Dave Clark / Sounder At Heart 2 hours ago 
Denso Ulysse and 12 other players return to S2 in 2019
The USL squad is parting ways with five others. After earning recognition as a All-USL second team right back, and making the 20-Under-20 list for the league, Denso Ulysse inked a new contract with Seattle Sounders’ USL organization. The speedy right back will be able to flash along the touchline at Cheney Stadium under the new identity for the Rainiers/Sounders partnership in the USL Championship. Nick Hinds, Shandon Hopeau, Antonee Burke-Gilroy, and Jesse Daley all had options picked up. Former Academy players (some still young enough that they still play USSDA matches) Sam Rogers,...
Sounder At Heart 2 hours ago
9 things we learned from the Sounders annual business meeting
From Car Shows to ticket sales, the club is focusing on an improved 2019 SEATTLE — While the biggest news at Tuesday’s Alliance Business Meeting was general manager Garth Lagerwey’s retention from the fan vote, here were some other tidbits that stood out from the evening: 1) Jersey woes; approval process is “ridiculous” Remember that kit you didn’t love? Well, it turns out, the front office may not have been overly enamored with it either. Sounders Alliance Council VP Stephanie Steiner had some strong words when asked about the kit selection process. “Will the process for...
Sounder At Heart 8 hours ago
Garth Lagerwey retained in Sounders GM vote
Lagerwey received 87 percent support, though only 37 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. SEATTLE — To the surprise of virtually no one, Seattle Sounders fans voted overwhelmingly to retain Garth Lagerwey as the team’s general manager. Although the vote failed to reach the 40 percent threshold — 37.2 percent of eligible voters cast a vote — that would have made the results binding, 87.3 percent of the ballots cast were in support of Lagerwey. That’s not quite as high as the 96.3 percent support that Adrian Hanauer received during the first GM vote in 2012, when 41.7 percent...
Dave Clark / Sounder At Heart Nov 13, 2018 
Sounders 2019 End of Year Business Meeting open thread
The team will reveal the results of the GM Vote. President of Soccer and General Manager Garth Lagerwey’s first ever GM vote will be revealed during Tuesday night’s Seattle Sounders FC Annual Business Meeting. That is the key event scheduled in the yearly tradition that will involve representatives of portion of the ownership group as well as the Alliance Council. Council will also report on their activities for 2018 and host the Q&A from submitted questions. Topics will probably include things like the stadium, turf, broadcasting, beer, Sounders FC 2’s move to Tacoma and other...
Sounder At Heart Nov 13, 2018
Response to player apologies reminds us of the good side of social media
There was virtually unanimous support for Osvaldo Alonso and Will Bruin. As disappointed as we all were with Thursday’s loss, it almost goes without saying that the players felt it even more viscerally. It’s possible no two players felt worse than Osvaldo Alonso and Will Bruin, the two Seattle Sounders who missed their penalties in the decisive shootout. Both went so far as to issue apologies on Twitter. I’m sorry Seattle — Will Bruin (@wbruin) November 9, 2018 I'm sorry Seattle, thanks for always supporting us. — Osvaldo Alonso (@OzzieAlonso) November 9, 2018 As...
Sounder At Heart Nov 13, 2018
Stefan Frei wins MLS Save of the Year
We did it! Stefan Frei may have been robbed of his rightful Goalkeeper of the Year award, but at least Seattle Sounders fans delivered him the 2018 MLS Save of the Year for his still unbelievable stop on Shkëlzen Gashi. SUPER. STRETCH. STEF.@Stefan24Frei takes 2018 Save of the Year honors! pic.twitter.com/fBIjYfa1c6— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 13, 2018 The save wasn’t just great because of the skill required to pull it off, but because of when it happened. The Sounders were leading the Rapids 2-1 late in their road affair and desperately needed the three points if they...
Sounder At Heart Nov 13, 2018
Three sounders called up for international duty
Raul Ruidiaz, Nicolas Lodeiro and Gustav Svensson are all headed abroad to represent their countries. In the wake of their exit from the postseason, three Seattle Sounders have been called up by their respective national teams for international duty. Raul Ruidiaz (Peru), Nicolas Lodeiro (Uruguay) and Gustav Svensson (Sweden) will all be busy next week. Ruidiaz will travel to his native Peru for friendlies against Ecuador and Costa Rica on Thursday and Nov. 20, respectively. Lodeiro has a longer journey overseas for La Celeste, heading to London for a high-profile friendly against Brazil...
Sounder At Heart Nov 12, 2018
Postgame Pontifications: The least-satisfying win ever
The Sounders’ dominated in just about every way, but fall to the Timbers. It’s now almost five days after the Seattle Sounders’ 2018 campaign came to a rather abrupt stop and, to be entirely honest, I’m still not quite sure how I feel about it. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t some measure of relief. As someone who writes about this team almost everyday regardless of the news cycle, there’s a measure of relief that comes with the team being eliminated a full month earlier than in the past couple years. But as someone who still has an open rooting interest in them, I need to...
Dave Clark / Sounder At Heart Nov 11, 2018 
Sounder at Heart’s 2018-19 offseason calendar
We aren’t going away and we hope you don’t either. While we are still putting a bow on the final game of the 2018 season (18-11-5, +15 in MLS regular season; 1-1-0 in MLS Cup Playoffs; 2-2-0 in CONCACAF Champions League; 0-1-0 in US Open Cup) there’s a lot of planning going into what some people call the offseason. Things might slow down a little at Sounder at Heart, but not much. There are still season recap stories to come from Ride of the Valkyries and our coverage of Sounders FC 2 (Tacoma). While both of their seasons ended some time ago, those writers turned their eyes towards...
Dave Clark / Sounder At Heart Nov 11, 2018 
Chad Marshall makes 4th MLS Best XI
His other appearances were the year he won the Chad Marshall Defender of the Year (2008, 2009, 2014). While Chad Marshall was not named 2019 MLS Defender of the Year, writers, players and club executives did reward him with a 4th appearance on the MLS Best XI. Marshall’s first appearance was back in 2008 with the Columbus Crew. He now has two Best XIs with each of the two teams he’s played for from 2004-present. Marshall is joined on the backline by Aaron Long (Defender of the Year) and Kemar Lawerence, both of the New York Red Bulls. Zach Steffen (Keeper of the Year for some reason)...
Sounder At Heart Nov 9, 2018
Sounders reflect on “crazy” playoff match
The players know Thursday was special, even in the wake of a bitter defeat SEATTLE — It may have ended in a loss, but the fact that something very special happened at CenturyLink Field on Thursday night was not lost on the Seattle Sounders. The five-goal, penalty kick-decided Western Conference semifinal against the Portland Timbers may go on to be remembered as one of the best matches in league history. “That was a crazy game,” Sounders forward Will Bruin said after the match. “It’s going to sting for a while for me, personally, but that’s how it goes in the playoffs. Sometimes...
Sounder At Heart Nov 9, 2018
Sounders won’t be exposed to this expansion draft
New rule says teams who lost players in last draft won’t be in danger of losing another in this one. This year’s MLS Expansion Draft will be significantly less stressful than past iterations for the Seattle Sounders. According to the rules of FC Cincinnati’s draft, which were released on Friday, teams that lost a player last year won’t be exposed to this one. Since 2014, each round of expansion has involved two incoming clubs selecting players from the eligible player list, therefore, for the purpose of the Expansion Draft, LAFC and FC Cincinnati are considered a single round of...
Sounder At Heart Nov 9, 2018
Five quick numbers that explain Sounders’ wild playoff loss to Portland
The only stat that matters is goals, but here are a few others to ponder. SEATTLE — After one of the wildest matches in MLS Cup Playoffs history, the Seattle Sounders fell to the Portland Timbers in a penalty shootout after a 4-4 aggregate score after extra time. The Sounders fought valiantly, tying the match up multiple times. Obviously the goals are the only numbers that really matter in the end, but a few others stand out on the stat sheet that tell the story of this heartbreaking result. 51 - Timbers clearances Compare this to the 10 clearances made by the Sounders over 120+ minutes....
Sounder At Heart Nov 9, 2018
Sounders vs. Timbers, Leg 2: Highlights, stats and quotes
“I think one constant from all the ups and downs was, again, the mentality of that group, the fight of that group. When it went low, they picked themselves up. During the highs, you could just tell. You could just see on the field that they were in that moment.” -Brian Schmetzer Match Data SUMMARY Seattle Sounders FC 3 (4) - Portland Timbers 2 (4) Portland Advances 4-2 via Penalty Kicks Thursday, November 8, 2018 Venue: Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field Referee: Jair Marrufo Assistants: Ian B. Anderson, Eduardo Mariscal Fourth Official: Robert Sibiga VAR: Chris Penso Attendance:...
Sounder At Heart Nov 9, 2018
Winners & Losers: Sounders 4, Other Team 4 (agg.)
Sounders’ season ends in heartbreaking fashion I’m pretty sure I just witnessed the greatest MLS game ever and I hope I never think about it again. I hope that Will Smith’s character in Men in Black comes up to me with that memory eraser thing and wipes away any memory of it. At least for now. That one hurts. Winners Neutral Fans As I said, that was one hell of a match. Wish I didn’t have a horse in the race—or I wish my horse had won. I would likely enjoy it a lot more. Go figure. The Other Team Portland players are convinced they just won, but they're just finding out...
