MLS report of Seattle team in 2009 "premature"

A report that Seattle will have an MLS team in 2009 is premature, according to Sounders managing partner Adrian Hanauer.

Not necessarily wrong, just premature.

"Absolutely nothing is official," Hanauer said Thursday.

Soccer reporter Ives Galarcep of the Herald News of New Jersey wrote on his blog Thursday that Seattle would be awarded an MLS franchise for the 2009 season. The league is expanding to San Jose for the 2008 season.

Hanauer and movie-studio executive Joe Roth have been trying to bring MLS to Seattle, to play at Qwest Field. Hanauer and Roth watched the Sounders play FC Dallas of MLS in a U.S. Open Cup match earlier this month at Qwest.

Sounders general manager Bart Wiley echoed Hanauer's comment on Thursday: "The bottom line is, there have been discussions, but nothing definitive has come from it. Obviously that [bringing an MLS team to Seattle] is something that people are pursuing, but that's about it right now."