SEATTLE – Clint Dempsey said Tuesday he has no problem with the Seattle Sounders’ potential change in formation in 2016, as long as the team can make all the pieces fit.
Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid and GM and President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey have both hinted that the Sounders may shift away from their traditional 4-4-2 formation to a 4-3-3 setup following the recent arrival of Jordan Morris, the celebrated Homegrown Player and budding U.S. national team prospect.
Dempsey has spent the majority of his time in Seattle playing in a 4-4-2 formation, most often paired with fellow striker Obafemi Martins. But he said he welcomes the idea of a change as the season draws closer.
“As long as the tactics are right, as long we’re playing well and getting chances with it, it will be good,” Dempsey said. “But it’s how you play it. If you don’t play it right, you can get punished. We just have to make sure we’re working on it in preseason and see if it’s something that’s going to work for us.”
Alonso Discusses Return to Cuba
Midfielder Osvaldo Alonsoreturned to his native Cuba for the first time in eight years during the offseason, a welcome trip once thought impossible for the 30-year-old Sounders veteran.
Alonso took advantage of the improved relations between the U.S. and Cuba and traveled with his family back to his hometown of San Cristobal. Alonso defected from Cuba in 2007 before making his name with the Sounders as a club icon who has appeared in nearly 200 regular-season games since the club’s MLS debut in 2009.
“I went to the beach, I hung out with my family and friends down there,” he said. “I was happy to come back and see my old town.”
Alonso said it will be dramatically easier for him to return to Cuba in the future as relations between his native country and his adopted one continue to thaw.
Alonso battled a handful of injuries in 2015 and ultimately appeared in a career-low 22 games during the regular season. A groin injury suffered in the regular season finale kept him out of the postseason entirely.
“Now I’m 100 percent fit and I’m training with the team,” said Alonso, who added he never focused on offseason rumors he was being shopped to other teams. “I’m ready for the season.”
Roldan a Potential Starter?
Despite preseason camp featuring a crowded pack of midfielders, Schmid said he expects second-year youngster Cristian Roldan to compete for a starting spot. Roldan, 20, appeared in 22 games (11 starts) as a rookie in 2015 and platooned in the midfield and on the the backline in the postseason last year.
“He has the ability to start for us,” Schmid said. “He can play a number of positions in midfield, so from that standpoint his versatility helps him as well. He’s definitely matured in his game compared to where he was a year ago, there’s definitely been a good jump and a big improvement.”
Schmid added that Roldan could play either in an attacking midfielder role or potentially as a holding midfielder if the need arises during the season.
Veteran Goalkeepers In Camp
Schmid confirmed this week that two MLS goalkeepers with ties to the area – SeaTac native Tally Hall and former Sounder Josh Ford – are both in camp to train with the club.
Hall spent six seasons with the Houston Dynamo and started in the 2011 and 2012 MLS Cups with the team before sustaining a season-sending ACL tear last year while with Orlando City. He’s currently out of contract.
Ford spent four seasons with the Sounders from 2011-14 but never appeared in any regular-season games. Both players are working out with Sounders goalkeeper coach Tom Dutra, but Schmid made clear that neither is being considered for a roster position.
“There’s a distinction between training and trialing,” Schmid said. “They’re training.”
