McCarthy's Musings: Work Left for Seattle

By Kyle McCarthy

While most of the American soccer community focused on Columbus ahead of tonight's U.S. - Mexico World Cup qualifier, Seattle flew below the radar and made two moves that will impact its senior roster heading into the 2009 campaign.

Sounders FC acquired Tyrone Marshall from Toronto FC to plug a gap in the center of its defense. Toronto acquired allocation money in exchange for Marshall. Seattle also is in the process of dealing Khano Smith to New York to recoup some of the allocation dollars lost by purchasing Marshall, according to Soccer by Ives and the New York Post.

In making these two deals, Seattle exposes the strengths and weaknesses of its roster.

Sounders FC shows its depth by its willingness to deal Smith, a legitimate starter for most teams on the left wing. Smith's pace and willingness to run at fullbacks unsettles defenses, but he wasn't a great fit for Sounders FC because he struggles with his service. Seattle head coach Sigi Schmid likes consistent wide players who can serve balls into the box and Smith doesn't fit the prototype.

Despite the stylistic clash between Smith's raw pace and Schmid's preference for a more complete winger, Smith might have remained on the Seattle roster if not for the presence of Steve Zakuani – who can play out wide left and will likely see most of his time out there this season – and, according to training camp reports, Sanna Nyassi. The depth on the left wing gave Seattle the cover to deal a player that they didn't appear to want at any point since selecting him in the Expansion Draft.

If the willingness to deal Smith reveals Seattle's cover on the left, Marshall's arrival exposes a soft underbelly in central defense. Marshall formed a mediocre center back pairing with Marco Velez last season in Toronto and the TFC brass desperately wanted to bring in upgrades at that position. At this point in his career, Marshall dives in far too recklessly and lacks the consistency expected from a veteran defender.

Despite the flaws that make him an average to below-average MLS centerback, Marshall looks assured to start for Seattle on opening day barring the acquisition of two more central defenders. Marshall is clearly the best of the current options. Tyson Wahl impressed few in Kansas City last season and he's the nominal starter alongside Marshall at this point. Taylor Graham should provide some decent depth, but shouldn't be relied upon as a starter. USL1 veteran Danny Jackson probably won't stick.

Efforts to upgrade the position haven't paid off yet. Jeff Parke's reluctance to sign deprives Seattle of a better option than anything currently in-house, while the whispers about bringing in Costa Rican international Roy Miller on loan from Rosenborg have died down in recent weeks. Marshall's arrival doesn't diminish the need for more options, even if Schmid thinks he can restore Marshall to the form he showed when the two worked together in Los Angeles.

Around the League

- San Jose finalized a deal to acquire Bobby Convey on Tuesday. Considering some of the players who have gone at the top of the allocation list in recent times, San Jose has to feel lucky that Convey fell right into their laps. The Quakes also won a weighted lottery for former PDL standout Pablo Campos.

- D.C. United has signed former draft pick Andrew Jacobson. Oh, and United turned back the clock and turned over the keys to Christian Gomez on Monday. My colleague Pat Walsh analyzed the move in detail.

- Read this article about Notre Dame coach Bobby Clark and the record he used to hold. A great piece of writing.

- As for tonight's game, I think the Americans will win 2-0. It might not be pretty, but World Cup qualifying rarely is.

Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSnet.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kylemccarthy@gmail.com.