The talented fullback put in another solid performance, registering a second assist in as many days.
CASA GRANDE, Ariz. – In the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, Sounders FC selected speedy left back Dylan Remick with its second round pick. Already equipped with two veteran players in that position last season with Leo Gonzalez and Marc Burch, there wasn’t a need, but Head Coach Sigi Schmid and his staff couldn’t pass up the blazing speed of the Brown University product.
Now, after a year of grooming behind Gonzalez and Burch, Remick is starting to show what he has learned over the course of the last year, picking up two assists in two matches to help Seattle win 2-1 over the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday and again by a 2-1 scoreline over the Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Thursday.
“It’s good to start playing games against other teams. It’s always fun to get the competitive level up a notch,” Remick said. “The two wins in two games is really big. I think that’s a really good starting point for us, especially with all of the different combinations of players that we’ve been playing with. The chemistry is getting better day-by-day.”
Remick played just 25 minutes in one MLS match in 2013. He also played 79 minutes in Seattle’s U.S. Open Cup loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies, getting most of his experience during his rookie campaign in the MLS Reserve League, playing 12 matches.
In those limited opportunities in competitive environments and in training Remick continued to hone his craft and the work has showed in preseason.
On Thursday, he intercepted a ball near the sideline just inside the midfield stripe and pressed up the left side. He eluded a defender, and continued his run into the corner before crossing the ball to non-roster invitee Kevin Parsemain at the near post and the forward from Martinique converted the goal for a 2-0 lead.
“That was a great run that he made to set up the second goal. That’s something that he can give us on the left flank. He’s another guy who can get forward and he’s really worked a lot on his crossing and his crossing has really improved,” Schmid said. “What I’m happy with, too, is his defending. He’s gone up against some good players at this stage and hopefully that will continue to develop.”
Much of that development came from watching Gonzalez and Burch last season. Remick has been able to pick and choose the elements of both of their playing styles to augment his own attributes.
“They are both so good at what they do. Leo is one of the best 1v1 defenders in the league. He knows how to get stuff done. Then Burch has a magnificent left foot,” Remick said. “With the combination of both of those guys, I had all the tools around me to improve my game on both the offensive and defensive sides. I tried to take advantage of that as much as I could and put it to use this year.”
With Burch now with the Colorado Rapids and Gonzalez recovering from offseason groin surgery, Remick is taking advantage of the newfound playing time while it is available to him.
“It’s just good to get some playing time,” he said. “I’m just trying to put my minutes in and show that I can play out on the field with the big boys.”
Sounders FC plays two more preseason matches in Tucson before returning to Seattle, starting on Saturday against the Portland Timbers and concluding on Sunday against the Whitecaps. Both matches will be streamed live on SoundersFC.com.
