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Year in Review: Seattle Sounders

By Chris Blakely

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Now that the year 2014 in clearly in the rear view mirror, I want to take a look at the season the Seattle Sounders had in last year. There was a lot of concern at how well the team would do after letting several of their core players from the previous seasons leave the club.

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Going into the 2014 MLS season there was a lot of speculation that the Seattle Sounders could possible take a step back from their previous successful years. However, that was not to be. A team that had a whole bunch of changes in their personal went on to win two of the three major trophies in MLS.

Prior to the beginning of the season, the Sounders lost a lot of key players. The list of players lost was a bit of concern for me as I was afraid it would not be a great 2014. Here are some of the key players or vital backups that departed–Michael Gspurning, Steve Zakuani, Marc Burch, Mauro Rosales, Alex Caskey, Patrick Ianni, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, and Eddie Johnson. There are a lot of familiar names on that list and a few fan favorites–my favorites being Gspurning, Burch and Zakuani.

The Sounders in return turned around and brought in a lot of players that turned out to be huge for the club at one point or another throughout the season. That list includes the following–Stefan Frei, Chad Marshall, Kenny Cooper, Chad Barrett, Gonzalo Pineda and Marco Pappa.

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Léo Chú's Red Card Costs Seattle Sounders in Controversial Draw with Portland Timbers /

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    • It took Pappa awhile to find his grove, but once he did it was over. If not for Pappa, the Sounders possibly don’t win the Supporters Shield. Cooper and Barrett were huge for the club while Clint Dempsey was away on international duty. Pineda’s play allowed Osvaldo Alonso to stay back and do what he does best, control the midfield.

    The Sounders got back to do what they do best in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, winning the whole thing. After a disappointing previous two years, the team finally got back on their feet and defeated the Philadelphia Union in extra time to win their fourth US Open Cup in six years.

    After leading the league for most of the year, the Sounders found themselves in a tie for first with the Los Angeles Galaxy with two games to go and those two games were a home and home series against the Galaxy. The Sounders fought back from an early two goal deficit in Los Angeles and tied the game 2-2 to give themselves a chance to win the Shield on their home field. It didn’t look good early on as the Galaxy dominated possession and threw everything they had at the Sounders. Super sub Pappa came onto the pitch and the entire game changed. Pappa scored the game winner in the 85th minute and put the final nail in the coffin with his 95th minute goal.

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    The Sounders however were not able to advance to their first ever MLS Cup final even though they beat the Galaxy 2-1 that night (damn away goal). The Sounders for the most part have kept the core of their team together. They need to find another center back to pair with Marshall to help improve their defense.

    If the Sounders can improve on the defensive end and keep scoring in 2015 the way they did in 2014, the Seattle Sounders will be your 2015 MLS Cup Champions.

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