The U-23s host a tryout, Bob Bradley finds a home in Norway and more from around Major League Soccer.
While the headline-makers on Friday were DeAndre Yedlin and Brad Evans getting called to U.S. National Team training camp, they weren’t the only Sounders headed to camp.
Sounders FC Academy product and University of North Carolina defender Jalen Markey was called in to the U.S. U-20 National Team camp in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. U-20 Head Coach Tab Ramos called in a 36-player squad for the camp that runs from January 3-12 and will include two intrasquad scrimmages.
Markey played in 58 matches over three seasons in the Sounders FC Academy system, playing the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons with the U-16 team and the 2012/13 season with the U-18 team before heading to the University of North Carolina, where he red-shirted his freshman season. Markey was also a mainstay with the U.S. U-18 squad and played in tournaments in Portugal and Holland.
A Renton native and O’Dea High School product, Markey is joined at U-20 camp by University of Washington freshman midfielder Cristian Roldan, who earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors after starting all 20 matches and helping the Huskies to the Elite 8 for the first time in school history.
SOUNDERS U-23S HOST TRYOUTS
The Sounders FC U-23s will be hosting tryouts on March 8 and 9 at Starfire in Tukwila as the PDL side looks to build for the 2014 season.
Tryouts will be at Sunset Chevrolet Stadium in Sumner, Washington, with two sessions on Saturday, March 8, and one for invited players on Sunday, March 9.
“There are many exciting opportunities for players coming this year. The tryout process becomes a great place to find the players to fill these opportunities. We are excited to see the local and regional talent in March,” said Sounders FC U-23 Head Coach Darren Sawatzky.
While affiliated with Sounders FC, the tryouts are for the U-23 side and open to any players over the age of 18.
To register, visit www.SoundersU23.com.
BRADLEY HEADS TO NORWAY
Former U.S. National Team Head Coach Bob Bradley was once sought by Vancouver Whitecaps FC, but will instead ply his trade with Stabaek in Norway, where he was announced as the new head coach on Friday.
Bradley most recently coached Egypt’s National Team through the World Cup qualifying process, but fell to Ghana in a playoff. He coached the U.S. National Team from 2006-2011, leading it to a quarterfinal appearance in the 2010 FIFA World Cup where they too fell to Ghana. Before that he spent nine seasons as a head coach in MLS with the Chicago Fire, MetroStars and Chivas USA.
He compiled a 43-25-12 record with the U.S. National Team and a 24-7-5 record with Egypt. He ranks fourth on the all-time wins list in MLS with 124, behind Sigi Schmid, Bruce Arena and Dominic Kinnear.
AROUND MLS
There were two player transactions on Thursday worth noting from Eastern Conference teams – former USL Sounder Josh Gardner signed a new contract with Sporting Kansas City, returning with the MLS Cup champions for a second season after playing eight matches with them in 2013. Previously, he played with the LA Galaxy from 2004-2006, the Sounders in the USL from 2007-2008, the Carolina Railhawks in 2009 and 2010, then the Columbus Crew in 2011 and Montreal Impact in 2012.
Also, the New York Red Bulls announced that they parted ways with defender Markus Holgersson, ending the Swedish center back’s two-year stay in New York.
