It wasn’t too long ago that Seattle Sounders FC sat in the driver’s seat of the Expansion Draft. As the only club coming into the league in 2009, Sounders selected 10 players from the existing 14 clubs in Major League Soccer.
What resulted from that special draft formed the backbone of the club’s inaugural roster that first season. Out of those 10 original players acquired through the Expansion Draft, only Brad Evans remains on the Sounders roster. Since then, Seattle has lost four players via Expansion Drafts as MLS continues to grow.
Wednesday’s draft leaves the possibility of two players being selected by Orlando City or NYCFC, the two clubs slated to kick-off at the beginning of the 2015 season. Following a big day of trades across the league during Monday’s trade window, the clubs are looking to fill out their rosters that are already steadily growing. Major League Soccer released lists of protected players for all clubs on Monday.
The impact of the Expansion Draft has yet to be felt, but the four players who were selected in 2009, 2010, and 2011— Sebastien Le Toux, Sanna Nyassi, Nathan Sturgis and James Riley, respectively — have gone on to play with other MLS clubs. As rosters shift, the Sounders are confident they will be able to regroup heading into the 2015 season.
“In past years, when we’ve had an expansion draft, we’ve always lost a maximum amount of players,” said Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid as he spoke with Q13’s Bill Wixley on Tuesday morning. “Some teams don’t lose any players, but we always lose two.”
WATCH: Sigi Schmid appears on Q13 Fox
Schmid acknowledged that regardless of Wednesday’s results, the Sounders are looking to solidify their roster and the club is, “very close to getting a signing done already.” Among his off-season priorities is adding depth to the Sounders defense and possibly bringing a younger centerback to Seattle. “I thought Zach Scott had a great year,” Schmid said, “but he’s getting older.”
With the chance of losing two players tomorrow, Schmid remained confident that the team will be well-positioned heading into 2015.
Said the Sounders FC boss, “Sometimes it seems you’ve got to take it one step at a time, and each time you get another step further, and then you go ‘Okay, I’ve got it figured out now.’ I think that’s where we are at as a team.”
