Pedro De la Vega Joins
De la Vega was announced as Seattle’s newest Designated Player on January 24, and though fans haven’t seen him in a match yet, he is in training with the First Team during the club’s preseason trip to Marbella. The Argentinian winger said in his introductory press conference, “I have high expectations about my performance here, but the first thing I want to do is to get into the preseason, get to spend time with my teammates, and learn from them, play with them”.
There is a question mark on both wings for Brian Schmetzer, so it’ll be integral that de la Vega starts his Sounders career on a high note. The current Sounders winger slots, to the best of our knowledge, are occupied by Léo Chú and Cristian Roldan. Those two started the Sounders’ friendly against IFK Norrköping, but de la Vega will ostensibly occupy one of those two places on opening day, and whether Chú is relegated back to the bench or Roldan is pushed centrally is the question for Schmetzer to answer.
Sounders play first friendlies in Spain
While in Spain, the Sounders began gearing up for the MLS season with a series of friendlies. Right now, they’ve got three under their belt: the first two a 3-2 victory over FK TSC Bačka on Jan. 31 and a 3-0 victory over IFK Norrköping on Feb. 4. Léo Chú, Albert Rusnák and Dylan Teves scored against Norrköping, while Georgi Minougou, Teves and Rusnák scored against Bačka. Both matches were extended games — the first a pair of 60-minute matches with a squad change at the break while the next was split into three 45-minute periods with a line change around the 70 minute mark. The third, a pair of losses (3-0 and 2-1) to Odense BK, show that they still have more to do (although Odense is currently in mid-season form, in the Danish Superliga).
Seattle has one more friendly scheduled: against USL side Sacramento Republic in Seattle on Feb. 17 at 10:00 A.M. It’s not yet clear if the match will be open to the public, but it could be streamed on Facebook Live, where the Spain friendlies were broadcast.
Danny Musovski Addition
While the Sounders squad was in Spain, General Manager Craig Waibel and Schmetzer added another forward to the squad: former LAFC and Real Salt Lake attacker Danny Musovski. He’s 28 years old and joins on a one-year deal with a team option for the 2026 season (which means that the club can decide whether to retain him for a second year).
Last year’s options behind DP forward Raúl Ruidíaz included free agent signing Héber (no longer with the club) and Fredy Montero, whose contract situation is up in the air. Musovski adds a veteran, MLS-experienced alternative to Ruidíaz and Jordan Morris up top, and will likely get rotation starts in the midst of Leagues Cup action. Brian Schmetzer called Musovski, “a player with a good attacking skill set” — and he’s got multiple seasons of MLS experience.
Musovski featured for the club in its friendly against Norrköping — he was substituted on during the third period — and played next to Ruidíaz for a time, getting in behind and nearly getting on the end of a cutback chance from Georgi Minougou. Just how important he’ll be is still up for debate, but there’s no question that he could make an impact moving forward.
Longacres Unveiled
On Feb. 13, the Sounders welcomed media to their new training facility at Longacres. Situated just across the freeway from Starfire Sports, their complex since entering MLS, Area Sports Network’s Niko Antoun toured the facility.
Tacoma Defiance announce new head coach
After Wade Webber left the Defiance to become Seattle’s Director of Development following the 2023 season, a head coaching search began. That question was answered on Feb. 6, when Hervé Diese was announced as the newest manager of the Sounders’ MLS NEXT Pro affiliate.
Hervé Diese, who spent 2023 as an assistant at CF Montreal, said in a press release on Tuesday, “I’m excited to start my next coaching journey with Tacoma Defiance and join an incredible organization… Coaching in MLS NEXT Pro requires a dual focus – not only to win games, but also to develop young players to eventually play for the First Team. Knowing the level of success that this organization expects, I welcome the challenge ahead and will hold myself to a high standard.”
The Defiance made a run to the Western Conference semifinal last season, losing out to Austin FC II at Starfire Stadium after finishing top of their division in the regular season.
Feature photo by Elisabeth Adams / Area Sports Network
Published by Owen Murray, Edited by Niko Antoun