RENTON, Wash. – How Seattle Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer decides to pair Jordan Morris and new striker Jesus Ferreira together will be one of the big questions that will get solved only after Ferreira arrives at camp, which began for the team on Monday.
Morris thrived last season playing at the top of the attack as the primary striker. But there are a lot of options for the Sounders to play Morris and Ferreira together at the top or have one play a little closer to midfield.
Schmetzer wanted a lineup with versatility and he appears to have received his wish.
“We’ll need to see him up close and kind of make those final decisions,” Schmetzer said of Ferreira.
Aside from the forwards is the question of where Cristian Roldan will be best suited. Roldan has played seemingly every position at some point in his Sounders tenure.
“It’s tough to say because every year I feel like I give you a different answer,” Roldan said.
This will be his 11th season since being drafted by the Sounders and seems likely to settle into hybrid defensive/central midfielder role that he played for a big portion of last season. Roldan said that role could allow Obed Vargas or another attacking midfielder to push forward.
“So my job now is going to be how can I be disciplined, organize, manage our team with communication, leadership when we’re committing another guy forward?” Roldan said. “My job might be to be a little bit deeper, which I’m totally OK with. As I get older, I feel like I do a better job of trying to organize. I’ve seen a lot of games. I’ve played in a lot of games so being able to organize a little bit more will be my job.”