Sounders re-sign pair, release Gregor

February 21, 2007 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Seattle Sounders News Release


The Seattle Sounders today announced the re-signing of midfielder Kevin Sakuda and defender Noah Merl. In other off-season news, midfielder Andrew Gregor has been released.

"Sakuda has been a rock over the past four years and I'm certainly glad he's back in '07," said Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer.

"Merl played extremely well for us last season - we'll look for him to continue to learn and thrive in our system," continued Schmetzer.

Sakuda enters his fifth season in Seattle, where he has been among the team leaders in minutes played for the last two years. He's tallied four goals and five assists in his career with the Sounders.

The 6 foot 1 inch, 170lb. holding midfielder was originally drafted by the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2002 after a collegiate career at Duke University that saw him start 81 consecutive games and lead the Blue Devils to three NCAA Tournament appearances.

Defender Noah Merl, who was under option but saw his contract re-negotiated, broke into the Sounders lineup and played over 1,500 minutes in 2006 providing solid performances against the likes of 1994 World Cup MVP Romario who spent last season with Miami FC. Merl was originally drafted by the San Jose Earthquakes in 2005 and spent the season with the Earthquakes Reserves. During his college career at the University of California, Merl appeared in every match and earned All Pac 10 honors his last three years.

Midfielder Andrew Gregor has been released from the Sounders so that he can follow his goal of completing his degree from the University of Portland, where he was a four time All West Coast Conference selection during his college soccer career. The Beaverton, Oregon native tallied 39 goals and 35 assists during his six seasons with the Sounders.

The Sounders 2007 home opener is 7pm on May 5th against their arch rivals, the Portland Timbers at Qwest Field.



USL First Division Stories from February 21, 2007


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