SEATTLE -- Anyone who has lived through a Seattle winter knows the feeling of dreariness, the endemic malaise that seeps into all aspects of life. The sun disappears for so long, one forgets what it's like to feel its warmth.
But then the most amazing thing happens. March rolls around and out of nowhere, the clouds part. The blue sky greets the city one morning and, at that moment, everyone knows summer is on its way.
If you compare Seattle's recent sports history to one of its winters, then the March 19 opening game against the New York Red Bulls is that first day of sunshine. The importance of MLS First Kick is not lost on the players.
"We talked about that ... the specialness and the uniqueness of this whole thing. We talked about what a special night it's going to be on March 19th," coach Sigi Schmid said. "It's a night that none of the players will ever forget and none of the staff will ever forget.
"We're very excited. The guys are chomping at the bit to show the fans what we can do."
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SIGHTS & SOUNDS
Sounders FC enters Seattle's sports landscape at a uniquely miserable point in its history. In just the past year, the Sonics were relocated to Oklahoma, the Mariners limped to another last-place finish amid contentious in-fighting, and the University of Washington football team failed to win a single game. Even the NFL's Seahawks, the city's most successful franchise in recent times, stumbled to an abysmal 4-12 record.
With no hope on the horizon for any of these teams, Seattle fans were looking for something -- anything -- to get excited about. And when the MLS granted the Emerald City its expansion team way back in November 2007, Seattle's citizens embraced the team and circled opening night as that sunny March day.
To date, more than 20,000 season tickets have been sold. Amazingly, 10,000 of those were sold within a month after the announcement, a full 15 months from the team's first competitive match. To accommodate the extra fans, the organization recently expanded the soccer-ready capacity of the Qwest Field from 24,500 to 27,700 for the 2009 season. The opening night configuration against the New York Red Bulls will seat 32,400.
Even with the tremendous excitement in mind, goalkeeper Kasey Keller cautions against making this season more than what it is.
"We can't worry about the other teams in Seattle. We just have to go out and be as good as we can possibly be," Keller said. "Whenever you try to create something special, you will come up short. Instead you have to prepare to play well, and if you do something good will come from it."
With regards to preparation, Seattle has rattled off several wins in the preseason without designated player Freddie Ljungberg, who rejoined the team when they returned from Argentina. Offensively, forwards Fredy Montero and Nate Jaqua combined for 16 goals in the preseason. However, Schmid is quick to acknowledge that preseason games against college teams and free agents do not approximate the level of competition in the regular season.
"When the bell goes off for the real thing -- that's when we'll really be able to evaluate the team," Schmid said. "We get close to it in the preseason and I've like what I've seen, but until we get into the real thing we won't know for sure."
Coming into the season there are still some huge question marks. Of the midfielders and defenders likely to play on opening night, only two (James Riley and Tyrone Marshall) have extensive MLS experience to their credit. The defensive line has been cobbled together at the last moment.
The issues continue. Center back Taylor Graham, who is one of the only team members fluent in English and Spanish, suffered a broken foot in the preseason. Seattle had only two preseason matches on the Qwest Field turf before opening the season in front of a national television audience and over 30,000 screaming fans.
"It will take us 7-8 games into the year (to develop team cohesion). Once we get into the true competition and the true battles, we'll be able to see how people react under pressure," Schmid said, adding that every experience for Sounders FC is a new experience. "We can try to replicate it in the preseason, but it's not the same thing."
Even with all those distractions, the team has made significant progress. The roster is finally set and the probable starters have had the chance to play with each other several times in preseason. In Argentina the team sat together and set their goals for the 2009 campaign, including an ambitious target for an MLS expansion team.
"Our goal is to make the playoffs. We would be the first team to do that since 1998," Schmid said.
Seattle's placement in the Western Conference makes this goal all the more achievable -- last season, three teams (San Jose, Los Angeles, and Dallas) failed to reach double-digits in the win column.
While it's not possible to draw conclusions from the handful of preseason contests, a few things look certain heading into the 2009 season.
Attacking would have to be Seattle's strong point. Led by Fredy Montero and Nate Jaqua, Seattle's offense is capable of scoring in bunches. Jaqua's proven himself as a goal-scorer in spells with Houston and Los Angeles while Montero's preseason goal tally is too high to be a fluke. The roster was built with the idea of getting forward and playing attractive, flowing soccer. Should that be the case, the Sounders could score 50 goals this season.
An emphasis on the attack can also leave them vulnerable in the back, which makes Keller that much more valuable between the posts. The skipper has displayed excellent form in the preseason -- working with longtime coach Tom Dutra has been beneficial to getting him game-sharp after a long layoff from competitive soccer.
The unique architecture of Qwest Field features an overhanging roof on each side of the playing surface, designed to keep the rain off spectators -- and keep the noise inside. During the NFC Championship game in January 2006, researchers at the nearby University of Washington Seismology Lab measured the crowd noise as a 3.0 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale. Even with an empty upper deck, Seattle looks to have one of the most imposing home-field advantages in the league.
Yet, with the absence of Ljungberg and Peter Vagenas, the center of midfield looks to be a problem area for Seattle. In preseason games, Schmid has been deploying the tandem of Osvaldo Alonso and Brad Evans in the center of midfield.
While they are both capable defensive players, Evans doesn't possess the game-breaking attacking quality of a Ljungberg. Alonso is untested -- despite his experience captaining the Cuban U-23 team in Olympic qualifying, he played last season in the USL. Vagenas and Ljungberg will join the team in Seattle, but both are at least 2-5 weeks away from match fitness, according to Schmid.
The wings are also question marks -- Sebastien Le Toux on the left is learning a new position (he played as a striker for the past two seasons). On the right, Sanna Nyassi's talent cannot hide the fact that he is a tender 20 years old. While he shows glimpses of greatness, he shouldn't be relied on to carry a team. Schmid knows that Seattle will need goals from these positions for sustained success.
And while it could evolve into a strength based on the talent, the potential lack of cohesion early in the season makes the back line a weakness. Traditionally, the back line requires the longest acclimation period. Seattle's back line still isn't solidified -- Taylor Graham's broken foot could keep him out of the opening day lineup. Talent-wise, the group of Riley, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Graham, Marshall, Patrick Ianni and Nathan Sturgis can be considered solid by MLS standards. But some breakdowns will be inevitable -- making Seattle happy to have a superb shot-blocker like Keller in net.
It seems counterintuitive that an expansion team can have high expectations, but such is the price of the strong fan support.
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