With Freddie Ljungberg returning to Seattle on Saturday as a member of the Chicago Fire, we got some time today to discuss his brief time as a Sounder with general manager Adrian Hanauer.

Some highlights of that conversation:

On Ljunbgerg’s legacy:
“I think Freddie played a big part in helping us launch the franchise. It was a big signing in a roll out of a bunch of big announcements for this club, whether it was signing Kasey Keller or a partnership with Xbox or KING 5 or Kevin Calabro. There were a bunch of big announcements that helped

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With a pair of CONCACAF Champions League games behind them, the Sounders began training today at Starfire for their return to MLS competition Saturday when playoff-rival Chicago visits.

Visiting with them, of course, will be original Sounders DP Freddie Ljungberg, so a lot of media questions today were variations on that theme.

I’ll have some of the answers from general manager Adrian Hanauer later, but for now, here are three takes from coach Sigi Schmid:

On Ljungberg’s return to Seattle: “It’s emotional, for sure, because he was a member of this team and he was a very important member of …

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What’s up with all that buzz about Freddie Ljungberg’s possible loan to Arsenal? No telling. So far neither the clubs nor the key individuals are saying much. And as we learned from those recent Fredy Montero EPL reports, what we hear is about to happen doesn’t always happen.

What we do seem to know is that Ljungberg is in England now with the Souders’ blessing.

Beyond that … not much. I’m seeking information — on two continents — and obviously will post if I hear anything I can trust.

Otherwise, there might not be much until Monday, when …

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