It's so close you can almost taste it. Months away from first kick, Sounders FC 2 continues to prepare for its inaugural season. Having named a Head Coach in former First Team assistant Ezra Hendrickson, the club is already making progress to continuing the Sounders FC way in the USL.
With so much to look forward to, here are the top story lines to follow next season:
New Boss
Who better to prepare players for the future than someone who knows the organization inside and out?
This season will see former Sounders FC Assistant Coach Ezra Hendrickson take on a vital role with S2, beginning as the club’s first Head Coach in 2015. The former 14-year professional has three MLS Cups under his belt as a player, two of which he won under the coaching of Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid.
Hendrickson is no stranger to the coaching role, though. He has spent the previous four seasons as the Sounders FC Reserves boss where the Rave Green won a West Division championship in 2011, and went unbeaten against MLS Reserve Opponents last season. Hendrickson will look to continue his winning ways in 2015.
Cascadia
Since the partnership between the USL and MLS formed, seven MLS teams have already decided to field a second team in USL PRO including Sounders FC regional rivals Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. T2 (Portland) and WFC2 (Vancouver) will both join S2 next season which can only mean one thing: more Cascadia matches.
T2 will play home matches at University of Portland and WFC2 will play at the University of British Columbia. Both stadiums sit only three-hours by car (or a five-hour bus ride) from Seattle. That means for those that crave the intense regional rivalry games, 2015 is going to treat you right.
Owned
Always on the forefront, Sounders FC is bringing a brand new concept into USL PRO next season: fan ownership. True to the democracy-in-sports concept unique to the Sounders, 20 percent of S2 is owned by the nonprofit, fan-operated Sounders Community Trust.
On top of that, one elected representative of the Trust board will serve on the USL PRO Board of Governors making league-wide decisions with S2 General Manager Andrew Opatkiewicz. This is a huge step for democracy in sports in Seattle, and a chance for fans to shape the future of their club. Next season will be an opportunity for fans to engage on a whole new level.
More Chances for Trophies
Hoping to follow in the Sounders FC tradition of winning trophies, S2 will compete in two competitions in its inaugural season—the USL PRO campaign as well as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Sounders FC have had resounding success in the latter, winning four trophies in the club’s first six years.
Last year, no team from USL PRO advanced past the fifth round. S2 will look to change that under direction of Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson who helped coach the First Team to each of their four Open Cup titles.
Up the Pipeline
The inception of S2 serves one major purpose other than winning games: to develop players for the Sounders FC First Team. In the coming weeks, S2 will start signing players with the hope to eventually play at the highest level. Players will be on the proving ground throughout the season beneath the lights at Starfire Stadium, gaining competitive and meaningful playing time to show coaches why they deserve a spot at the top.
S2 matches will be your chance to witness the future stars of Sounders FC in action before they make it to the big time. You won’t want to miss it.
