Just days after helping the Seattle Sounders win the club’s first MLS Cup in franchise history, a slew of key players could find themselves playing for an expansion franchise in 2017.
The Sounders on Monday released their list of players left unprotected for Tuesday’s MLS Expansion Draft, and the list includes several players who played key roles in the title run, including forward Nelson Valdez, midfielders Andreas Ivanschitz and Erik Friberg and defender Tyrone Mears.
The Sounders opted to protect the following 11 players, making them ineligible for the Expansion Draft: Stefan Frei, Tyler Miller, Tony Alfaro, Joevin Jones, Chad Marshall, Roman Torres, Osvaldo Alonso, Cristian Roldan, Brad Evans, Nicolas Lodeiro and Clint Dempsey. Midfielder Aaron Kovar and forwards Jordan Morris and Victor Mansaray are Homegrown Players and are automatically protected.
Minnesota United FC and Atlanta United FC will each make five picks to help build their roster on Tuesday, but only one player per existing MLS franchise can be taken in the draft.
Valdez, Ivanschitz, Friberg and Mears all had their contract options declined on Monday, but that doesn't necessarily mean their time in Seattle is done. Each can still negotiate new deals with the club to return in 2017.
Valdez, 33, signed on Aug. 7, 2015, and was a Designated Player for the Sounders this season. He recorded just one assist in 24 matches during the regular season, but was massive in Seattle’s run to MLS Cup, scoring twice and adding an assist in six postseason games.
Ivanschitz, 33, signed on Aug. 4, 2015. He started 25 games this season, scoring three times and recording eight assists. He played in the Sounders’ final three postseason matches after missing the first three while recovering from a knee sprain.
Mears, 33, joined the Sounders as a Discovery Signing on Dec. 29, 2014. He started 32 of 34 games at right back this season, as well as all six games in the MLS Cup Playoffs. He’s started 65 games in his two seasons in Seattle.
Friberg, 30, signed with the Sounders for the second time on June 29, 2015. He previously spent the 2011 season in Seattle before leaving to play in his native Sweden, Italy and Denmark. He started 18 games in midfield in 2016 and started in all but one of the Sounders’ postseason games.
Other players left unprotected for potential selection in the Expansion Draft include: Michael Farfan, Alvaro Fernandez, Oniel Fisher, Damion Lowe, Jimmy Ockford, Dylan Remick, Oalex Anderson and Charlie Lyon.
Three others players were left unprotected but are available for free agency if they are not selected by either Minnesota or Atlanta: Zach Scott, Herculez Gomez and Nathan Sturgis. Scott, however, announced his retirement in September.
