TUKWILA — If the Seattle Sounders’ last offseason was defined by a significant roster overhaul following a disappointing finish to the 2013 season, then these past few months have been notable for the relative lack of change.
DeAndre Yedlin, the homegrown star who burst onto the scene in last year’s World Cup, is the only regular starter from last year’s team who isn’t back, having moved on to the English Premier League with Tottenham.
So while the 2015 Sounders, who open their season Sunday against New England, will look a lot like last year’s team, things will look quite a bit different with their defense because of Yedlin’s departure, as well as a new strategy at center back.
In perhaps their most significant offseason addition, the Sounders signed 32-year-old Tyrone Mears, a veteran of the English Premier League, to replace Yedlin at right fullback. And after using a few different options at center back last year alongside Chad Marshall, who was named the MLS defender of the year in his first season with Seattle, the Sounders appear to be ready to open the season with longtime midfielder Brad Evans playing yet another new position.
In other words, a team that is mostly all about stability still has some adjusting to do along its back line that will likely feature two new starters. When Sounders coach Sigi Schmid was asked about what he hopes to get done in the team’s final week of preparation, he said, “just making sure we’re where we want to be defensively in terms of covering and closing gaps. In preseason there have been a couple of times where we’ve taken soft goals that we didn’t need to take.”
The good news for the Sounders is that they aren’t filling two spots with rookies or random free agents with suspect resumes. Evans, one of Seattle’s veteran leaders and a member of the team going back to its inaugural season in 2009, has long been the team’s most versatile player, playing all over the midfield and at times at right back, and even briefly at center back in a pinch. He played primarily as a right back during recent stints with the U.S. national team, and also played a bit of center back going way back to his time on the U.S. under-20 national team, which was coached by Schmid.
Mears, meanwhile, got his start with Manchester City and has played in the Premier League with West Ham United, Derby County, Burnley, and most recently Bolton Wanderers. He also spent time with Marseille in France’s Ligue 1.
“Obviously Ty knows what he’s doing,” goalkeeper Stefan Frei said. “He has been playing in the back for a while. Brad’s been all over the shop, but he’s a really good professional. … He has really been adapting, trying to figure out the differences between defending in midfield and defending in the back four. He has been doing really good, and I think as a defensive unit we’ve been getting better throughout the preseason, and I think we’re there.
Frei went on to say having a player of Mears’ experience is “great,” for a defense still trying to figure things out, “It’s also good for the young guys, because it gives them a chance to learn from him. He’s been with some big clubs and has tons of experience, so for some younger guys to just see what he brings to the table and learn from him, and also, they’re not going to get tossed in the cold water like that.”
And while Mears may not have quite the speed of Yedlin — very few players in the world do — he too is an attack-minded right fullback who will get involved in Seattle’s offense.
“I’ve always been a really attacking fullback, but my last manager at Bolton tried to turn me into a more of a defensive fullback to fit into his system,” he said. “That was difficult, but I guess I learned a lot more defensive skills. But my game’s all about getting up and down, so hopefully I can get back to doing that here.”
In an odd twist, Mears might not be opening the season in the Sounders’ starting lineup if not for what he saw while attending one of their worst losses of the 2014 season. After his contract ran out with Bolton, Mears was vacationing in Los Angeles last summer when the Sounders extended an invitation to come train with them. He made a good impression on the practice field, and the organization, as well as their fans’ dedication even in a 3-0 loss to Los Angeles, got his attention.
“I was on holiday in LA. I got a call to come here, just to keep fit really, it wasn’t me really looking to come and play here,” he said. “It opened my eyes. Maybe if I went to a different team, maybe I wouldn’t have been interested in coming, but because I came to a game, I saw the support, I saw how this club was set up, and I was really, really impressed with it. I don’t think it was MLS, it was more Seattle that opened my eyes.”
Now Mears, Evans and a new-look back four will try to do their part on a team that otherwise enters the 2015 season largely unchanged.
“It’s going to take time,” Mears said. “We can’t get perfect in preseason, not even the guys who have already been here playing next to each other. It doesn’t come perfectly that quickly; it takes games, but the most important thing is that we are improving, and as long as we finish the season strong to go into the playoffs, that’s the main thing.”
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com
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