On Tuesday afternoon, General Manager & President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey, Vice President of Soccer & Sporting Director Chris Henderson and Head Coach Brian Schmetzer spoke with media at an end-of-season press conference at Starfire Sports.
“Any season that ends with a loss to Portland isn’t a good season, it’s not a total success. Losing in the first round of playoffs is not what we envisioned,” Lagerwey said. “That said, I feel like we have a foundation for next year and [we had] the best half-season in MLS history once we got healthy. It’s something we can build upon for next season.”
The media availability came a day following the club’s announcement it had exercised the option on 10 players, including Cristian Roldan, Kim Kee-hee, Chad Marshall and Gustav Svensson. Notably, captain Ozzie Alonso is a free agent and is currently exploring options for next season.
“Free agency is a right for which the players fought very hard, it was a very contentious issue in the previous CBA… We want to respect that right," Lagerwey said. "We want our players, in this situation, to be able to explore the marketplace. That feels equitable, that feels fair… Those conversations will be ongoing.”
The press conference explores a variety of other topics, including Jordan Morris’ recovery, the promising status of the Sounders Academy/S2 pipeline and how the club’s success has helped draw international interest on scouting trips.
To watch the whole press conference, CLICK HERE.
