Issue 15 | Sounders Monthly by Seattle Sounders FC

ISSUE 15 | AUGUST 2018 1

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CHI Franciscanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary care providers are here to help your family become Northwest Healthy, and stay that way. We are ready to provide you with expert, personalized care at locations throughout the Puget Sound. Get your Guide to Northwest Healthy Families at NWhealthy.org/SoundersFC, or let us help you find a primary care provider at 1 (888) 400-4740.

OFFICIAL PARTNERS IN HEALTH

IN THIS ISSUE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF RYAN KRASNOO

CREATIVE DIRECTOR TY KREFT ASSISTANT EDITORS ROBERT CASNER ALEX CAULFIELD DANNY CIACCIO KELLY SCHUTZ MATT WINTER

CLOSER LOOK

Raúl Ruidíaz shares some Peruvian love, the Sounders get sticky near Pike Place and Ozzie picks his pass against NYCFC

2018 SCHEDULE

Catch up on where we've been and see what lies ahead

COVER ILLUSTRATOR DAN LEYDON CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS ROBERT BUNN MIKE FIECHTNER JANE GERSHOVICH WALTER JONES CORKY TREWIN LINDSEY WASSON QUINN WIDTH CHARIS WILSON GETTY IMAGES USA TODAY SPORTS IMAGES

10 MEET THE TEAM

Get to know a little bit about your 2018 Sounders FC First Team

12 SOMETHING TO RAVE ABOUT RAVE Foundation to unveil Yesler Terrace field

WORDS BY RYAN KRASNOO

22 THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS

Seahawks legend Walter Jones turns to Sounders photography

WORDS BY ARI LILJENWALL

32 PIPELINE DREAM © 2018 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

Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez is the latest Academy prospect shining

WORDS BY JOSEPH MONDELLO

38 10 QUESTIONS: HARRY SHIPP

Midfielder Harry Shipp opens up on super powers, his celebrity crush and more

CLOSER LOOK

JULY 21, 2018

Newly acquired Designated Player Raúl Ruidíaz signs autographs after making his Sounders debut against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

JULY 24, 2018

A Sounders sticker hangs at the famous Seattle Gum Wall near Pike Place Market.

JULY 29, 2018

Ozzie Alonso passes to Raúl Ruidíaz in a 3-1 win over New York City FC at CenturyLink Field.

2018 SCHEDULE DATE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22 THURSDAY, MARCH 1 SUNDAY, MARCH 4 SUNDAY, MARCH 18 SATURDAY, MARCH 31 SUNDAY, APRIL 15 SUNDAY, APRIL 22 SUNDAY, APRIL 29 SATURDAY, MAY 5 WEDNESDAY, MAY 9 SUNDAY, MAY 13 SATURDAY, MAY 26 SATURDAY, JUNE 2 SATURDAY, JUNE 9 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13 SATURDAY, JUNE 23 SATURDAY, JUNE 30 WEDNESDAY, JULY 4 SATURDAY, JULY 7 SUNDAY, JULY 15 SATURDAY, JULY 21 WEDNESDAY, JULY 25 SUNDAY, JULY 29 SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 SUNDAY, AUGUST 12 SATURDAY, AUGUST 18 SUNDAY, AUGUST 26 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 MONDAY, OCTOBER 8 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28

OPPONENT

SANTA TECLA FC SANTA TECLA FC LAFC FC DALLAS MONTREAL IMPACT SPORTING KC MINNESOTA UNITED FC LAFC COLUMBUS CREW TORONTO FC PORTLAND TIMBERS REAL SALT LAKE REAL SALT LAKE D.C. UNITED NEW YORK RED BULLS CHICAGO FIRE PORTLAND TIMBERS COLORADO RAPIDS NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION ATLANTA UNITED FC VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES NEW YORK CITY FC MINNESOTA UNITED FC FC DALLAS LA GALAXY PORTLAND TIMBERS SPORTING KC VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC PHILADELPHIA UNION LA GALAXY COLORADO RAPIDS HOUSTON DYNAMO ORLANDO CITY SC HOUSTON DYNAMO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

TIME

WATCH ON

7:00 PM 7:00 PM 2:00 PM 2:00 PM 7:00 PM 1:00 PM 1:00 PM 6:00 PM 1:00 PM 4:30 PM 1:00 PM 2:00 PM 6:30 PM 7:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 1:30 PM 6:00 PM 4:30 PM 11:00 AM 1:00 PM 7:30 PM 2:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 1:00 PM 6:30 PM 1:00 PM 7:00 PM 8:00 PM 4:00 PM 1:00 PM 7:30 PM 4:30 PM 2:00 PM 1:30 PM

GO90 GO90 ESPN JOETV JOETV ESPN ESPN FS1 JOETV FS1 ESPN JOETV JOETV JOETV JOETV JOETV FOX JOETV JOETV FOX JOETV JOETV ESPN JOETV FS1 ESPN FS1 JOETV JOETV JOETV FS1 JOETV JOETV JOETV JOETV JOETV

RESULT L

1-2

4-0

0-1

0-3

0-1

2-2

3-1

0-1

0-0

2-1

0-1

0-2

2-1

1-2

1-1

2-3

2-1

0-0

1-1

2-0

1-0

3-1

2-1

MATCH DATES AND TIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE. ALL TIME PACIFIC. MORE INFO AT SOUNDERSFC.COM/SCHEDULE. STREAM ALL MATCHES LIVE ON YOUTUBE TV 9

TONY ALFARO

#15 | DEFENDER

OSVALDO ALONSO

CALLE BROWN

#6 | MIDFIELDER

#25 | GOALKEEPER

A: TWITTER

WAYLON FRANCIS

STEFAN FREI

KIM KEE-HEE

KELVIN LEERDAM

JORDAN MORRIS

LAMAR NEAGLE

VÍCTOR RODRÍGUEZ

CRISTIAN ROLDAN

ROMÁN TORRES

BRAD SMITH

HENRY WINGO

#90 | DEFENDER

#13 | FORWARD

#24 | GOALKEEPER

#27 | FORWARD

#20 | DEFENDER

#8 | MIDFIELDER

#18 | DEFENDER

#7 | MIDFIELDER

A: SNAPCHAT

NOUHOU

#5 | DEFENDER

#29 | DEFENDER

#11 | DEFENDER

#23 | MIDFIELDER

Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA APP?

A: INSTAGRAM

WILL BRUIN

#17 | FORWARD

HANDWALLA BWANA

JORDY DELEM

CLINT DEMPSEY

CHAD MARSHALL

JORDAN MCCRARY

BRYAN MEREDITH

#70 | MIDFIELDER

#21 | MIDFIELDER

#2 | FORWARD

A: INSTAGRAM

NICOLÁS LODEIRO #10 | MIDFIELDER

#14 | DEFENDER

#30 | DEFENDER

#35 | GOALKEEPER

A: TWITTER

ALEX ROLDAN

#16 | MIDFIELDER

A: IKEA

RAÚL RUIDÍAZ #9 | FORWARD

TECHNICAL STAFF

HARRY SHIPP

GUSTAV SVENSSON

#19 | MIDFIELDER

#4 | MIDFIELDER

BRIAN SCHMETZER

DAMIAN RODEN

DJIMI TRAORE

RAVI RAMINENI

GENERAL MANAGER & PRESIDENT OF SOCCER

GONZALO PINEDA

JOHN HUTCHINSON

CHRIS HENDERSON

PREKI

WADE WEBBER

TOM DUTRA

MARC NICHOLLS

GARTH LAGERWEY

VP OF SOCCER & SPORTING DIRECTOR

HEAD COACH

ASSISTANT COACH ASSISTANT COACH ASSISTANT COACH

CLUB DIRECTOR OF GOALKEEPING

HIGH PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR DIRECTOR OF SOCCER ANALY TICS S2 HEAD COACH

S2 ASSISTANT COACH DIRECTOR OF PL AYER DEVELOPMENT

WHEN THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS LAUNCHED RAVE FOUNDATION, A 501(C)(3) CHARITY ESTABLISHED TO SERVE THE GREATER PUGET SOUND COMMUNITY, IN JULY 2016, ITS MISSION WAS CLEAR: BRING SMALL, ACCESSIBLE SOCCER FIELDS TO URBAN AREAS THAT PROVIDE FREE PLAY TO HELP STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES AND ENCOURAGE PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES. WHEN THE RAVE FIELD AT YESLER TERRACE PARK OPENS ON AUG. 25, THAT DREAM WILL BECOME A REALITY.

“Soccer is a game that brings joy and opportunity to so many people around the world,” Sounders FC owner Adrian Hanauer said in 2016 when RAVE Foundation was launched. “We see it as an obligation to make sure that no one in our community is excluded from experiencing everything that the beautiful game affords.” Yesler Terrace is a significant place to start. Founded in 1940, it was the first public housing in the city of Seattle and the first integrated public housing in the country. The community lies on the grounds of where Japanese and other low-income families lived in substandard housing before they were demolished and built over into its current form in 2006. Some of the former residents of the pre-Yesler days moved back into the neighborhood, but others had moved on to other places. “There’s been a lot of fascinating people, both known and unknown, who have lived here in this community,” said Ben

Wheeler, a member of the Seattle Housing Authority who oversees Yesler Terrace as a Community Builder. “It has led to a strong sense of identity of saying, ‘This is a place where art, people and culture thrive’ right in the downtown area of Seattle.” There were 560 households in the original complex before redevelopment, and 60 percent of those households still exist post-reconstruction. Wheeler said one of his major challenges is finding ways to continue to foster relationships and community while the entire structure collectively undergoes this new evolution in its history. As Yesler Terrace was in the middle of a cultural and structural renaissance of sorts, RAVE Foundation was looking for a location for its new field. It will be a green play space, not just a soccer pitch, and a safe spot for families and kids to come and spend time together.

WE HOPE THAT THIS FIELD SERVES AS A HUB FOR CHILDREN AND A CENTERPIECE OF THE YESLER TERRACE COMMUNITY FOR GENERATIONS. SOUN D E R S F C O W NER AD R I AN H ANA U ER

One giant leap for machine kind. The all-new Audi A8. Was it necessary to take a perfectly good luxury car and start over? You be the judge. Progress is redefining luxury.

“RAVE Foundation has been really intentional about involving the community throughout the entire process of planning,” explained Wheeler. “Students were involved in an art project in the design of the aesthetic around the field, including the goals on the field, the way it looked, the way it’s shaped. Kids had an opportunity to really immerse themselves in the planning process and the creativity of saying, ‘What can this space look like?’ Even though it’s a larger community space, it still represents the people who live here and the history.” Added Hanauer ahead of the 2018 unveiling: “This field is the culmination of several years of work and the immense support of the entire Yesler Terrace community. We hope that this field serves as a hub for children and

THERE'S A LOT OF DISTRACTIONS OUT THERE FOR KIDS THESE DAYS THAT ARE NEGATIVE AND NOT AS POSITIVE AS WHAT SPORTS CAN BRING. GOALKEEPER STEFAN FREI

G OA LK E EPER STEFAN FR EI W OR KS O N A N A RT PROJECT WI TH A YESLER CO M M U NI T Y CENTER YOU TH

THE RAVE FOUNDATION HAS BEEN REALLY INTENTIONAL ABOUT INVOLVING THE COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS OF PLANNING. S E AT T L E HO U SI NG A U TH OR I T Y CO M M U N IT Y B U I LD ER B EN WH EELER

a centerpiece of the Yesler Terrace community for generations.” Wheeler has been bombarded with excited questions from Seattle Housing Authority residents and market-rate housing residents alike about when the field would be completed. No one will ever be allowed to reserve the space, and Wheeler believes that it will be a hub for conversation-starters, food and sports among people who may not otherwise have a reason to interact or befriend one another. “It breaks down a lot of the barriers and the walls that we place up against each other and we begin to see each other eye-to-eye,” Wheeler said. Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei has played an integral role as well, particularly in the field’s aesthetic. He has visited Yesler Terrace several times and hung out with kids, signed soccer balls and participated and provided creative input. “I always thought it was cool, and if you have a chance to get involved

and put your art in public space, it’s a sense of pride,” said Frei. “I hope that’s something that the kids are doing to get out of it… It’s important that they have a safe space to participate in these activities. There’s a lot of distractions out there for kids these days that are negative and not as positive as what sports can bring. Sports can be fun, but they can also teach you a lot.” Added Wheeler: “[Frei’s] been great. It seemed like he really wanted to play soccer with our kids. I was very impressed. Here’s a [professional] athlete, and instead of saying, ‘I don’t have time, I have to get to my next thing,’ he really wanted to be here, he was really present while he was here.” Having the Sounders be so actively involved is a real source of pride for those who live and work at Yesler Terrace. The Sounders’ home stadium of CenturyLink Field is just one mile from the new field, and to have a sports organization follow through on its continued commitment to community investment does not go unnoticed.

THE RAVE F I E L D AT YES LER T E R R A N CE DURIN G CO N ST RUCT I O N THIS WI NT E R

SCARVES UP! LIKE, 30,000 FEET UP. OFFICIAL AIRLINE

“[The new field] says, ‘You’re visible. You’re worthy. We see your value,’” said Yesler Terrace Program Manager LaKesha Kimbrough. “[The Sounders] could have taken that and invested in an area that’s already economically rich. This area is so rich in so many ways in terms of the resilience and the strength and the skills and the talents that the residents have, but are often not seen and often placed behind others. “We are so used to hearing organizations say, ‘We value inclusiveness. We value X. We value Y.’ And you don’t get to see it play out,” Kimbrough added. “The Sounders said that they stood for that, and they actually invested in our community in an authentic way, in a way

that was meaningful to our community. [They] didn’t come in here and throw up something that’s not going to last or that the community wouldn’t be able to benefit from or doesn’t want or need.” The Yesler Terrace community is steeped in history. And while the city landscape continues to expand and evolve, there is still so much more history to write, something in which the new RAVE Foundation field will play a small, if vital, role. “That’s the beauty of what this is doing,” said Wheeler. “We think it’s a green patch of ground, but it’s actually this beautiful patchwork of stories.”

[THE NEW FIELD] SAYS, 'YOU ARE VISIBLE. YOU ARE WORTHY. WE SEE YOUR VALUE.'

Y ES L E R T E R R AC E PROGR AM M ANAGER L A KE S H A K IM B ROU GH

BY 22

ARI LILJENWALL

SEAHAWKS LEGEND WALTER JONES FINDS NEW CHALLENGE PHOTOGRAPHING THE SOUNDERS 23

EIGHT YEARS AFTER HE LEFT THE NFL, WALTER JONES STILL SPENDS MANY A WEEKEND AT CENTURYLINK FIELD, THE VERY SAME BUILDING WHERE HE WROTE HIS LEGEND. These days, however, Jones isn’t the one making history. He’s documenting it in one of the more unlikely forays into the world of sideline sports photography one is ever likely to see. In a different era, before he ever picked up a camera, Jones patrolled NFL fields for the Seattle Seahawks for 12 seasons, becoming arguably the most dominant offensive lineman that has ever played professional football. Anyone who has followed Seattle sports at even a cursory level over the past couple of decades already knows this, of course, but the credentials are worth rehashing: Jones is a nine-time Pro Bowler, four-time FirstTeam All-Pro and first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. At a towering 6-foot-5 and 325 pounds, he’s widely considered the most technically gifted, fundamentally sound offensive lineman to ever put on pads. Former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren once called him the best offensive player he’s ever coached, and the few numbers that can be used to measure the performance of an offensive lineman

illustrate that: Over his 180 career games from 1997-2009, Jones allowed just 23 sacks and, perhaps most incredibly, was called for a holding penalty just nine times. Jones will always be a legend around these parts. It’s why he’s stuck around and still calls Seattle home, even after he retired in 2010 at age 36. The Alabama native and Florida State University product didn’t necessarily have anything tying him down. He isn’t from the area and had enough money to go anywhere he wanted. But, truthfully, Jones can’t picture himself anywhere else. “I’ve been here for 20 years, man,” Jones said. “I think the cool thing about it is I’ve made friends so this is my home. I’ve got good people around me everywhere. For me to leave here would be crazy.” It’s a hot Monday morning in July at the Glendale Country Club in Bellevue, where former Seahawks defensive end Jacob Green is hosting his annual charity golf tournament. Green puts it on every year to raise money for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and events such as these comprise a good portion of Jones’ schedule. On this day, there’s a lengthy, star-studded cast of characters on hand, including Major League Baseball legend Vida Blue, Seahawks broadcaster Steve Raible and former NFL lineman

WHEN I STOPPED PLAYING, I WAS TRYING TO CONTINUE TO FIND MY OWN PEACE. W ALTER JO NES 25

THE CRAZIEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN IS HOW FAST [SOCCER PLAYERS] REACT TO OFFENSE AND DEFENSE AT THE SAME TIME. W A LT E R JO N E S

Sean Locklear, who played alongside Jones on the Seahawks team that made the Super Bowl in 2005. As Jones walks past the Glendale clubhouse toward the nearby Seahawks-themed bus that’s been renovated into a mobile bar, it’s obvious he still carries a different type of aura, even in retirement. He can’t go 10 feet without someone stopping to say hello. At one point, current Seahawks offensive lineman Germain Ifedi arrives and immediately makes a point of acknowledging his legendary predecessor. Seahawks training camp is just a couple weeks out, and Ifedi will need to be a major cog in the offensive line Jones once anchored if the team plans on making the playoffs. “You ready for camp?” Jones asks as they slap hands and embrace. “Yessir,” Ifedi replies. The whole scene is an apt of illustration of the niche that Jones has found in retirement. Watching him interact with the crowd at Glendale, it’s not hard to see why this life is decidedly less stressful than one of an NFL player. 26

“When I stopped playing, I was trying to continue to find my own peace,” he explained. “A lot of people, they say, ‘Oh, that’s all they know is football. That’s what they live on.’ To put that into perspective, I always wanted to go out there and play well, but I also tried to surround myself with people who weren’t all about what I was doing on the field and just wanted to be my friend. “That transition was pretty easy for me

ONE O F W A LT E R J O N E S ’ PHOTO S HE TO O K D UR I N G T HE S O UND E R S ’ MATCH AGA I NST T HE PO RT L A ND T I MB E R S O N J UN E 30.

when I decided to retire,” he continued. “The NFL and the Seahawks have definitely blessed me to be in a situation where I didn’t have to go out looking for a job. I tried to be pretty smart with my money.” Still, charity events and public appearances only take up so many hours of the week. For retired athletes who struggle with the loss of the main thing that has offered

them structure and a defined purpose since childhood, finding ways to fill that sudden void is critical. As at peace as Jones seems without football, he’s also no different in that respect. Photography may not have been the most obvious way to go about filling Jones’ time. By his own admission, he had virtually no experience, aside from taking pictures of his kids while they were growing up and on 27

family vacations. But as he drifted further and further away from his playing days and continued to keep tabs on the local sports scene in Seattle, he was struck by an idea. Around the same time Jones retired from the NFL, the Seattle Sounders burst onto the scene as one of the biggest spectacles in Major League Soccer. The MLS iteration of the franchise launched in 2009 and turned heads immediately, with sold out crowds and electric atmospheres at their home matches, where they share CenturyLink Field with the Seahawks, that rival those that can be found in any of the top leagues overseas. The city embraced the team heartily and on-field success followed. The Sounders weren’t just packing the seats, they were winning games while they did it. The support and the culture the organization had managed to establish in such a short time piqued Jones’ interest. “I think it’s cool because what happened is, once you win, they always say winning solves everything,” he recalled of his impressions of the Sounders’ MLS beginnings. “They already had a great fan base. It’s a matter of just winning. You always have to prove yourself here. If you win, though, they’ve got to come.” Jones was also intrigued by the sport itself. He recalled the first Sounders practice he attended at Seattle’s training facility at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, the day before they were set to play an MLS match. For football players, the day before games are what Jones calls, ‘a mental day.’ But watching the Sounders practice, he immediately noted the level of intensity, even one day out from a game, as well as a level of athleticism and physicality that he could only truly appreciate once he saw it up close. “To see them competing at that level the day before a game — I’m talking about very intense,” Jones said. “Everybody’s competing. For me, I think that’s pretty awesome. But I understand because that’s the intensity, the game happens so fast and so rapidly. So, they’ve always got to be ready.

“I learned that’s how soccer is,” he continued. “It’s quick. You’ve got to see things quick. You watch football and if a cornerback gets beat, they say, ‘Oh, you need to have a short memory.’ I think soccer is like that too, you have to have a short memory. I think the craziest thing I’ve ever seen is how fast they react to offense and defense at the same time.” Jones’ unfamiliarity with the craft of photography was exactly the appeal. It forced him out of his comfort zone and put him in a situation where he had to learn from the ground up. In the Sounders, there was an obvious subject: a team in his own backyard that was selling out the very stadium where he used to play, where his number hangs from the rafters. When he’s shooting Sounders home games, Jones is impossible to miss, tiny camera in his massive hands, his still-hulking frame dwarfing other photographers in such a pronounced fashion that it creates an undeniably comical visual. “[Photography] came along at the right time for me,” he said. “I’m like eight years removed from retirement, so I think it was a pretty cool situation to do something where I didn’t have a lot of experience, but you can do it on your own. I think the cool

I ENJOY TRYING TO GET THAT PERFECT SHOT AND ANTICIPATE AND SEE THINGS BEFORE THEY HAPPEN. W ALTER JO NES

thing about it is when you’re taking pictures, you’re looking at something and you can see the shot before you take that picture. “I enjoy trying to get that perfect shot and anticipate and see things before they happen. I think photographers do a great job of that.” Jones the football player was famously detail-oriented, known for his high-intensity training regimens and studious dedication to the nuances of the game, whether it was his impeccable footwork or ability to use his hands to constantly befuddle opposing defensive linemen. Mentally, it’s a similar approach he applies to taking photos, where seemingly minute details can make the difference between capturing an epic moment and missing an opportunity. Ask any of the sideline photographers in the Sounders’ press corps, and they’ll tell you Jones is a colleague like any other, constantly picking their brains and asking for advice on how to hone his craft. “Sometimes you might go into a job and people might be like, ‘Oh, he’s here to take my job.’ But they’ve been nothing but great to me,” Jones said. “They’ve answered all my questions, asked me what camera I’m using. So that makes it fun, they don’t treat me different or put me on some pedestal, they want you to come out here and if it’s what you want to do, you have to show you want to put the work in. If they feel like you’re putting the work in, they’ll give you the knowledge. “I don’t ever get the feeling they’re threatened by me being there, they just want to make sure I’m doing it right and putting a great product out there, just like playing football.” The main sentiment Jones expresses when he talks about photography is simple: He’s not messing around. He wants to be good at this, and he wants to earn the respect of his peers, the same way he did during his playing days. On Sounders matchdays, Walter Jones, Seahawks legend and first-ballot Hall-ofFamer, becomes a member of the media just like everyone else shooting the game from the sideline. And that’s exactly how he likes it. 30

[THE SOUNDERS] ALREADY HAD A GREAT FAN BASE. IT'S A MATTER OF JUST WINNING. YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO PROVE YOURSELF HERE. IF YOU WIN, THOUGH, THEY'VE GOT TO COME. W ALTER JO NES

“Right now, I’m at a point in my life where I’m enjoying my life and everything that’s going on,” he said. “I’m pretty blessed to be able to do what I want to do. I think that’s the No. 1 goal is to be able to do that. It never freaks me out because when I look at that stuff, I think to myself I did it the right way. “Even though I’m out there taking pictures at a field I played on for 12 years, my name is up there, my number’s up there, I don’t ever go into that situation thinking like that,” he added. “For me, it just makes me very humble because I was blessed to be able play my entire career in Seattle. We’ve got a great fan base and I enjoy the fans, and then to show people, show young people if you put your work in you can get what you want.”

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 2 FORWARD ALFONSO OCAMPO-CHAVEZ REMEMBERS THE PRECISE MOMENT HE FOUND OUT THAT SOUNDERS ACADEMY WAS INTERESTED IN HIM. Ocampo-Chavez, then 13, was taking a nap after school. All of a sudden, his mom burst into his room, yelling at him to wake up. As any adolescent would do, he mentally went through all the things for which he could be in trouble. With tears of joy in her eyes, his mom hugged him and said that the Sounders wanted him to fly Seattle to go on trial with the U-15 team. “I was scared for a moment,” recalled Ocampo-Chavez, now 16. “Then when she told me, I went from sleepy to wide awake, and I was just so excited.” Ocampo-Chavez spent the bulk of his early youth career playing for a Development Academy side, Merced Atlas Soccer Academy, in his hometown of Merced, Calif., a city in the San Joaquin Valley about 130 34

miles southeast of San Francisco. It was with this team that Sounders FC Director of Player Development and Academy Director Marc Nicholls first spotted him. “What immediately struck me was a kid who was playing on a team that was struggling a bit,” said Nicholls. “But no matter what, he found a way to score goals. Not only that, there was a variety to the goals he scored: he scored a header at the back post, he scored a volley at the top of the box, he scored a 1-v-1 with the goalkeeper. So we brought him in and he did extremely well in the trial, and now he’s got the potential of a U-17 World Cup experience…and a very promising future ahead of him.” A dynamic, technical and intelligent striker, Ocampo-Chavez turned plenty of heads throughout his week-long trial with the U-15s. “It took five minutes to realize that this was a player who was the best forward in the country at his age,” said U-15 Head Coach Sean Henderson. “There are some players that everybody sees it, and he was one of them. He’s one of five or six kids coming through right now that have more potential than we’ve ever seen in Sounders Academy.”

In addition to making the Sounders, he received his first U.S. youth national team call-up with the U-14s that same week. He has since become a mainstay for the U.S. at the U-14, U-15, U-16 and U-17 levels, consistently scoring goals against the likes of the Netherlands, Mexico and England. Helping him get acclimated to a new city, the club enrolled Ocampo-Chavez in the Homestay Program, which places out-of-market Sounders Academy signings with local families. Having such a robust support network around these young players enables them to focus solely on soccer and their development. “We think it’s important that new players get to know their own age group a little bit, so we started him with the U-15s,” added Nicholls. “It wasn’t long of course until [OcampoChavez] began starting for the U-17s at Generation Adidas Cup. I think it gave him the push he needed to raise his game and continue to develop.” Playing two years up with the U-17s, he recorded four goals and two assists from three matches against the LA Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes and Portland Timbers. After his breakout performances at GA Cup, Ocampo-Chavez moved up to the U-17s full time. A couple of months later, Chris Little was brought on as the new head coach, and he was immediately impressed by his young striker. “I came in and I’d heard a lot of good things about him,” Little recalled. “When you first get an opportunity to watch him and work with him, you see has good ability in front of goal. He’s creative, has a good eye for goal and can play with both feet. As a striker, he has a really good change of speed and direction.” Ocampo-Chavez’s best performances came against international competition during the summer of 2017. At the Manchester City Cup, he scored a first-half hat trick against Liga MX side Club America, arguably one of the best youth teams in the world at that age group. Two months later, he made his professional debut at the age of 15, starting a road match for S2 against Real Monarchs SLC.

In the Youdan Trophy, he was awarded the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer, recording eight goals and four assists against European powerhouses like Celtic, FC Basel and Everton, as the Sounders repeated as champions. If you ask the Sounders Academy and S2 coaches which facets of his game he’s developed the most, you’ll get 10 different answers, which indicates how quickly he’s evolving into a well-rounded striker. A quick, intelligent player with tremendous balance, he has dramatically improved his combination play, defensive pressing, finishing and dribbling ability. His progress in the youth ranks was rewarded with a professional deal when he inked an S2 contract on April 10. It was a moment Ocampo-Chavez first thought possible one year earlier as several Sounders Academy prospects turned pro. “When Shandon [Hopeau] signed, that was my first year with the Academy,” said OcampoChavez. “And then there goes Sam Rogers [a few months later]. That same year, Azriel [Gonzalez] signed, and he’s one of my closest friends. I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m just one step away, so I’ve got to work even harder.’”

WHEN HE’S ON FORM, WE DON’T THINK THERE’S A BETTER STRIKER HIS AGE IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY. SEATTLE SO UNDERS F C 2 A SSI STANT COAC H W ADE WEBBER 35

Ocampo-Chavez’s meteoric rise through the organization is a case of being the right player, in the right place, at the right time. As a member of the U-17 team, which stormed through the playoffs with 26 goals in six matches as they secured the USSDA national title, he’s been immersed in an environment where he has to compete for his spot every night at training. It’s instilled a mindset that, if you’re given opportunities, you have to capitalize, which he demonstrated by tallying one goal and two assists as a substitute in the DA final against Atlanta United. “That team is sort of an embarrassment of riches,” said S2 Assistant Coach Wade Webber. “You can’t be a luxury player on that U-17 team, and that’s so refreshing. I guarantee you that there are few situations in America, at the professional or amateur level, where a player of Alfonso’s stature — national team, accolades, the whole thing — is not an automatic first choice. When he’s on form, we don’t think there’s a better striker his age in the whole country. If he’s not on form, he won’t start. Every day it’s about proving it.” The Academy believes in accelerating the development of talented young prospects by exposing them to higher levels of play. Enrolling in online school under the tutelage of Sounders Academy Head of Education and Welfare Diane Carney has given Ocampo-

HE'S CREATIVE, HAS A GOOD EYE FOR GOAL AND CAN PLAY WITH BOTH FEET.

SOU ND ER S ACADEMY U-17 H EAD COACH C HRIS LITTLE Chavez the flexibility in his schedule to train with S2 and the First Team in the mornings, take classes during the day and then train with the U-17s at night. At 14, Ocampo-Chavez decided to move away from home to pursue his dreams of playing professional soccer. Now that he’s signed with S2 alongside his friends from the U-17s, he has achieved that goal. However, his years in the Sounders’ professional youth system have taught him that this is just the first step. “I feel like it starts in the Academy, where you’ve got to earn your spot,” reflected Ocampo-Chavez. “Once you get consistent, your goal has to change to becoming a starter in S2. It takes a lot of hard work, but once you’re in that spot, you have to think about earning a spot on the First Team and being consistent throughout your career.” Most talented young players struggle with the transition to the professional level, where they have to fight every day to get playing time at the weekend. But with the nightly competition on the U-17s, it’s just business as usual. Ocampo-Chavez has demonstrated he possesses the requisite talent to be one of the top prospects for both club and country. With two years in the Sounders youth system under his belt, he’s got the support network, mentality and character to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 37

HARRY SHIPP IS HAVING A PRODUCTIVE SECOND SEASON IN SEATTLE. SINCE RECOVERING FROM INJURY TO START THE YEAR, HE'S SCORED TWICE AND ADDED TWO ASSISTS WHILE BEING A CONSTANT IN THE MIDFIELD.

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