SEATTLE – Sounders FC takes pride in its supporters acting as a 12th man at CenturyLink Field. On Saturday in a friendly against Tottenham Hotspur, Seattle will have a 12th man of a different kind as Xander Bailey will start in the international friendly.
Bailey joined Sounders FC this week as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, officially signing with the club and joining the team for training on Friday. He will start in the midfield and wear No. 45 in addition to Seattle’s 11 others in the starting lineup for Head Coach Sigi Schmid.
Stefan Frei will start in goal in the exhibition match behind a back four of DeAndre Yedlin on the right, Jalil Anibaba on the left and a central pairing of Chad Marshall and Zach Scott.
In the midfield, Osvaldo Alonso and Gonzalo Pineda will start in the middle with Lamar Neagle and Marco Pappa in the wide roles. Bailey will serve as a fifth midfielder, playing in a central attacking role.
Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins will start at forward for Seattle, providing a duo that has six goals and five assists in 18 matches against Tottenham Hotspur between them.
Bailey, 18, came to Seattle from West Virginia where he most recently played in the PDL for the King’s Warriors reserve team.
Sounders FC XII – Stefan Frei, DeAndre Yedlin, Chad Marshall, Zach Scott, Jalil Anibaba, Lamar Neagle, Osvaldo Alonso, Gonzalo Pineda, Marco Pappa, Xander Bailey, Clint Dempsey, Obafemi Martins.
