Sounders FC learns from first season, needs a player with physical force

TUKWILA — Successful as Sounders FC was in its inaugural season, the team's play was downright frustrating to its fans at times.

Two things stood out to coach Sigi Schmid about that on Thursday at Starfire Sports Complex, where Schmid and Sounders FC conducted a final team meeting before it was time to break away for some offseason down time.

One, Sounders FC wasn't physical enough.

Two, too many teams that visited rowdy Qwest Field left with a draw, using a strategy of packing it in and not going forward to try and score, focusing on defense instead. Sounders FC couldn't consistently break down an opponent that locked itself on its own side of the field.

"For sure ... we need to get stronger in the offseason. The offseason is when you build strength. You can't build strength in season, you maintain strength in season," Schmid said.

Then he pointed to Sounders FC's record against three of Major League Soccer's most physical teams: Houston, Chivas USA and the New England Revolution.

"We were I think 1-5-3, so that's not enough," Schmid said. "When we play the rest of the league, we only lose three games, but we lose five out of nine against that group [including the playoffs], and it's because we need to become more physical, add a physical aspect to our game. Get somebody else in the box and bang bodies, possibly."

Those words are right in line with what majority owner Joe Roth wants for Sounders FC in 2010 — a scoring presence and a finisher who can provide more offense and absorb punishment from defenses so as to keep some of the pounding off leading scorer Fredy Montero. Assuming Montero returns to the team next season, which appears likely.

"I'm comfortable with what we have," Montero said. "But it's something where a player can't depend on [someone else]. If a player arrives, we hope he comes to add something. We know the quality of players at the position. So he has to be better or more than what is already here."

Schmid said more work is also needed up front in order score more goals. Sounders FC didn't score once in the two playoff games and failed to score in 10 of 30 regular-season matches, seven of which it lost.

"Those are all things that coming into this season, we didn't know, and those are things now that we know, so we can be very pointed and directional in our improvement," Schmid said.

Schmid said that while most players from this season will be back, not all will. He said he and team executives are getting close to finalizing the list of 11 players Seattle will protect from being selected in the MLS expansion draft later this month, not including All-Star midfielder Freddie Ljungberg, who is exempt from selection because he is the team's designated player.

"We can actually talk about where we want to see our team get better, where we want to improve. What we want to add to our game and to our team," Schmid said. "Last year at this point we were just seeing what's the puzzle going to look like, is it going to fit together, is it going to not fit together? How can we make it work?

"So now it's already into that next stage of evolution."

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com