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Schmid talks target forward and No. 2 goalkeeper

Post by Don Ruiz / The News Tribune on Jan. 27, 2012 at 4:03 pm with 3 Comments »
January 27, 2012 4:04 pm

No big news out of Sounders training today, other than the continued fitness testing mentioned in the post below.

But here’s some of what else coach Sigi Schmid had to say:

On Christian Sivebaek’s size and speed combination: “Obviously he was very explosive over his first 10 [meters]. That’s something that we had seen in him, that he’s got a good first step and he’s very dynamic that way. He’s somebody that can certainly provide some options with us.”

On his options at target forward: “Well, there’s [Mike] Fucito, there’s [Sammy] Ochoa, obviously [Babayele] Sodade is a rookie we drafted who that’s probably the position for him, as well. There’s different things… [Roger] Levesque has played up there—we’re looking at him at right back a little bit. [David] Estrada has played up there—we’re looking at him in the back. We probably need to add one of those two guys to the mix up front, especially as long as O’Brian White is out. So that’s something we’re looking through right now.”

On if having two players potentially starting the season on the Disabled List affects the roster: “What affects that more so than anything is the way the contracts are structured because some are guaranteed—the moment you sign the guy it’s guaranteed—and some are unguaranteed. A guy like, for example, Andrew Weber, he’s been in the league long enough with San Jose that if you say, ‘OK, let’s offer him a contract because we feel we need that right now,’ well then he’s guaranteed for the year. So then you’ve locked up a position, so you’ve got to think those things through and make sure you don’t get caught short in case one of the guys who’s on the disabled list doesn’t ever really get off it or really can’t contribute in any major way, you might need to replace that player in one form or another. You sort of have to try and crystal ball it, look at it towards the future.”

On if anyone has separated in the No. 2 goalkeeper race: “No. It’s been close. I know [Chris] Henderson and Kurt [Schmid] did a lot of shooting on them today, so I’ll talk to them, as well, in terms of what they thought. Tom [Dutra] has been working with them. I think we’re going to go to Arizona with four keepers out of the five, so we’ll continue to evaluate down there.”

Leave a comment Comments → 3
  1. elmocatt says:

    While I love Fucito’s effort, speed, and smarts on the field, don’t think there is anyway a guy who is 5’4″ or 5’6″ (or whatever) could ever be considered a “TARGET” forward. He can definitely play up top as a striker, making penetrating runs and scoring goals. But if he is an option as a target forward (i.e. McBride, Ching, Crouch, etc) for the Sounders, we are in for a long season. :)

    It is great that training camp is underway and the countdown to the season has begun.

  2. elmocatt says:

    Looking forward to seeing Sivebaek in action – he is supposed to be able to provide real quality service. And if he has speed and an explosive first few steps, he should be able to break away from his man to get some space in order to cross the ball in front of goal.

  3. EverydayFan says:

    Depends on the definition of “target” … to me, that doesn’t always mean you target him through the air … the most lethal target in soccer a 5’6 or whatever dude named Lionel Messi, and he’s scored literally 10 of 210 goals with his head … last week he headed one of his hat trick and it was like international headlines ….
    If I was a MF or D on the Sounders, I would target Fucito all day … that dude is a baller and creates great space for Montero to work his magic.

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