Seattle Sounders manager Sigi Schmid recently visited the United States national team training session and he has said that it was a thrilling experience. Schmid is no stranger to international football after having been the coach of the US under 20 team a few years ago. He has said that it was delightful to see most of his former staff being involved in the senior set up. The national team is currently managed by former Bayern Munich and Tottenham legend Jurgen Klinsmann, who has come under increasing pressure in recent months due to poor run of results.

The US will be taking on Panama in a World Cup qualifying match, which will be a must win match for the team. Schmid expressed his confidence that they will be able to get the right result against Panama. Schmid has also recalled how players like Tim Howard have been able to make the incredible step up from the under 20 team into the senior team. Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard is regarded as one of the best in the world and is consistently good goalkeeper in the Premier league. Schmid will be able to look at some of the players he wants to sign in the transfer window as well.

“It was good. I was just out there to watch training and see some friends and all that. Obviously I’ve known Jurgen, and Andy Hertzog played for me, and Martin [Vasquez] was my assistant, and Ivan Pierra was my trainer, and Jesse [Bignami] was my equipment guy with the under-20’s, so there are a lot of people I know. It was good to see all those people and say hello to them. I’ve coached a few of the players,” said the Seattle Sounders manager, whose team are closer to the top of the table now than ever before.

Seattle Sounders have managed to bring in Shalrie Joseph from Chivas USA. Shalrie Joseph was the former captain of the New England Revolution team. The arrival of the 34-year-old is a major boost for the Seattle Sounders manager Sigi Schmid, who is under pressure after failing to deliver the MLS title last season. The club came extremely close to reaching the final of the competition only to be beaten in the penultimate round. Schmid said after the confirmed signing of the player that he is extremely happy to welcome a player like Joseph with his immense experience.

Due to the fact that Joseph has played in the MLS cups before, he will certainly help the team realised their ambition of lifting the MLS title. He has also spoken about the leadership qualities that Joseph will bring to the Seattle Sounders team. Seattle Sounders will be starting the new season with a match against Montréal Impact in the first week of March. It is expected that the new signing Joseph will be part of the squad that will take on Montréal Impact. Immediately following the match, the club will be having the CONCAF Champions League encounter against Tigres UANL, with the first leg away from home.

“We’re happy to add a player of Shalrie’s experience to our team. He’s been to MLS Cups before in his tenure with New England. He’s a player that has proven himself to be a leader in game situations and a player of his quality can only help us be a better team as we move into this season,” said the Seattle Sounders manager after the arrival of a player who has wealth of experience of playing in the MLS. Joseph will also be occupying a spot that is dedicated for him on the rooster for the season.

Seattle Sounders are extremely close to securing a move for the Honduran defender Wilmer Crisanto, who has been linked with the club in the past few months. Seattle Sounders failed to win the MLS title this season. Hence, the manager Sigi Schmid is extremely intent on building a squad that is capable of challenging for the title next season. The club came extremely close to progress into the final of the MLS cup final only to be beaten in the penultimate stage. The arrival of Wilmer Crisanto will certainly strengthen the team, while also providing the team with a strong foundation for the future.

The 23-year-old is currently at the Victoria club. The manager of Victoria, Hector Vargas recently admitted that he expects the player to sign up for the MLS club in the next few weeks, although the details of the transfer have not been revealed by him. He has said that there are a few things that need to be sorted out in order for the deal to be completed. He has praised the 23-year-old by saying that he has a promising future ahead of him. He has failed to confirm that the deal will take place because it is not confirmed yet.

“There is the option for Wilmer Crisanto to join Mario Martinez’s team (Seattle Sounders), there is a good chance that it can be confirmed in the coming days, it will be money that will come in and we are waiting. It’s not confirmed but there is great potential, because what I have understood is that this weekend the Sounders coaching staff want to confirm a few things, but until it is firm, it’s not confirmed,” said the two-day manager Hector Vargas. The club were recently beaten 4-2 by the eventual winners LA Galaxy in the MLS cup.

The defender of Philadelphia Union, Amobi Okugo, has said that Seattle Sounders would win the MLS Cup. Okugo’s own team hasn’t managed to qualify for the play offs, but, the 21 years old defender has backed Seattle Sounders to go all the way. The eight teams which have qualified for the Play offs are New York Red Bulls, Los Angeles Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, San Jose, Seattle Sounders, Houston Dynamo, D.C. United and Kansas City.

When asked which team he thinks would win the MLS Cup, Okugo said, “I would have liked to take the name of my own team, But, unfortunately, we haven’t been able to make it to the play offs. I think Seattle Sounders would win the Championship this time around. They have got a balanced squad and they have played brilliantly in the last few games.”

“The rest 7 teams are also strong ones, but, Seattle is a bit better than them as far as the defense is concerned. Sigi Schmid’s team has got some great defenders and scoring goals fluently against them is not going to be easy for any team.”

“All the teams that have qualified for the play offs are pretty strong and the play off matches are going to be the close ones. It would be great fun to watch those matches. I believe that Seattle will take on New York Red Bulls in the finals and will defeat them.”

When asked about the poor performance of Philadelphia Union in the tournament, Okugo said, “We played well in patches, but, we were not consistent enough. We were expected to do much better, but, unfortunately, we didn’t manage to execute our plans well. Hopefully, we would play better in the next season and qualify for the play offs.”

Seattle Sounders manager Sigi Schmid has said that he certainly has no fears about facing any of the current teams from the MLS. Sigi Schmid for speaking after the 2-1 defeat suffered at the hands of San Jose earthquakes, which has put the team in a difficult position, especially with the Celtic and Wigan fixtures coming up.

The first half against these two clubs was extremely forgetful, but the second 45 minutes was extremely exciting. However, Sigi Schmid is one person who will certainly not find the second half to be exciting after his team lost 2-1 in the match. It looked like the match was going to end in a draw, but San Jose earthquakes scored a goal in the final few minutes of the match to secure the winner.

After the match, the Seattle Sounders manager Sigi Schmid remarked that he is extremely confident that the team he has assembled will be able to beat any team in the MLS. However, they were unfortunate to be beaten by the San Jose earthquakes. This loss brings an end to the remarkable run of form that the club has experienced since June. Sigi Schmid has said that he is extremely proud of this team and cannot fault the effort given by them.

“We’ve just got to keep going. I think we’re right there, I don’t think there’s any team in the league that we have to fear. We’re starting to get (Christian) Tiffert integrated into the team, I thought he did alright tonight. He was dangerous, he had some good set pieces which helped connect our play. We’ve played a lot of games but at the end of the day I’m proud of what we did and I’m proud of our ability to come back,” said Sigi Schmid after the match, which leaves Seattle Sounders in the third position.