Freddie Ljungberg, Sounders FC divorce appears nearly final

TUKWILA — Freddie Ljungberg has likely played his last game for Sounders FC.

The club confirmed that Ljungberg, a 33-year-old midfielder, is exploring options with his agent to leave Seattle after falling out of favor during a season of friction with the second-year MLS franchise. His departure could be finalized by the end of the week.

Chris Henderson, Sounders FC technical director, called Ljungberg's future with the club "day to day," and said he would train individually until a final decision is reached.

Said coach Sigi Schmid, whose team is 5-8-4: "Whether he was going to continue here next year was up in the air a little bit because ownership put everybody on notice because we weren't doing well. This is a club that has a lot of pride and wants to have success, and so everybody's dispensable. And that includes me."

Sounders FC executives wanted to wait before deciding whether to re-sign Ljungberg and other players for 2011, Schmid said.

"I think that was a primary reason for a player like him, with his pedigree and at his age, to say, 'Hey, I've got to start looking at some options to see exactly where I'll be next year,' " Schmid said.

Ljungberg, a former star at Arsenal in England, signed a two-year contract in 2008 that ends in November. As a designated player, only a portion of his $1.3 million salary counts toward the salary cap.

But Ljungberg has all but disappeared the last couple of weeks. He last played July 4 in Seattle's 3-1 road loss in Los Angeles, and has rarely been seen since in Sounders camp due to what the team called an ankle injury.

Last weekend the team curiously gave him two days off leading up an international friendly against Scottish club Celtic FC.

Said Henderson: "I had teammates when I played, you have expectations and sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. ... I think at times you have to make changes to improve yourself too, and we're always looking to do that."

In Ljungberg's absence, Seattle has played well the past couple of weeks.

When asked if the Sounders were a better team without Ljungberg, Schmid said: "For us as a team, you have to judge how we play with him or without him. I know I have my feelings and my judgments on that. ... At the end of day, our backs are against the wall. I think the guys know that; that helps you find some spirit and desire."

"Team camaraderie," "spirit" and "effort" have all been used to describe Sounders FC's play without Ljungberg in the lineup.

Neither Schmid nor Henderson elaborated on what led to the midfielder's falling out of favor, each refusing to discuss internal matters. Performance on the field didn't appear to be the main issue, despite Ljungberg's modest three assists this season. In 2009, he had two goals, nine assists and a spot on the MLS Best XI, which honors the top 11 players.

This season, Ljungberg has had more publicized dust-ups (two) than goals (none). After a home loss to San Jose, Ljungberg earned the ire of his coach for persistently arguing with referees. He also drew criticism by showing up late to training camp in January after exploring options to play elsewhere.

"Getting any kind of foreigner, whether he's a DP or not, you never know how they're going to adjust on the field to our league, here or off the field," Henderson said.

That adjustment period, as well as Ljungberg's tenure with the Sounders, appears to be over.

Joshua Mayers: 206-464-3184 or jmayers@seattletimes.com