TD;DR (Oshan's predictions)

• Lodeiro probably leaves
• Rusnak probably gets renegotiated to a max-TAM level player
• Ruidíaz may get bought out or traded; he wants an extension but that would be hard to imagine
• JP probably back
• Heber probably gone unless he scores a boatload of goals in the rest of the season
• Xavi probably leaves, either by having his option declined or by having it picked up and Sounders trading him
• Hopefully Frei stays on a team friendly contract with a small pay cut
• Cleveland may be headed elsewhere to let the other keepers in the pipeline get more time at lower cost
• Rowe and Fredy probably won't be back
• Sounders will probably listen to offers for Vargas, RBW, and Leyva.
• AB is probably gone given his age and so he can get playing time elsewhere, to free up minutes for some of the Defiance CBs
• CR7 will have a bounce back year after the injuries; JMo will be back to his excellent form, Atencio needs more minutes, and Chu will be in the last year of his contract and out to prove that he deserves a big new contract.
• biggest off-season priorities: new DP 10, new number 9 (maybe somebody younger to develop while Jordan starts up top for now)

What are your thoughts?

Details in the link - almost all the content will continue to be free and in front of a paywall, but they're asking for people to subscribe to make this a sustainable long-term venture.

There are different subscription tiers, which get you access to some additional merch, tickets to live events, etc. If you want to go beyond the free tier, access to all content, newsletters, etc. will be $2/mo or $19/year. They're hoping that most people will support at their $74/year level, if in their budget.

I immediately signed up for the $74/year tier. (Disclaimer: I have no relationship at all to SaH and am just a fan). I think that we are extraordinarily lucky to have this resource, as there's almost nothing like this for any other MLS team or most sports teams in general. The depth of the journalism, the insight of the commentary, and the quality of the writing are outstanding and have contributed in a major way to my love for the Sounders over the last decade.

The big man is coming back to the PNW!

Press release

Article in La Prensa (Panamá, in Spanish; translation below)

> Panamanian defender Román Torres remains active in soccer, as he has been presented by the Tacoma Stars of the National Soccer Premier Soccer League in the United States. > > "I am very happy to sign with the Tacoma Stars and be part of this beautiful family. See you soon," said Torres, who was part of the Panamanian national team in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. > > Torres joins Tacoma from the Dallas Sidekicks, where he played seven games last season. > > "We are talking about a player who has achieved a lot in his career, representing his country at the highest levels," said Nick Perera, who is the organization's manager. > > "I am very excited to see the impact that Román will have on this Stars family, both on the field and in the locker room," added Perera. > > The experienced player is known for playing six seasons in the MLS (Major League Soccer), with the Seattle Sounders and Inter Miami. Career > > Torres won the title in the 2016 season when the Sounders defeated Toronto FC 5-4 in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw in regulation time. He also played for Chepo (Panama), San Francisco (Panama), Cortuluá (Colombia), La Equidad (Colombia), Atlético Junior (Colombia), Atlético Nacional (Colombia), Millonarios (Colombia), Cartaginés (Costa Rica), and Universitario (Panama).

Doing it as part of Kick Childhood Cancer

Hi everyone! We have hit the entirely arbitrary threshold of 100 subscribers*, so I figured a post was in order!

First, thanks to all of you for joining in on this experiment. I expect that we may see some more users as some of the Reddit-->Lemmy apps like Sync and Boost come on line too, and bring some users with them. I appreciate the posts and engagement from many of you. We've had a few good match threads, even if the matches have been... less than stellar. Give it a try and join us!

Second, please feel free to post! Many of us (me included) are habitual lurkers, especially on big forums like Reddit. Here, though, we want to hear your voices and perspective. This feels to me more like the old days of the internet, with BBS and forums driving real discussion instead of algorithm-driven clickbait. But it's only as good as the discussions themselves, and for discussion we need your thoughts and opinions. Consider commenting and posting, whenever something comes up.

Third, thanks to our nacent mod team, including PloKoop@lemmy.world and CombatWombatEsq@lemmy.world. There hasn't been much need to moderate so far, but please feel free to reach out to us with ideas or if any concerns come up.

Last, we probably all recognize that the stability of lemmy.world has been challenging as of late, due to the alpha stage of Lemmy and a series of DDOS/ other attacks. Being on the current-biggest Lemmy instance means that these downtimes may happen for now, as it seems to be a target for script kiddies. Most recently, this happened during the leagues cup game, disrupting our match thread. (Though it may have saved us from a pretty depressing discussion...) I know it's less than optimal, but hopefully it's just temporary and stability will improve over time. This thing called Lemmy is still young, after all.

Anyway, thanks again - and let's get posting!

EBFG, coys25

---------

\* I think that this doesn't count people on other instances, so who knows how many of us there really are!

Need a warm up before the Sounders? Join the match thread over at !ballard_fc@lemmy.world! The game is streaming for free on YouTube.

Second year Ballard FC takes on the Flint City Bucks, four-time USL2 champions. Will be a great match!

It's matchday!

Match: Seattle Sounders FC vs Monterrey (Leagues Cup - Group Stage)

Date: July 30, 2023

Time: 6:00 PM PDT

------------

How to watch/listen:

• Stream: Free on AppleTV; FS1; Unimás
• Radio: 93.3 KJR FM (English)
• Radio: El Rey 1360 AM (Español)

-------------

Match Previews:

• [SaH] Sounders v. Monterrey Rayados, Leagues Cup: Three Questions
• [SaH] Sounder Strategy: All or nothing against Monterrey
• [Official] MTYvSEA 101 Preview: All you need to know when the Sounders host Monterrey in Leagues Cup Group Stage on Sunday
• [MLS] Match page

---------

Match thread links

• Game day thread for all Leagues Cup matches today over on !MLS@lemmy.world - not yet posted
• Sounder at Heart match thread

-----------

Lineups

!

------------

Use this as your match thread!

A yone else here been a season ticket holder for a few years but getting burned out? I've only been to one game this year.

> I would like to win my place, according to them I still have the coach's confidence, I'm still in Seattle's plans for the future, but in a situation like that you don't want to look elsewhere and play. Mentally we try to hold on, we hold on, but after a while it will go over the top and we will have to look elsewhere […] I am waiting for this transfer window to decide what I will do, we will see with the club but the situation for me is not good at all, maybe it is good for them, they have a fourth quality defender they can keep but for me, I cannot be this player who is just waiting. I'm clearly waiting for this transfer window to have a clear idea of my future, whether it's Seattle or elsewhere.

> At some point in the match, Frei dislocated his pinkie. He apparently played through the injury and then he and goalkeeping coach Tommy Dutra basically just pushed it back into place after the game.

> Roldan apparently started feeling [concussion] symptoms after going up for a 5th-minute goal kick and catching a forearm at the base of his neck. Immediately after the collision, Roldan showed some discomfort but nothing that seemed alarming from a distance, but the symptoms only worsened as the match wore on.

Schmetz:

> “I don't have a lot,” Schmetzer opened his post-game comments with. “Other than to apologize to the fans that came from Seattle to watch us play. That was not close to our standard. We will try to correct that for our next game against Monterrey.

> “RSL out-competed us, won second balls [and] our possession was not very good. We weren’t in sync offensively.”

> “We’ll look at how we’re going to play against Monterrey [and] who’s going to play against Monterrey... We’ll get back up on the horse. There’s competitive guys that understand that we didn’t play up to our standard, and you’ll see a different team on Sunday.”

So, uh... anyone wanna buy tickets to the Monterey match?

It's matchday!

Match: Seattle Sounders FC at Real Salt Lake (Leagues Cup - Group Stage)

Date: July 22, 2023

Time: 6:30 PM PDT

------------

How to watch/listen:

• Stream: MLS Season Pass on AppleTV
• Radio: 93.3 KJR FM (English)
• Radio: El Rey 1360 AM (Español)

-------------

Match Previews:

• [SaH] Everything you need to know about the Leagues Cup
• [SaH] Leagues Cup presents the opportunity for the Sounders to 'get the lineup right'
• [SaH] Leagues Cup preview: Seattle Sounders at Real Salt Lake
• [SaH] Sounders at Real Salt Lake, Leagues Cup: Three Questions
• [Official] RSLvSEA 101 Preview: All you need to know when the Sounders visit Real Salt Lake in their first match of Leagues Cup
• [MLS] Match page

---------

Match thread links

• Game day thread for all Leagues Cup matches today over on !MLS@lemmy.world
• Sounder at Heart match thread

-----------

Lineups

!

!

------------

Use this as your match thread!

I had forgotten Alex Morgan is technically a former Sounder from her time playing with the Sounders women in 2012!

Full bracket here: !

What's your take? Valuable addition to the calendar or just another money grab causing match congestion?

As we head into the Leagues Cup on the heels of an uninspiring run of form in MLS, maybe we should look back to the best of times?

What are your all-time favorite Sounders moments?

One of mine is from 2015: the Sounders complete a comeback win against CD Olimpia in CCL at CenturyLink after a Brad Evans 90+7 PK (video). Sounders were losing in the 90th minute 1-0 after a goal by Alberth Elis in the 5th minute for the visitors. We had the run of play for the rest of the match - possession, chances, but nothing was finding the back of the net. The Concacaf shithousery started infuriatingly early, with time wasting, fake injuries, etc. from maybe the 60th minute on.

Then, Friberg scored the equalizer in the 90th minute on an unmarked back post header, and the 4th official put up a massive number for stoppage time. You could sense in the building that maybe, this time, the soccer gods were going to mete out justice for the time wasting, giving us enough time to snatch the win.

Then, in the 90+5', Dylan Remick got taken out at the top corner of the box in a clear penalty. The shenanigans continued as the Olimpia players surrounded the ref, blocked Brad from setting up the penalty, and tried to get in his head. When the players were finally cleared, up stepped The Man Who Never Missed -- and he slotted it calmly home, sending the keeper the wrong way. In the celebration, Brad ran towards the keeper and shouted some choice words, drawing a shove and setting off a fracas. Aside from the CCL and MLS cup finals, the roar when he converted the penalty was one of the loudest I've heard at CenturyLink/Lumen.

I think that this resonates with me because we had just started attending matches a year or so previously, and it was one of the first big minutes that I got to see live (after the supporters shield clinching game against LAG). It also showed off that resilience / fight and that little bit of an edge / attitude that has defined the Sounders for so long (and maybe seems to have been missing of late).

What are yours?

I think it's our turn to go to Miami next season, so I doubt it'll matter, but Garber did comment on whether Messi would play on turf, like we have at Lumen.

> “Whether or not he plays on turf is really going to be up to the player and up to Tata,” Garber said. “Now, there have been no commitments one way or the other to that. I think a lot of international stars come into Major League Soccer and they are either intrigued or concerned about not playing on grass. And then you see some of the best players who’ve ever played the game, the (Thierry) Henrys of the world and Kakas of the world, who played on turf. So I think that’s a process that will have to play out over time.”

And

> “That’s going to be the decision of every club when they do travel to those stadiums that don’t have natural grass,” Garber said. “My expectations are that that’s what they will do, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to figure all of that out. MLS promotes a lot of international games and we have been able to bring natural grass into those stadiums, but we’ve never done that for a regular season game.”

Obviously, the best case scenario is a home MLS cup final win for the Sounders over Miami at home in the final this season.

Very strong signals from Craig that there won't be anything big happening this window.

!

It's matchday!

Match: Seattle Sounders FC vs FC Dallas

Date: July 15, 2023

Time: 7:30 PM PDT

Actual Kickoff: 7:39 PM PDT per MLSKickoffTimes

------------

How to watch/listen:

• Stream: MLS Season Pass on AppleTV (free this week)
• Radio: 93.3 KJR FM (English)
• Radio: El Rey 1360 AM (Español)

-------------

Match Previews:

• [SaH] Preview: Seattle Sounders vs FC Dallas
• [SaH] Sounders hope to embody Bruce Lee’s spirit during tribute game
• [Official] Sounders FC celebrates life and legacy of Bruce Lee, global icon with deep Seattle roots, at Saturday's match
• [Official] Three matchups to watch when the Sounders host FC Dallas on Saturday
• [MLS] Match page and Matchday 26 previews (all matches)

---------

Match thread links

• Game day thread for all MLS matches today over on !MLS@lemmy.world - to be posted when available
• Sounder at Heart match thread

-----------

Lineups

! !

------------

Use this as your match thread!

It is the largest such payment received by any US club.

Jeremiah's take on the puzzling lack of rotation is a good one. I think that we all sort of felt like this result was coming yesterday - the story is too familiar.

Short rest, traveling, minimal rotation in the lineup, start quick, then someone is a step too slow and we give up a goal against the run of play. Chase the game, tired legs, chemistry breaks down as everyone tries to do too much - hold possession but without any real goal threats. Then, as everyone tires out, the balance starts to swings and we give up a second - game over.

In retrospect, it seems like the better call would have been to rotate heavily for Wednesday and save some of the vets for Saturday, I guess. But in another sense, this is down to fixture congestion and a lack of MLS honoring the international breaks, and how teams are equipped to navigate that.

I was particularly puzzled by the decision to bring Raul off the bench while surrounding him with the kids. His movement was so vital in pulling the defense around in the Vancouver match and opening up space for others to operate in. It seemed a waste to run him out when the service providers were gassed and/or subbed out?

Lost the Heritage Cup too

It's matchday!

Match: Seattle Sounders FC @ San Jose Earthquakes

Date: July 12, 2023

Time: 7:30 PM PDT

Actual Kickoff: 7:39 PM PDT per MLSKickoffTimes

------------

How to watch/listen:

• Stream: MLS Season Pass on AppleTV
• Radio: 93.3 KJR FM (English)
• Radio: El Rey 1360 AM (Español)

-------------

Match Previews:

• [SaH] Stef2 gets another start; Schmetz teases minimal rotation
• [SaH] Preview: Seattle Sounders at San Jose Earthquakes
• [SaH] Sounder Strategy: Faults in the Earthquakes
• [Official] SJvSEA 101 Preview: All you need to know when the Sounders visit the San Jose Earthquakes
• [MLS] Match page and Matchday 25 previews (all matches)

---------

Match thread links

• Game day thread for all MLS matches today over on !MLS@lemmy.world
• Sounder at Heart match thread

-----------

Lineups

! !

------------

Use this as your match thread!

This is, by far, one of my most proud moments as a father (VS Gals around 2013)

!

> After missing out on the division title by just one point last season, Ballard FC were eager to grab their first division championship this season and clinched with two league matches remaining.

No real surprises here

!

In the wild double handball sequence, Christina Unkel agrees that the first should have been a handling offense. Surprising none of us and just like @overly_sarcastic@lemmy.world predicted in the match thread.

But: three points are three points!

!

!

Obviously nothing beats The Save, but what a luxury to have a backup goalkeeper like Cleveland!

!

>Chú is the second Sounder to be named MLS Player of the Matchday this season, joining Jordan Morris (Matchday 5).

!

Beautiful little 10 minute mini-doc on Peter Kingston, one of the top players on the team, and Lesia Thetsane, Ballard team captain and Lesotho senior international team player.

If you haven't been to a Ballard FC game yet you should definitely check it out. They are tons of fun and the team is quite good (one of the best in USL2).

!

With his start last night, Nouhou became the Sounders' all time leader in appearances by a defender, passing Chad Marshall! And he's only just turned 26!

(The Sounder at Heart article and Schmetzer in his postgame comments both pointed it out, but said he was the leader in starts. I'm pretty sure it's appearances, though, based on the fbref pages for Chad and Nouhou).