Washington-bred Eylander joins Sounders

SEATTLE -- Chris Eylander, who has led USL First Division goalkeepers in saves over the last two years with the Seattle Sounders, has been signed to a Major League Soccer contract by the expansion club.

At only 24, Eylander has an impressive resume under his gloves, having been Auburn Riverside (Wash.) High School's male athlete of the year before playing for four years at the University of Washington, from 2002-2005, where he shared starting in his final two years. He finished third in school history in career shutouts, No. 4 in saves and No. 5 in goals against average.

Eylander played the past three seasons with the USL Sounders, making 78 appearances and finishing No. 2 in career shutouts (29). Each of the past two seasons Eylander led USL1 in saves and finished second in league shutouts. He starred in the 2007 USL1 championship game, in which Seattle defeated Atlanta 4-0.

He joins Kasey Keller in the goalkeeping squad, and former USL Sounders goalkeeping coach Tom Dutra on the Seattle Sounders FC roster.

"He's not here to be solely a bench player," said Sounders FC technical director Chris Henderson. "He's a proven goalie in the USL, and had a great career here with the USL Sounders. We want to see him play. We want to see him develop because he's a professional and a hard worker."

With a goalkeeper of the caliber of Kasey Keller in front of him on the depth chart, it's going to be difficult for Eylander to break into the starting squad.

"He's one of the best in the world, if not the best," said Eylander. "He came to train with us [the USL Seattle Sounders] four or five times, and I got to work with him and learn from him. I observed him and saw his angles, his positioning and that. He's been playing for a long time, and I intend to learn from him."

It's too early to tell yet whether Eylander will be a true reserve, or if he will be splitting time with the more experienced Keller.

"That will be down to [head coach] Sigi [Schmid] and Tom Dutra," said Henderson. "When they get into camp and when they train from week to week decisions will be made. It's great to have someone of his quality to compete for a spot."

Since the first announcement of the team, co-owner Adrian Hanauer has repeatedly said he's looking for players that not just exhibit quality on the field but also integrity off the field. Henderson repeated Eylander possesses those qualities.

"He's a great guy that we're happy to have here," Henderson said. "He's professional in everything that he does."

Eylander himself, at 24, is showing responsibility to his new team. In the offseason he's been working hard to prepare himself, long before any negotiations were finished.

"I've been training with some of the Sounders guys, keeping myself fit, and working out at the gym. I've also had an operation on my ear, and had my wisdom teeth removed," he said. "I don't want anything to get in the way of doing the best possible job found the Sounders FC once training camp opens."

He's no stranger to MLS either, having played with the USL Sounders against MLS opposition in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

"The quality is a little higher than with the USL players," he said. "When they make a decision to do something, you see they do it faster and act on it faster. It makes the game quicker and more exciting."

Eylander in particular remembered facing the San Jose Earthquakes, who the Sounders defeated 2-1 on Sept. 2 in a friendly at Buck Shaw Stadium.

"Their finishers were crafty," he said, "and a good example of the type of player I'll be going up against. I'm looking forward to it and very confident I can do it. It would be cool to go up against the likes of David Beckham and some of the other superstars around this league."

The Seattle Sounders FC will begin play in their inaugural MLS season on Thursday, March 19 at Qwest Field in Seattle when they take on MLS Cup finalist New York Red Bulls in their first game.

"2008 was a crummy year for sports in Seattle," said Eylander, "but 2009 will be different. We have so many season tickets sold, and a passionate fanbase for soccer. It's great to be a part of it and I'm proud to be playing in Seattle where I grew up."