Ask Walt

With the MLS Expansion Draft coming up later this month, I'd like to
open a dialogue about which 11 (then 12) players should be protected
by the Sounders. Here are my thoughts on who we should keep in the
rave green.

Alright soccer world...it's time to discuss the hot topic of technology in soccer. We'll start small so as to set the stage for the real question.

When we are out on the pitch practicing or playing, we usually don’t think we are going to get injured. But that is sometimes a reality with soccer so we have to be proactive in preventing injuries and once they occur, deal with them properly. Here is a Q&A with Amber Eubanks (MS, ATC), an athletic trainer at the University of Portland. She also works with US Soccer.

Every four years, the world stops for one month and watches the World Cup. There is no other sporting event like this on the planet. There is no other single event that can have an impact on a nation like this game. Soccer is the great equalizer. It does not know race or religion. There are few sports, if any, that can make as strong of a political statement as soccer. Even when a host country is in a state of unrest, soccer is the calming force that joins us all.

Sometimes when you own a soccer store duty calls and you can’t always watch your favorite team play a very important road game in New Jersey, well that was the case with me on Saturday as I had to travel across the Sound to head up the merchandise sales for the Kitsap Pumas soccer team’s home opener against their southern rivals the Tacoma Tide.  Though I went there to work it hardly felt that way, we had a modest booth set up selling various replica items for the home town Pumas, and would you believe it the most popular item was… you guessed it SCARVES!
    
The Pumas play at Bremerton High School which has a surprisingly nice natural grass field and the crowd of 1500+/- was loud and supportive, next to us were a couple of food vendors and a big bouncy gym in case the kids got a little bored.  Well bored they wouldn’t have been.   The Kitsap Pumas and the Tacoma Tide both play in the USL PDL or essentially the 3^rd division of the USL but you wouldn’t know by the caliber of play.  Kitsap boasts some of the best local talent this area has to offer along with some players from around the country and even some foreign players and the soccer was exciting and most of all of good quality.  Kitsap’s goalkeeper Dustyn Brim made a couple of outstanding saves in the first half and central defenders Dan Scott (younger brother of Sounder FC Zach Scott) and Taylor Hyde both were strong and tenacious but also good on the ball and played out of the back very well.  The midfield was controlled by Nik Besagno who was great both in attack and on the defensive side of the ball, I had never seen him play but had heard much about him and he did not disappoint.  At the end of the night Kitsap was the better side and won the game 3-0 but Tacoma to their credit never gave up.  I know I may be leaving out some players because I did have to work a little bit but I wanted to give a big thumbs up to the Kitsap Pumas and their coach whom many of you know, Pete Fewing, who took Seattle U to 2 national championships. He has been a good friend of mine and our store since he and I were both kids…..just ask him about the Mitre Multiplex soccer balls he used to buy from my dad!  Anyway he is doing an outstanding job with this group of players as well as so far they have yet to lose a match and even beat the Portland Timbers 3-2 just days after the Timbers beat the Sounders in the pre-season.

So if you happen to be spending a beautiful summer day over on the Kitsap Peninsula and you have a chance to check them out I highly recommend it, it’s great soccer and from meeting the players last week a great local team to support

Alright all you soccer hooligans, get ready for another Sounders FC season. With opening day just around the corner, it’s time to gear up to back our team.

Q&A with first assistant coach Brian Schmetzer

For those of you worried about Thursday nights result in the first annual Charity Shield let not your heart be troubled. These pre-season games though important to all the players is still looked upon as a "pre-season" game, a game to get your legs back playing at Qwest field and one more game not to get injured before the season starts.

I’m not one to give a shout out to just any place or thing but I have to tell you about a true “Public House” in Tacoma that I came across last month. It’s called Doyle’s and it’s just above downtown Tacoma near Stadium High School.

Why are there so many different kinds of cleats? Do they do this to confuse us? Do they find joy in giving us so many options that we can't even think straight? So what does all this mean when you are going to buy a shoe? Here's a little insight on what we offer and how it can benefit you.

Au revoir, Sebastien Le Toux. We will miss you dearly. You have brought many Sounders fans joy while watching you play. And for that, we thank you.