TUCSON, Ariz. — Seattle Sounders midfielder Harry Shipp had quite the offseason.
A week after MLS Cup, Shipp and his wife wed in Louisville before embarking on an Australian honeymoon. Shipp spent his time exploring and relaxing down under, and even went snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef.
After a few weeks away from everything, Shipp returns for his second year in Seattle, ready to leave his mark and pick up where he left off at the end of last season.
“My goal is to make a difference on the field and contribute,” Shipp said. “At the end of last year, I felt good about how I was playing and where I was personally.”
Shipp played in three of Seattle’s five postseason matches, starting two, and contributed two assists to help lead the Sounders to their second consecutive Western Conference title. Shipp is hoping to carry that form into the start of 2018, even if it means challenging for spots with the plethora of talented players in the midfield.
“It’s going to be tough,” Shipp said. “I’m not naïve about that, but I can do some things on the field that separate me: thinking through the game and being in the right spaces and creating chances. I’m looking to build on what I had at the end of last year.”
Shipp started on Saturday in the Sounders’ first MLS preseason friendly against the Portland Timbers, going 62 minutes in a 4-4-2 diamond formation with which the club had been tinkering. He knows how vital these matches are and how much they will help prepare the team ahead of their opening CONCACAF Champions League match with El Salvador’s Santa Tecla on Feb. 22.
“They’re incredibly important,” Shipp said. “We’re trying to implement new things, we have a few new players, we’re getting familiar with each other. There are some positional things we’re working on to mix it up from last year, so we’re trying to incorporate all that, but also be at top form in the first couple weeks of preseason.”
