for his freshman campaign.
His four goals and seven assists earned Bwana Pac12 Freshman of the Year POS Attacking Midfielder honors in 2016. He spent the summer training with S2, ensuring the club retains his Homegrown rights. He is eligible to sign with the club anytime, like Seyi Adekoya (UCLA) and Henry Wingo (Washington) last season. TEAM
University of Washington
Fowler first joined the club’s youth setup as a 13-year-old in the Sounders Discovery Program, making him one of the first players to graduate from SDP into the full Academy. He impressed at both the U-14 and U-15 levels and has been the starting goalkeeper for the U-16s the last two seasons. NAME AGE TEAM POS
SOUNDERS DISCOVERY PROGRAM
Sam Fowler 16 U-16s Goalkeeper
ACADEMY S2
NAME AGE
Fowler has been called into two United States U-17 training camps in 2017 and has started two matches in goal for S2 this season. He was recently named to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy 2016-17 Best XI for the Western Conference.
Sam Rogers 18
S2 TEAM Rogers was brought into Sounders Academy from local POS Defender affiliate Eastside FC to play in the first-ever U-14 squad in 2013. He then captained the U-16s last year and the U-18s this season. After training during preseason with the First Team, Rogers won the starting job as a center back for S2. He signed his first contract with the USL side on June 13. Just 18-years-old, Rogers started two matches for the First Team in the U.S. Open Cup against Portland Timbers and San Jose Earthquakes. Rogers also led to the Academy U-18 squad to its best-ever finish in USSDA post-season play, anchoring the backline to a thirdplace finish. He was named to the USSDA 2016-17 Western Conference Best XI.
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S2 Defender Sam Rogers makes his First Team debut against Portland in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
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Nouhou, a Cameroonian who starred for S2 last season, has established himself as a regular in the First Team this season.
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CAMEROONIAN CONNECTION NAME AGE
Ele is one of six players in the past two years to make the journey from Cameroonian first division club Rainbow FC to S2. This rich pipeline of talent is the same one that supplied First Team left back, Nouhou. Along with S2 teammate Felix Chenkam, Ele is a member of the Cameroon U-20 national team.
Rodrigue Ele 19 S2
Ele possesses all of the ideal traits for a modern center back: height, POS Defender speed, strength, technical ability and composure in possession. He often initiates the team’s attacks by stepping into midfield and playing defense-splitting passes to the forward’s feet, garning a passing percentage of nearly 80 percent this season. He has made three First Team appearances across the U.S. Open Cup and a friendly. TEAM
Ulysse was first scouted by S2 Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship qualifying tournament, where he was named to the tournament Best XI. Before linking up with S2, he starred for Haitian club side Real Hope. NAME
Ulysse is the latest product of S2’s pipeline from the under-scouted Caribbean region, following in the footsteps of Jordy Delem and former Sounder Oalex Anderson. Ulysse combines attacking flair with dogged defending as an outside back. His crossing from the right flank is top-notch, making him an exciting two-way player.
Denso Ulysse
AGE
18
TEAM
S2
POS
CARIBBEAN CONNECTION
Defender
PRESEASON TRIALIST
NAME
Ray Saari
AGE
22
TEAM
S2
POS
Midfielder
Despite an impressive college career at the University of Tulsa, Saari did not receive an invitation to the MLS Combine. Looking to pursue a professional career, Saari joined up with S2 for 2017 USL preseason and impressed the coaching staff enough to receive a contract. Saari is a two-way player, leading S2 in chances created while having a knack for interceptions. Saari reads the game incredibly well and often sets the tempo of the match, both in defense and attack, and often serves as the heartbeat of S2’s midfield.
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Clint Dempsey celebrated the Fourth of July in style this year, scoring a brace against The Colorado Rapids in a 3-1 win at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Dempsey opened the scoring with a finely-taken finish after a clever pass from defender Joevin Jones. Forward Will Bruin then extended the lead to two goals. After Dominque Badji cut the lead in half, it was time for Dempsey’s second goal –
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the third of the match. It was truly something special.
where he sensed the ball would land.
The build-up to the goal was fairly rudimentary. Goalkeeper Stefan Frei lofted a goal kick from the right side of his six-yardbox. The 65-yard pass found Bruin, whose expertly cushioned 20-yard flicked header lofted toward the 18-yard line of the Colorado area. Dempsey, roving to Bruin’s right and keen to the developing opportunity, began his run toward
Alert to the danger, Rapids defender Mike Da Fonte and midfielder Marlon Hairston converged on the streaking striker outside the 18-yard-box. Dempsey was unfazed by the pressure as he watched the ball’s flight over his right shoulder. He allowed the ball a bounce before firing a left-footed screamer past a diving Tim Howard and into the bottom right corner of the goal.
GOAL! HOWARD
DA FONTE
HAIRSTON DEMPSEY
BRUIN
FREI SEATTLE PLAYER
COLORADO PLAYER
BALL MOVEMENT
PLAYER MOVEMENT 39
Xbox and Sounders FC are proud to partner with many local community organizations to present the Sounders FC Dream Team!
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MILK ISN’ T ORANGE. SO WHY IS YOUR C HEESE?
NATURALLY
WHITE
Cheddar.
Make URBANE part of your game day ritual. Featuring sustainable and farm-to-table fresh ingredients found locally in the Pacific Northwest, Urbane is the perfect location for pre and post match gatherings. Offering easy access to the Link Light Rail, join us for our daily happy hour specials. Urbane is located in Hyatt at Olive 8, the official hotel of Seattle Sounders FC and the only dual LEED and Green Seal certified hotel in town. Happy Hour 4p – 6:30p (daily) 1639 8th Ave (at Olive) 206.676.4600 urbaneseattle.com
2016 Hyatt Corporation. All rights reserved. The LEED Certification Mark is a registered trademark owned by the U.S. Green Building Council and is used by permission.
For more information, visit SoundersFC.com/Posters
How to feel better before you even have surgery.
When you see a board-certified Proliance Surgeon at one of our 100-plus locations, there’s a lot to look forward to: lower costs, less risk, greater convenience, and more individualized care compared to a traditional hospital stay. Ask your primary care doctor about Proliance Surgeons, or find a specialist near you at ProlianceSurgeons.com.
Set your #NWhealthy goal. Own your healthy.
Setting goals is important – Sounders FC didn’t win the MLS Cup without setting some tough goals along the way. Living healthy works the same way. Set a goal. Work at it every day. Make success a habit. More active, less stressed, better hydrated – that’s #NWhealthy. See all 10 of our Northwest Healthy tips and set your own goal at NWhealthy.org
PARTNERS IN HEALTH
Get healthy and WIN a new paddleboard. Join CHI Franciscan Health at CenturyLink Field on August 12 as Sounders FC take on Sporting Kansas City. Set your goal for a chance to win a paddleboard!