Seattle Sounders FC Season Preview
by OSC Special Edition
February 28, 2017 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Based in Seattle, Washington, the Seattle Sounders FC compete as part of the Western Conference in MLS. Having won the 2016 title last year, they are the current champions of the league.
Established in 2007, the Seattle Sounders FC have carried forward a legacy that was created in 1974. Today, they are owned by Adrian Hanauer and led by head coach Brian Schmetzer.
The Seattle Sounders are likely to give an excellent performance this season according to Schmetzer. This outcome is especially important since they are now defending a title. Their victory was cemented when Roman Torres made the winning penalty shot in the championship game.
Despite general optimism, it will not be easy for the Seattle Sounders FC to retain their crown. Mainly because there has been a major shakeup in the team line up. Key players such as Nelson Valdez, Andreas Ivanschitz and Tyrone Mears have moved on to other teams. In their place, young acquisitions such as Will Bruin and Harry Shipp have made their entry. The major task for head coach Brian Schmetzer is molding these new recruits into the existing team and creating chemistry between them. Assistant coaches Djimi Traore and Gonzalo Pineda will play a big role in this endeavor too. Veteran stars such as Clint Dempsey, Nicolas Lodeiro and Jordan Morris will assist in this endeavor. The final match held at the BMO Field last year was the biggest game of 2016 for the Seattle Sounders and they look forward to replicating its outcome in the new season.
Pundits are optimistic about the Seattle Sounders FC performance in 2017. Some indicate that despite the team having had a lack of confidence in their past major matches, their Western Conference win in 2016 proved that now, they are a different team, a winning team. Other commentators think that this is just the beginning a long road ahead for the club.
However, fans and pundits alike agree that Schmetzer is the key to the Sounders stellar performance
The Seattle Sounders have completed their soccer seasons with a performance that is better than .500 every single time. Despite the shakeup, the current team has strong forwards such as Jordan Morris, Nelson Valdez and superstar Clint Dempsey. Their goalkeeper Stefan Frei is strong and if the forwards fulfill their potential and the defense stays close knit, the Seattle Sounder FC are likely to remain on top. This means that their Vegas odds are good for the new season.
We believe this will be a year full of confident victories and maybe another Western Conference championship title win.
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