Seattle MLS fans, keep an eye on the Sounders

If you were wondering why Seattle MLS co-owner Adrian Hanauer decided to have the USL Seattle Sounders play in 2008 after it was initially believed that the team wouldn't play next year, you can credit a shrewd bit of negotiating on Hanauer's part.

According to sources, Hanauer, who also owns the Sounders, basically told MLS that if the new Seattle MLS team would not be able to retain the rights of any of the Sounders players then he was going to disband the reigning USL champions after the 2007 season. MLS, wanting there to be a soccer presence in the city the year before MLS Seattle started in 2009, relented and now Seattle MLS will be granted the rights to between five and eight players from the Sounders 2008 roster. The league is still working out the final number of players, but MLS Seattle will have Sounders players without having to use discovery options to acquire them.

Hanauer did make mention of the development in this Seattle Post-Intelligencer story. In essence, the 2008 Seattle Sounders will work as a feeder team for Seattle MLS, a factor that will suddenly make the USL club a more attractive proposition for young prospects looking to break into MLS, and a benefit that should help make Seattle stronger than your typical expansion team once it begins play in 2009. It is safe to say that Hanauer is already off to a good start as the expansion MLS team's general manager/co-owner.

What do you think of this development? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

[Nick]

It makes sense. Why invest in a feeder system when it already exists? What a great power play by Seattle.

[Bill]

I think its great. the MLS should pursue this further. Maybe create a farm system with USL sides. Grouping an MLS team with teams from each division in the USL. With the strict limits on roster size, this could possibly solve our troubles in international comps. In a sense it kind of expands each teams roster.

[Ben S]

Is there anything prohibiting the Seattle ownership keeping the Sounders in the USL after 2009 and using it almost as a reserve team?

[Ed]

How about the expansion draft? Will they only have 5 picks or something similar? Seems a little unfair to have a full draft and keep the best players from a USL team.

[EmeraldCityGooner]

Ben - there is nothing prohibitng them from doing that. I think it might get a little overwhelming for folks to have a reserve squad to support and a full USL-1 squad. However, if they could bypass having to have a reserve squad and instead stay in USL-1 that would be a lot more tempting. The USL-1 squad probably would have to charge for matches unlike reserves so it would be hard to guage attendance.

[dwbpnm]

I'd guess the deal for an expansion team requires that the USL team disband. If not they'd be free to keep running the USL squad but they would have to use MLS draft picks and discovery options to get the MLS rights for all the players if they wanted it to be a reserve team. Under this scenario Seattle could draft 2-3 players a year who they never sign to an MLS contract and instead could sign to a USL contract. They'd then have two seasons to develop these players enough to warrant an MLS deal. But they couldnt move players back and forth freely(unless MLS changed some rules which they've never done before). This all would be a huge financial drain on the owners though since they'd get almost no one to come to games and USL teams aren't that cheap to run. Granted if it imporved the MLS squad maybe it would lead to higher MLS attendance to make up for the expense.

[Lalique]

I'm in agreement with Ed - it seems these cherry-picked discovery selections are more valuble than anything obtained in the Expansion draft (what's to keep them from signing a player that normally would be of the quality required to enter a weighted lottery). The USL doesn't have the same salary constraints as MLS, so they can lure players for the coming year and already have a "lock" on them for MLS.

[Tim F.]

If I understand it correctly, this makes the USL squad basically a reserve team that the MLS club can tap into at the beginning of its first year.

MLS reserve squads should play in the USL.

[Hincha Tim]

A very smart, shrewd move by the Seattle owners. It's good to see that they have an intelligent game plan for success from the beginning. I've said from the beginning that retaining core players from the USL Sounders with a few well placed additions in key positions will be their best bet for success and rev of additional fan interest, who will have additional reasons to support "their" team that they already know. If they are doing this, its only another reason to keep the Sounders name. If they want to "Europeanize" the name call it FC Sounders or Atletico Sounders, or whatever.

[eastlachiva]

Brilliant freakin' idea, Seattle. Good for them. This should be the norm.

[Nick]

This is really a great idea. It helps with the player strain of adding a new team. Plus, there will already be a core of players that will have played together so they are less likely to be terrible their first year out. I'm not saying they'll be great, but at least they'll have something to work off of.

Just a note on the comments above, many MLS teams do have reserve teams playing in the USL, they just aren't USL-1. They are usually PDL or Y-League teams.

This brings up another question, who will the coach be and will they start next year or 2009?

[GOALSeattle.com]

Hanauer has said that league rules do not allow for owning a USL-1 club and MLS club at the same time, so the USL-1 Seattle team will be relocating or folding. A PDL club might play under the MLS club umbrella someday. Seattle's USL-1 coach in 2007 will be Brian Schmetzer. The MLS club hopes to name a coach by next September, or earlier if someone they really love becomes available. I'd still project Schmetzer as the favorite for the MLS gig.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

A brilliant move however it does give Seattle the possibility of having a significant leg up on other teams. Since this league seems to be at least giving the guise of treating teams equally, some sort of ammendment needs to be made. As for what that should be, i have no clue...

I do agree with Eastlachiva that this should be the norm as far as teams are concerned. I guess thats prob where the developmental schools/teams are trying to go...

[kpugs]

It makes sense...but is yet another example of MLS not treating all teams equally or fairly.

In other news...the Columbus and San Jose franchises, beginning immediately are feeder clubs for L.A. Galaxy who were just awarded their 6th and 7th DP slots by the league. Well done!

[Nick]

@kpugs
But they are the jewel of the MLS, they can do whatever they want!

[alex]

This is a system that makes sense. The expansion draft is a joke. You create a situation where nobody has any incentive to create depth beyond the starting 11, and teams end up with random players they just end up shuffling for trade value.

[Haig]

Fine with me-- they can bring up their whole team, as long as they accordingly waive their right to an expansion draft.

[VictorM]

I believe MLS rules won't allow an ownwer to own an MLS team and an USL team. By 2009, Hanauer will have to fold the Sounders or sell them.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

the loss to the expansion draft seems like a pretty reasonable idea. Perhaps if they take 8 guys from the Sounders they lose 8 spots from the draft?

[WreckingCrew]

I don't see the big deal with them bring the whole team up, maybe they will get better players signed this year but have you looked at the roster on the website now Taylor Graham, Roger Levesque, Leighton O'Brien, Josh Gardner, Danny Jackson, Noah Merl to name a few I recall that have had a chance in the MLS and have ended up back in the USL. This was a championship team last year and there maybe is a player or two that any MLS team would really care about.

[JesseMT]

I'm looking forward to watching Sebastien Le Toux run circles around MLS defenders in 2009.

[Laurie]

I LOVE this. Particularly if we can hold on to Le Toux. Expansion teams' first years are a joke. This levels the playing field a bit.

[Jon Jon]

^
^
For Real

[Laurie]

WreckingCrew, don't be so quick to dismiss Seattle. They demolished both Chivas and Colorado in the US Open Cup and held their own with Dallas, and they had a prettier playing style than any MLS side I saw this year.

[Dominghosa]

I'm sorry, but this is hilarious:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=500604&in_page_id=1773