The Seattle Sounders have gotten younger.
Not long after the club won its first MLS Cup title in December, Sounders General Manager and President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey stressed the need for more youth. His offseason moves so far have reflected that ethos.
Fourteen players from the Sounders’ 2016 roster are no longer with the team. The club did not extend the contract options on Oalex Anderson, Michael Farfan, Erik Friberg, Andreas Ivanschitz, Darwin Jones, Damion Lowe, Charlie Lyon, Tyrone Mears, Jimmy Ockford, Dylan Remick, Nathan Sturgis and Nelson Valdez, while Herculez Gomez and Zach Scott retired.
The average age of the 14 departed players is 28.4 years old.
The 10 players the Sounders have acquired in the offseason so far — Seyi Adekoya, Kyle Bjornethun, Will Bruin, Bakie Goodman, Bryan Meredith, Brian Nana-Sinkam, Dominic Oduro, Harry Shipp, Jake Stovall and Henry Wingo — have an average age of 22.9 years old, which makes them 5.5 years younger than those not returning.
(Note: All ages are when the acquisitions were made. For instance, the Sounders drafted Dominic Oduro when he was 21. He has since turned 22.)
The transactions so far have dropped the Sounders’ overall average age from 27.4 years old in 2016 to 25.2 in 2017.
