What the Sounders need for 2018

It has taken a while for me to fully digest the MLS Cup disaster which I guess you could call our red wedding (since Toronto's colors are red).

The Sounders played in the MLS Cup final exactly like they did at the start of the 2017 season. Terrible with poor defending and poor passing. But do you realize that the Sounders finished the regular season as the 8th best team? We can't keep doing that season after season and expect to reach the playoffs each time.

Despite the bad play in the MLS Cup the team is still a very, very good team. So what does the Sounders need going into 2018? Let's start position by position.

Goal -> Stefan Frei -> probably the best goalie in MLS

Right Back -> Kelvin Leerdam -> one of the best right backs in MLS

Center Back -> Roman Torres -> one of the best center backs in MLS

Center Back -> Chad Marshall -> one of the best center backs in MLS

Left Back -> Nouhou -> inexperienced and shows his immaturity at times but has lots of potential

Right Wing -> Nicolas Lodeiro (DP) -> one of the best midfielders in MLS

Midfielder -> Osvaldo Alonso (DP) -> injury prone (again) and probably will lose his DP status especially at his age

Midfielder -> Cristian Roldan -> 2017 Sounder of the year

Left Wing -> Victor Rodriguez -> part time starter but probably has this spot locked down for 2018

Forward -> Clint Dempsey (DP) -> Capt America is probably the best American player in the world

Forward -> Will Bruin -> classic poacher while in front of the net but often times disappeared when the team needed him the most

Other notable players -> Gustav Svensson -> saved the Sounders many times during the 2017 season with his ability to start many positions

--> Jordan Morris -> lots of potential but really has not proven himself as a true scoring threat in MLS

IN GOAL -> Frei is a work horse and I think the best goalie in MLS but the team needs a capable back stopper.

DEFENSE -> Best back line in MLS and my biggest worry is the loss of Torres after the 2018 World Cup. Torres' growth as a player is still ongoing and I think he will have a terrific World Cup. Which means that European teams will want to sign him. Getting Waylon Francis is a good move to add some quality depth in the back.

MIDFIELD -> This is where the Sounders lived and died in 2017. Without Alonso providing some grit here during the MLS Cup then the team was exposed to Toronto's deadly attacks. Roldan was overwhelmed and that was pretty much it. Also not keeping Jones on the left wing was another key to the loss. Some experienced help here is needed especially if Alonso is not going to be a regular starter.

FORWARD -> Another area where the Sounders fell short in 2017. No one up front would cause problems on a regular basis to the other team's defense. Bruin is a fine forward if he plays his game similar to San Jose's Wondolowski but the Sounders don't do enough of that for Bruin to be more effective.

Also Jordan Morris needs to alter the way he plays up front. He still plays by going straight at the defense and relying on his speed, determination and toughness to get through defenses. He still needs to understand that his style of play doesn't work everytime and needs to play the angles and lanes as well. I am still keen on him because he reminds me of a young Wayne Rooney

I think if(when) Alonso loses his DP status then we can sign a really good DP player for center midfield or as a striker. The team has good depth right now so getting a very good DP should be the team's top priority. Can you imagine how good this team can be if we can sign a top player in the mode of Obafemi Martin or Clint Dempsey?

And the most important thing (to me) of all is not to wait until August to sign new players. We have Champions League way before then and I would like to see the Sounders being competitive and have a real chance to reach the finals.