This week while getting set to watch MLS kick into high gear I had the opportunity to think of some very profound things that some might find amusing and others not. Some people may not be as amused as I am in things like coffee shops and rain but when its rained as much in my corner of the U.S. as it has of late you tend to think of these things.
Speaking of rainy day weather our little interview tour around the A-League takes us this week to Seattle and after that I'll talk a little about some defenders that could have a huge impact on their clubs this season.
Without further ado, here's how my chat with Adrian Hanueur, Seattle Sounders GM, went:
A: What kind of new option does playing in Seahawks Stadium provide for the club?
AH: (It provides an) opportunity for increased revenue through (a) higher number of paid tickets and more interest from sponsors.
A: What was the players reaction to playing in Seahawk Stadium?
AH: Extremely positive. Coming from Memorial Stadium, this is an extremely exciting and professional venue.
A: Realistically, what type of crowd do you hope to draw based on both your initial 25K for the Whitecaps match, and what you have drawn in the past?
AH: (We) would be extremely disappointed averaging less that 4k. 4-6k would be great. Over 6k would be a home run out of the ballpark.
A: What types of marketing partnerships are you exploring with the Seahawks?
AH: (We are) only focused on tickets right now. We have a revenue share agreement on the sale of suite tickets. The Seahawks are marketing them and we split revenues. The Seahawks are also trying to help us sell into their premium seat holders.
A: Are there going to be any community outreach type programs for the Sounders this year?
AH: (We) did school assemblies in March. Next year (we) will do more of them. (We are) trying to get out in the community as much as possible.
A: How receptive have the Seahawks been to the Sounders as tenants?
AH: (They have been) very helpful. Obviously, they have their own set of challenges (selling tickets) but in general have been very supportive.
A: What types of cross-promotion are you exploring with the Seahawks?
AH: No cross promotion at this time. (We) would like (to have the) opportunity to try to sell Sounders tickets at end of the next Seahawks season.
A: Are dual appearances being looked at to try and build the Sounders profile on the partnership with the Seahawks?
AH: No. The Seahawks have been supportive but not actively involved in trying to promote the Sounders.
A: What other interesting things are you working on that play off working with the Seahawks?
AH: Very little. We will have an interesting beer garden and entertainment upon entering the stadium, but that has nothing to do with the Seahawks. It is something now available to us as we were not able to sell beer at Memorial Stadium.
A: How do you see your team in comparison to your tremendous performance from last season?
AH: We believe that we will have another very good season this year. We have most of our starting lineup returning and have added depth; Alex Bengard, Danny Jackson, Sean Henderson, Sean Michael Callahan, Herculez Gomez on loan from the Galaxy although he was injured in Saturday evening's game.
A: What have you done to try and improve over last season?
AH: We will not focus quite so much on the regular season. We will tinker during the season so that we are ready for the playoffs (assuming we make the playoffs).
A: After that tremendous regular season performance, what failed to work as well in the playoffs?
AH:We peaked at the wrong time. Clinching the conference so early was a negative. We lost our edge.
A: What is the current status of Leighton O'Brien?
AH: Leighton will play the beginning of the season with the Sounders, then most likely join Boden BK for the remainder of the season. We have Leighton's rights for 4 years so unless Leighton is sold on to a higher level European side, he will be back in Seattle in 2004.
A: Who do you expect to fill the role of the departed Brian Ching?
AH: We will not be able to completely fill the shoes of Brian Ching. We will play more direct this year and use our speed a bit more. Brian is such a great target player. He is so strong and allows other players to make runs off of him. This year, we will probably go more directly at teams with players like Jason Farrell, Darren Sawatzky, Kyle Smith, and hopefully a healthy Herculez Gomez.
A: With the Pacific Division shrinking to four teams with the departure of El Paso, how do you expect the fact that 18 games will be against the same three teams to affect the standings in the division?
AH: It should be an extremely tough division. Portland and Vancouver will of course be great rivalry games and I expect Calgary to be much improved as well. I don't believe that any team in our division will win 20 games. I think that 16-17 wins will win the division.
A: What was the rationale behind returning to the logo and team colors of the NASL Sounders for this season?
AH: The Sounders have a wonderful, storied history that many people in this region relate to. We wanted to tap into the nostalgia of the original Sounders. Those fans that have a preference mostly prefer the original logo and colors. I believe that tapping into those roots may allow us to capture some older fans who may now have children playing soccer.
A: Speaking of the NASL days which is the better rival, Portland or Vancouver, currently from the old NASL triumvirate of Sounders, Whitecaps, and Timbers?
AH: Couldn't say which is better. We like playing both teams.
A: Jim Taylor, Portland's GM, said that they (Portland) hate the Sounders and vice versa so how much stock are you putting into trying to beat Jim's Timbers team this season?
AH: We always get up for the Timbers and Whitecaps. Since the Whitecaps put an ass-kicking on us in the playoffs, look for that rivalry to be of particular interest this year.
A: Who has better rain, coffee shops, brew pubs, and/or wildlife: Seattle, Portland or Vancouver?
AH: My only concern for the next 5 months is who has a better soccer team.
A: Finally, what would you like to tell all the fans out there as we gear up for season openers?
AH: This should be a great season in the A-League. I believe that the quality of play is going to be higher this year than last and that the parity of the league will be significant. I believe that there are probably 12 teams that could fight for the championship.
Quick Passes
Okay, so now, who do I think are some of the guys who might be ignored in the back this season that will actually be playing huge roles with their clubs? Once again, these guys may or may not be the absolute best in the league but in my opinion they'll have some sort of big impact with their clubs.
1. Rick Titus (Charleston Battery) - he has the kind of combination of skill and attitude that will make him and the Battery defense no fun to face.
2. Danny Jackson (Seattle Sounders) - if nothing else he'll provide depth and (hopefully) youthful exuberance to the Sounders back-line that could have used both during last year's playoffs. Theoretically he's a difference maker but we'll see just how much time he gets in Schmetzer's system.
3. Lee Morrison (Portland Timbers) - another player who didn't get much of a shot in MLS should get time with Portland and will likely play a similar role to that of Jackson in Seattle. Has a good upside and could be very important if he can come on and be a rock in front of whomever the Timbers choose to start in goal.
4. Steve Danbusky (Virginia Beach Mariners) - has been very solid in previous travels around the USL after being named D3 defensive player of the year in 2002. He should be very important to the Mariners defense in a very tough division.
5. Chris Brown (Richmond Kickers) - making his return from a season-ending ACL injury last season he'll need to prove himself all over again. I imagine he should be able to do it and will add to a back-line that rivals Charleston's for deepest and most talented in the league.
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