SEATTLE — The Blaise Nkufo era didn’t last long for the Seattle Sounders.
The team announced just hours before its season opener against the Los Angeles Galaxy Tuesday that Nkufo — a former Swiss star and one of the team’s designated players — is no longer with the c
lub.
Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said the decision was made earlier in the week that the team and the player would “mutually” part ways.
“It was a mutual decision that it was probably good to move on at this stage,” Schmid said after the Sounders lost to the Galaxy 1-0. “It wasn’t working in terms of his situation and our situation. But it was very mutual, there were no problems, no issues, there was no problem with professionalism.”
Nkufo is the second designated player to leave Seattle unceremoniously. The Sounders traded Freddie Ljungberg to Chicago last season as both the player and club grew apart.
The loss of Nkufo, who made $480,000 in 2010 for Seattle and was on the books for $335,000 in cap space this season, leaves the Sounders with two designated players: Fredy Montero and Alvaro Fernandez. Teams are allowed to carry three. Besides opening up a spot for Seattle to potentially sign another player later in the season, it also opens up salary cap space for the team.
“It gives us an opportunity to address other needs if we see them immediately or during the summer if that’s something we’re interested in,” Sounders general manager Adrian Hanauer said. “It creates a lot of options.”
The details of Nkufo’s status are being negotiated between the team, the player’s representatives and MLS. With Ljungberg, the club was able to work out a trade with Chicago when things went sour, though Hanauer wouldn’t speculate if the same situation could develop with Nkufo. It’s been speculated that Nkufo wanted to join the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps as his family lives in Vancouver. The Whitecaps currently have one designated player on their roster, Eric Hassli of France.
Before signing with Seattle, Nkufo spent seven seasons with Holland’s FC Twente, where he was the club’s career leader in goals. Nkufo spent the summer playing for the Swiss National Team in the World Cup before coming to the Sounders, where he scored five goals in 16 games.
The Sounders were the 11th club that Nkufo played for in his career, and was likely the last. Schmid said in February that Nkufo was planning on retiring at the end of his 18-month contract with the Sounders.
While Hanauer wouldn’t get into specifics about why things didn’t work out, he did say that the development of forward O’Brian White and the impending return from injury of forward Nate Jaqua would create a playing-time situation for the team. He also said that because of league rules, the club would not have been able to part with Nkufo if the move hadn’t been made prior to the first game.
“This was mutual but was unlikely to happen if we didn’t feel that ultimately we’re going to be a better team in the long run,” Hanauer said.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
