Xbox One S Get the best value in gaming and 4K entertainment. Xbox One S has over 100 exclusive games, built-in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray™ and 4K video streaming. Available now starting at $249.
Xbox is a Proud Partner of Seattle Sounders FC
Available at participating retailers, while supplies last. 4K streaming with select apps, see xbox.com. Retail prices may vary.
IN THIS ISSUE Editor-In-Chief Robert Casner Creative Director/Designer Ty Kreft
2
9
2017 SCHEDULE
10
MEET THE TEAM
12
THE ART OF THE TRANSFER
Contributing Designers Claire De Rocco Dan Beltran Assistant Editors Kristi Bruner Alex Caulfield Danny Ciaccio Ryan Krasnoo Kelly Schutz Kyle Sheldon Matt Winter Cover Illustrator Ian Mork Contributing Photographers Mike Fiechtner Jane Gershovich Dan Poss Julienne Smith Corky Trewin Charis Wilson Getty Images USA Today Sports Images Morale Support Alfonso Colin
CLOSER LOOK
Stefan Frei’s U.S. citizenship, high schoolers and Pride highlight this month’s edition 19 games down, 15 to play in the MLS regular season
Find out the First Team’s top vacation spots from around the globe
An in-depth read on how the Sounders operate in the international transfer market WORDS BY KYLE MCCARTHY
20
AROUND THE WORLD
22
CASCADIA AWAY DAYS
A comprehensive map of every foreign-born player who has turned out in Rave Green
A photographic journey through the matchday experience in Stumptown PHOTOS BY MIKE FIECHTNER
31
MIAH’S MIRACLE
A soccer-loving girl from West Virginia overcomes cancer and receives encouraging words from her goalkeeping hero WORDS BY ROBERT CASNER
36
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY BEST XI
With Eintracht Frankfurt’s visit to Seattle, we assembled a Best XI of past international friendly opponents © 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
38
HIGHS AND LOWS WITH BRAD EVANS
Learn about Brad’s passion for skateboarding and disdain for the singer P!nk
41
THE ADVENTURES OF JORDAN & CRISTIAN
The search for Stef’s lucky gloves continues as the boys visit Bainbridge Island COMIC BY MLS WATERCOLORIST
1
CLOSER LOOK
JUNE 14, 2017
Swiss-born goalkeeper Stefan Frei after being sworn in as a U.S. citizen at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Tukwila, WA.
June 14, 2017
18-year-old center back Sam Rogers chats with Head Coach Brian Schmetzer following his professional debut in the 2-1 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup win over the Portland Timbers.
JUNE 20, 2017
Representatives from Seattle’s five professional sports teams and national nonprofit Athlete Ally come together during Pride Month to speak about their continued commitment to LGBT equality.
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
RESULT
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY All matches broadcast LIVE on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM | El Rey 1360AM
9
MEET THE TEAM 12 SEYI ADEKOYA FORWARD
15 TONY ALFARO DEFENDER
6 OSVALDO ALONSO MIDFIELDER
If I had to pick one, the nicest place I’ve ever been to is Maldives.
3 BRAD EVANS DEFENDER
91 ONIEL FISHER DEFENDER
24 STEFAN FREI GOALKEEPER
The first vacation I ever took with my wife. We went to Antigua.
80 VICTOR MANSARAY FORWARD
14 CHAD MARSHALL DEFENDER
18 KELVIN LEERDAM DEFENDER
13 JORDAN MORRIS FORWARD
7 CRISTIAN ROLDAN MIDFIELDER
19 HARRY SHIPP MIDFIELDER
23 HENRY WINGO MIDFIELDER
10
COACHING STAFF
BRIAN SCHMETZER HEAD COACH
Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VACATION SPOT?
17 WILL BRUIN FORWARD
Going hunting and fishing with family in Texas.
21 JORDY DELEM MIDFIELDER
2 CLINT DEMPSEY FORWARD
Bella Vista, It’s a beach in Uruguay where we go to relax.
33 JOEVIN JONES DEFENDER
11 AARON KOVAR MIDFIELDER
10 NICOLÁS LODEIRO MIDFIELDER
32 ZACH MATHERS MIDFIELDER
35 BRYAN MEREDITH GOALKEEPER
1 TYLER MILLER GOALKEEPER
5 NOUHOU TOLO DEFENDER
29 ROMÁN TORRES DEFENDER
DJIMI TRAORE ASST. COACH
GONZALO PINEDA ASST. COACH
I love Nice in the South of France.
4 GUSTAV SVENSSON MIDFIELDER
St. Barthélemy. We used to go there a lot and my family loves to spend time there.
TOM DUTRA GK COACH
11
12
BY KYLE M C CARTHY
13
Several months of work boiled down to one fateful moment last July. The decisive sequence unfolded more or less out of the control of the people who worked so diligently to construct it. Their toil ended right around the time the final multi-million dollar offer for Nicolás Lodeiro hit the table. Lodeiro shouldered the burden from there. He and his family controlled their own futures. Boca Juniors and Seattle Sounders FC concluded their part once they agreed to a fee and Sounders FC presented the personal terms. This deal – and the next few years for an ambitious club and its potential Designated Player [DP] – rested on his choice, his family and his willingness to enter the unknown. “I don’t remember the date exactly but I remember – after a conversation with Garth – that they wanted to contract me and what they offered was right on point with the fee that Boca had requested,” Lodeiro recounted through a translator recently. “Honestly, that showed me that they truly wanted me, as it was a significant figure. From that point on, I gave my word and told him that I would be on my way.” The end result – Lodeiro in Rave Green, playing an integral part in the Sounders’ first MLS Cup triumph in December and setting the stage for a bright future for club and player – is easy for all to see. The process to reach that point was more
14
complex, but it explains how Lodeiro arrived in Seattle after a lengthy chase and outlines how Sounders FC plans to stay at the top of MLS for years to come. At the start of last season, the prospect of adding Lodeiro or any other Designated Player loomed as a distant eventuality. One unexpected development prior to opening day accelerated the timeline and started the recruitment drive in earnest. “In our case, at first, we had all of our DPs signed,” Sounders FC General Manager & President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey said. “We had Nelson Valdez, Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins. We got an offer from China two weeks before the season and Oba was really eager to go, so we sold [his rights]. At that point, we were like, OK, we need to go out and get a DP. We knew it would take a while, so we started scouting.” The core of the scouting group – Lagerwey, Vice President of Soccer & Sporting Director Chris Henderson, now-Director of Player Personnel Kurt Schmid, and Sports Science Data Analyst Ravi Ramineni – discussed the situation with the technical staff, then-Sounders FC coach Sigi Schmid and Sounders FC owner Adrian Hanauer, ramped up their constant efforts to uncover players and started to figure out how and where to use the budget room freed by Martins’ departure. As the evaluation commenced, the focus quickly turned from a like-for-like replacement to a different sort of player altogether. In Lagerwey’s estimation, Sounders FC relied too much on the effervescent, incisive dynamic between Dempsey and Martins and suffered when either player missed time for one reason or another. Instead of trying to recreate that elusive partnership, he wanted to use the available funds to identify a more sustainable solution to lift the entire group as a whole. “We really wanted to get a creative, attacking number 10 to build the game through and to have a system of play where the whole group could be better and we
JULY 2016 LODEIRO POSES FOR PHOTOS WITH THE TECHNICAL STAFF AFTER SIGNING.
wouldn’t have such precipitous valleys when we missed a player and everything broke down,” Lagerwey said. “We identified the characteristics before we identified Nico.” The focus on a specific set of desired traits did not emerge by accident. It followed the processes cultivated since Lagerwey arrived in 2015 and reinforced the development of a scalable acquisition model capable of acquiring bench players for S2 all the way through landing top-of-the-roster signings like Lodeiro. In some ways, the quest for a new DP reflected the alterations throughout the club over the past couple of years. Those changes affected every component of an ascendant team and a growing business, but they exerted particular influence in how the club identified potential additions throughout the organization. “Last year, through our whole organization, we reset our goals,” Henderson said. “On the business side, they did it. On the soccer side, we had worked through defining every position on our team and the characteristics of each position. As we go out and look for those types of players, we constantly meet
with the coaches – me, Garth, Kurt Schmid as our scout – and we’re constantly talking about what positions we need. [The targets] fit the characteristics that we’re looking for in those positions. We try and stay consistent with that.” Those characteristics form the framework of the ideal target, but the situation always requires further exposition based on the particular need at the time. It is a collaborative practice that requires more than just one or two contributors. Hanauer provides insight and financial guidance. The experience of Sounders FC Head Coach Brian Schmetzer and the global knowledge of assistants Gonzalo Pineda and Djimi Traore offers a considerable network to leverage on a couple of continents. “My deal is that I like guys with strong mentalities and strong characters,” Schmetzer said. “I like to ask the questions like, why does this player want to come to the United States or why does he want to play for the Sounders or what is his motivation for being here? What is he like? Does he have a big motor? Does he keep going all of the time? Can he problem-solve on the field? Those guys know what kind of
15
players I’m interested in or they think can help us win championships. In the back of their minds, they meld their own ideas and their own experiences with – hopefully, they listen to my ideas. It’s [all] good information to have.” As Schmetzer notes, the calculus includes far more than what a player can do on the field. Sounders FC uses a blended, modern process to weave complex data, heuristic factors (previous successes and successful experience playing abroad, for example), traditional, in-person scouting (the goal for a DP or Targeted Allocation Money signing is multiple viewpoints on multiple occasions, according to Henderson) and video review to evaluate players against the characteristics desired for a Sounder and a Sounder playing a particular position. “You have those buckets and then you try to find the guy who fills all of the buckets and represents a good fit,” Lagerwey said. Those precise parameters cull the initial list quickly and define the specific targets for any given need, while other factors such as contract expiration and salary demands further winnow the potential pool of additions. “We always have a group of players who we are following and tracking over two or three [transfer] windows,” Henderson said. The challenge is trying to get the guy when you need him and he’s available. Those have to match.” At the start of the DP search last year, Lodeiro initially fell outside of the defined range. Henderson remembers traveling to Argentina last spring to scout a Boca Juniors match and turning to a local contact sitting beside him to inquire about Lodeiro, the player who caught his eye that day with a typically clever and industrious display. The contact told him Sounders FC couldn’t afford Lodeiro with what they had to spend. Henderson and Sounders FC persisted and watched as the market shifted around their primary target on a list of five or six players. Their budget for the acquisition – defined by Lagerwey as the fee paid for Martins, the salary left Martins behind, plus a little bit more – provided enough heft to proceed. Lodeiro, meanwhile, found himself more
and more intrigued about the potential transfer as he learned more and more about the opportunity. “Last year, four months before arriving, I had spoken to Sigi, I had spoken to Garth, they had revealed that they wanted to bring me here [to Seattle] and, as things began to develop, it became a possibility that I would come here,” Lodeiro said. “From there, we continued talking and negotiating.” Henderson and Lagerwey both traveled to Argentina to see Lodeiro in person, while the enduring connection between Schmid
You have those buckets and then you try to find the guy who fills all of the buckets and represents a good fit. GARTH LAGERWEY ON SOUNDERS FC TRANSFER STRATEGY
and then-Boca coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto supplied a critical link between the parties and some valuable insight into Lodeiro’s character and motivation. Even as the negotiations continued, the parties navigated through the thicket of Boca’s run to the Copa Libertadores semifinals. Lodeiro and Boca wanted him to stay for as long as the club remained in the tournament. Those obligations – plus the influential trip to the United States to play for Uruguay in the Copa América Centenario and show his family the potential benefits for the relocation – remained foremost in his mind, but Lodeiro still gathered intelligence as the decisive moment approached. “You separate those things,” Lodeiro said. “I knew the possibility of coming here but my mind was thinking of Boca [Juniors] because I have a contract there and I wanted to do my best. When I could, I was asking questions.
17
“They told me about the United States, they told me about the league, they told me about the club.”I had the fortune of having Guillermo – who played in MLS and was a champion [with Columbus under Schmid in 2008] – as my coach and I was able to ask him questions about all of those things. So, when I was with Boca, I was mentally preparing myself through conversations with Guillermo.” All of those conversations and all of the diligence showed by Sounders FC over several months paved the way for Lodeiro to accept the move and commit his long-term future to the club last July. As he looks back on his choice now, he cites the ambition of the club and the possibilities it affords as the driving force behind his choice to play in MLS. “The city is perfect,” Lodeiro said. “It’s calm and the technical staff conveyed to me that this was a big project they were working on. They said this was a good team and then I wanted to come here. MLS is continuing to grow and improve and it’s a good level of play. They kept telling me this was a large project with a very big fan base and that they had high aspirations for the club in MLS and beyond. Those things motivated me to want to come here.” Even when the deal is done, there is a certain amount of projection on both sides. No amount of legwork and research ensures the chosen player is the right fit for a club once he arrives. No amount of commitment and talent guarantees any player success in a particular situation. The preparation identifies and hopefully reduces the risk inherent in every transfer, but the reality and the results only surface over time. By any measure, Lodeiro counts as a success after a year in Seattle. His arrival catalyzed a talented team, earned him 2016 MLS Newcomer of the Year honors and played a significant role in the club’s resurgence in the second half of the season and its first MLS Cup triumph. He settled
JUNE 2016 LODEIRO ON INTERNATIONAL DUTY WITH URUGUAY DURING THE 2016 COPA AMERICA CENTENARIO AT LEVI’S STADIUM IN SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA.
quickly and supplied the sort of earnest, willing example every club craves from its best players. The job isn’t done yet, though. Lodeiro is in the prime of his career, a 28-year-old playmaker with a long-term contract in hand and plenty still left to achieve and give. His arrival isn’t just about winning one MLS Cup. It is about setting the stage for continued, prolonged success for himself and for his club during his time in the Pacific Northwest. “We know he checks all the boxes: He’s a tremendous athlete, he’s a great player, he wanted to come to America, he wanted to come start a career in the middle of his career – not at the end of his career – here,” Schmetzer said. “I want him to continue to evolve, continue to adjust, continue to keep learning. Our league is expanding rapidly. There are more and more good players coming in. He’s got some adjustments to make just based on the fact that people know him now.” Lodeiro embraced this long-term challenge from the moment he landed a year ago. He is used to pressure after a career spent playing for clubs like Ajax and Boca Juniors. This latest quest fits right in stride with the rest of them, even with its unique challenges. “The Sounders have everything they need to become a big club,”Lodeiro continued. “The most important thing was winning an MLS Cup because that is the first step to truly get started. The next step is to start winning international titles so that it can become like other big teams. I’ll say it again: this club, this city, these fans have everything they need to become a great club. It is a process and it will take time, but everything is in place.” Those sentiments underscore the importance of leading Lodeiro to that critical juncture last July. All of the intelligence and all of the knowledge gathered along the way slid club and player into place. Those same blueprints – and the chance to replicate those procedures to identify a different player capable of making a valuable impact some point down the line – sketch the way forward as Sounders FC sets its sights into the future.
19
Each year, the Sounders FC technical staff racks up tons of frequent flyer miles, hotel points and large cell phone bills as they scour the the globe for possible roster additions.
The international player market has seen many players ply their trade in Seattle. 54 to be exact. This map details where each foreign-born player to have worn Rave Green hails from.
THE AMERICAS MEXICO
GONZALO PINEDA TONY ALFARO
HONDURAS CUBA MARIO MARTÍNEZ
JAMAICA
ASHANI FAIRCLOUGH ONIEL FISHER DAMION LOWE O’BRIAN WHITE
OSVALDO ALONSO
GUATEMALA MARCO PAPPA
JOEVIN JONES
ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES OALEX ANDERSON
COSTA RICA
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
MARTINIQUE JORDY DELEM KEVIN PARSEMAIN
LEO GONZÁLEZ
CORDELL CATO JOEVIN JONES
SURINAME
PANAMA
KELVIN LEERDAM
ROMÁN TORRES
COLUMBIA
ANDRÉS CORREA JHON KENNEDY HURTADO MIGUEL MONTAÑO FREDY MONTERO
ECUADOR
NICOLÁS LODEIRO
JOHN ARROYO
NELSON VA L D E Z
BRAZIL
FABIO PEREIRA THOMÁS
PARAGUAY
NELSON VALDEZ
ARGENTINA MAURO ROSALES
20
URUGUAY
NICOLÁS LODEIRO ÁLVARO FERNÁNDEZ
EUROPE
SCOTLAND
SWEDEN
ADAM MOFFAT
ERIK FRIBERG ADAM JOHANSSON FREDDIE LJUNDBERG GUSTAV SVENSSON
ENGLAND TYRONE MEARS
DEMARK PHILLIP LUND CHRISTIAN TIFFERT
GERMANY
CHRISTIAN TIFFERT
AUSTRIA
MICHAEL GSPURNING ANDREAS IVANSCHITZ
FRANCE
SWITZERLAND
DJIMI TRAORE SEBASTIEN LE TOUX CHRISTIAN SIVEBAEK
STEFAN FREI
OCEANIA
AUSTRALIA ANDY ROSE
NEW ZEALAND JARROD SMITH
GHANA
MICHAEL TETTEH
GAMBIA
SANNA NYASSI AMADOU SANYANG
NOUHOU
NIGERIA
ONYEKACHI APAM OBAFEMI MARTINS
CAMEROON NOUHOU
UGANDA
MICHAEL AZIRA
SIERRA LEONE VICTOR MANSARAY
AFRICA
CONGO
STEVE ZAKUANI BLAISE NKUFO
21
BY ROBERT CASNER PHOTOS BY MIKE FIECHTNER
22
You would be hard-pressed to find another Major League Soccer club that receives as much support away from home as the Sounders. From Orlando to Vancouver and everywhere in between, you can always count on seeing some Rave Green in the stands. Make it a Cascadia match just 174 miles due south in Portland and you have a recipe for something special. Sounders-Timbers away is a visual assembly ofpassion, euphoria, distaste and excitement all mixed up into a drinkable cocktail.
23
MARCHING TO PROVIDENCE PARK
The March to the Match isn’t reserved for just Sounders home matches. Ahead of the Cascadia clash with Portland, Sounders faithful came parading down SW 20th adjacent to Providence Park waving flags, chanting proudly and kindly reminding Timbers fans who won the 2016 MLS Cup.
24
25
FROM THE TOP,
THE ONLY PLACE TO GO IS HIGHER. YOU CAN’T STOP SOUNDERS FC.
OFFICIAL AIRLINE
IT ALL KICKS OFF
While most Sounders fans were seated (well, standing) in the southwest corner of Providence Park, pockets of Sounders fans were scattered throughout the stadium displaying their club spirit. Even though the match was played away, the fans made the atmosphere feel right at home.
27
28
29
00
AFTER THE FINAL WHISTLE
To put it simply, Clint Dempsey loves playing the Timbers. Just as all hope was nearly lost, a literal last-minute equalizer from the head of Deuce saw the Sounders salvage a point. One young fan was fortunate enough to snag his jersey after the final whistle. Not a bad Sunday, kiddo.
31
BY ROBERT CASNER
32
“Soccer is not just soccer. Soccer is a family. It’s just unlike any other sport that we’ve been a part of.” These are the words Julienne Smith offers up when telling the story of her daughter Miah. Miah is a 12-year-old goalkeeper from Princeton, West Virginia who was diagnosed with Stage Two Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in August 2016 after feeling lumps in her neck during a soccer practice. Before being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Miah was playing two hours of basketball in the morning and two hours of soccer in the evening. As a goalkeeper, she never shied away from a challenge or 50/50 ball, and, as the third child in her family, she isn’t the least bit shy. Ten days after being diagnosed with cancer, the supporting medical staff and the Smith family acted swiftly to remove the lumps. Miah was diagnosed on a Friday, attended the first day of school on a Wednesday, and had begun chemotherapy by the following Monday. An athletic, young girl who had lived a healthy life until last summer, was on the road to recovery. The journey included multi-hour car trips to the Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in WinstonSalem, NC, where she received five rounds of chemotherapy, each round lasting three weeks, and one month of daily radiation. “After that first cycle [of chemotherapy] she knew what she was going to have to go to. She didn’t want to go,” Smith said. “By the fourth cycle, her body was really wearing down. She lost her hair two weeks after her first treatment.” Amidst the treatments and medical center trips, Miah’s family came up with an idea that could help support her. Through the networking powers of the Facebook Newsfeed, they would write a Facebook post that challenged friends and family to see how many college jerseys and shirts they could have sent to Miah as a sign of support. So, Smith’s sister-in-law posted the challenge on Facebook. Little did they know the audiences the post would reach. Shirts and jerseys flew in from Purdue, Xavier,
Florida State, Penn State, Louisville, the University of Pittsburgh and dozens more. Soon, the collection extended beyond the collegiate ranks as she received a jersey from the Mexican National Team, the Houston Dynamo and a signed photo from Sounders FC’s very own Jordan Morris. It just so happened that a friend of the Smiths lived in Seattle and knew the Morris family. After seeing the post about Miah’s jersey challenge, the family friend contacted the Morrises to do her part in sharing the story. “I know my friend saw a Facebook post about this and the next thing I knew, Miah received a photo of Jordan and it was autographed,” Smith recalled. “That was our highlight of the whole thing. For an 11-year-old, this is honestly what got her through the whole thing. It’s what got me through, it’s what got my son through.”
SOCCER IS NOT JUST SOCCER. SOCCER IS A FAMILY. JULIENNE SMITH ON THE IMPORTANT ROLE SOCCER HAS PLAYED FOR HER FAMILY
A few months after receiving the signed photo from Jordan, Miah received another piece of Sounders gear: a Kick Childhood Cancer scarf complete with signatures from Jordan and teammate Cristian Roldan. From a single Facebook post seeking to spread the word about Miah’s battle with Hodgkin’s Disease, an affinity for the Sounders developed in the Smith family. In Seattle, after hearing Miah’s story, Sounders Director of Community Outreach Kimberly Aigner connected with Leslie Morris, Jordan’s mother, to see if the club could arrange a meet-and-greet with Miah and the team. There was a midweek match against the Crew in Columbus, Ohio – a four-hour drive from the Smith’s hometown – in late May that could serve as a good meeting ground for Miah and
33
Xbox Design Lab Make yours one in a billion.
New colors, metallic finishes, and rubberized grips xbox.com/xboxdesignlab
Xbox is a Proud Partner of Seattle Sounders FC
the Sounders. “When we heard about Miah’s story and her passion for soccer, we were excited about the opportunity to create a special moment and memory for such an inspiring individual,” Aigner said. “Working with our counterparts at the Crew, we arranged for a post-match meet-and-greet with the goalkeepers.” Ahead of the family’s visit to MAPFRE Stadium, the Smiths received the happiest of news: Miah was finally declared cancer-free by her doctors. The young girl could now return to playing sports and doing the things that she loved. However, she found it difficult to achieve her previous skill level. Her confidence waned and she wasn’t sure she wanted to play travel soccer anymore. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to play soccer at all anymore. “Her first practice didn’t go as she expected it to go,” Smith said. “She had gained weight from the steroids. The worst part of it was not being sore, but the fact that it hit her emotionally.” On matchday, the Smiths made the drive to MAPFRE Stadium, with Miah unaware she was scheduled to meet Stefan Frei and Tyler Miller after the match. After the match, one that did not go the Sounders way, Frei and Miller approached the Smiths and engaged them as though a 3-0 loss was already in the rearview mirror. Frei gave Miah his goalkeeper gloves and
boots before signing his jersey and gifting her that as well. Frei had gone above and beyond, overwhelming Miah in the process. “It was totally unexpected. Miah was so overwhelmed and didn’t really know what to say,” Smith said. The Sounders’ starting goalkeeper also gave Miah a piece of advice, something that perhaps only those who play the position would understand. “To be a goalie you have to be not just physically tough, but you have to be mentally tough. Knowing what you’ve been through, I know you are mentally tough,” Frei said to Miah. The impact of those words resonated more than anyone could imagine. Upon their return to West Virginia, Miah has begun exercising on her own in preparation for summer conditioning. Day-by-day her confidence is returning. Frei’s advice turned the seemingly colossal task of playing soccer at a high level again to something more achievable. It has motivated Miah just as her story has motivated so many around the country, including here in Seattle. “It was such a powerful sentence, what he said to her,” Smith said. “I really think that she’s thought about it because she says she’s ready to start getting in shape for soccer. I’ll never forget what he told her because it made a huge impact.”
35
This month, Sounders FC welcomed a German club, Eintracht Frankfurt, to Seattle for the first time in club history. Fresh off a campaign that saw Frankfurt finish runner-up in the German Cup and 11th in the Bundesliga, “The Eagles” boast such talent as United States international Timothy Chandler and Mexican National Team stars Marco Fabian and Carlos Salcedo. We took a look at past international clubs to have visited CenturyLink Field for friendlies and built our highly contentious Best XI.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We limited the Best XI and bench to only three players per club. Otherwise, we’d have just had a team sheet full of FC Barcelona stars.
MICHAEL BALLACK MIDFIELDER
XAVI HERNANDEZ MIDFIELDER
RYAN GIGGS
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLIES BEST XI
MIDFIELDER
36
HUGO IBARRA DEFENDER
BRAD FRIEDEL GOALKEEPER
THIERRY HENRY
FRANK LAMPARD
WAYNE ROONEY
JOHN TERRY
RIO FERDINAND
LIONEL MESSI
FORWARD
DEFENDER
MIDFIELDER
DEFENDER
FORWARD
FORWARD
SUBSTITUTES GOALKEEPER ADRIÁN WEST HAM UNITED • FORWARD GEORGIOS SAMARAS CELTIC FORWARD HARRY KANE TOTTENHAM • MIDFIELDER MARCO FABIÁN CHIVAS/FRANKFURT FORWARD GABRIEL HAUCHE CLUB TIJUANA • FORWARD DAYRO MORENO CLUB TIJUANA DEFENDER EZEQUIEL MUNOZ BOCA JUNIORS
37
BRAD EVANS
FAVORITE MUSICAL ARTIST: All-time growing up it was Incubus.
LEAST FAVORITE PERFORMANCE WITH SOUNDERS FC: Losing against Portland in the playoffs in 2013.
FAVORITE FOOD: Mexican. My favorite dish is pork chile verde.
FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH: NFL. I support the Cardinals.
LEAST FAVORITE GOAL CELEBRATION: I tripped and fell over.
FAVORITE AWAY STADIUM: I like playing at BMO Field in Toronto.
FAVORITE SPORT TO PLAY OTHER THAN SOCCER: Skateboarding. I grew up doing it. I can’t risk it [skateboarding] right now, but I will when I’m done.
LEAST FAVORITE VACATION: This offseason was super rainy in Southern California. That wasn’t fun at all.
FAVORITE VACATION: Kauai, Hawaii.
FAVORITE WEATHER TO PLAY IN: 60 and an 8 p.m. kickoff.
LEAST FAVORITE AWAY STADIUM: I’d say Houston because it’s hot.
FAVORITE GOAL CELEBRATION: Shirt over the head. EDITORS’ NOTE: Search “Brad Evans goal” on YouTube and watch the first video that shows up.
FAVORITE THING ABOUT LIVING IN SEATTLE: The culture and the city. The people itself are my favorite part of the city.
LEAST FAVORITE FOOD: Bubble tea with the tapioca bubbles at the bottom.
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE WITH SOUNDERS FC: I had three assists in one half vs. Chivas USA [September 2014]. EDITORS’ NOTE: Evan’s three first-half assists tied an MLS record for assists in a half.
39
LEAST FAVORITE MUSICAL ARTIST: I’d say P!nk. She’s the worst. Just everything about her. LEAST FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH: I don’t enjoy watching baseball because it’s really slow. LEAST FAVORITE SPORT TO PLAY OTHER THAN SOCCER: Ice-skating. I’m from Arizona and we have an ice-skating rink, but I’m not a big fan. LEAST FAVORITE WEATHER TO PLAY IN: Kansas City last year [July 2016]. LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT LIVING IN SEATTLE: The rain.
Xbox and Sounders FC are proud to partner with many local community organizations to present the Sounders FC Dream Team!
41
SCOUTING
REPORT
Steve Zakuani breaks down the upcoming Sounders FC matchup with the Quest Diagnostics Scouting Report Watch the latest episode on SOUNDERSFC.COM
The Scouting Report is presented by Quest Diagnostics, good health starts with knowing.
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.
Xbox and Sounders FC are proud to partner with many local community organizations to present the Sounders FC Dream Team!