SEATTLE – Just because the Seattle Sounders are sitting atop the Supporters’ Shield standings doesn’t mean they feel as though their roster is beyond tweaking.
While no moves are likely imminent, head coach Sigi Schmid confirmed the Sounders could be in the market for a center back or midfielder, even adding that a forward has “come to our attention.”
“We’re always looking,” Schmid said. “If it’s the right fit, we feel like it makes sense, it’s something that [the front office] will look at. So it’s not something that we feel is a must-have, that if we don’t do it, oh, geez, we’re going to be in big trouble.”
One of the midfielders the Sounders are apparently looking at is Costa Rica international Jose Miguel Cubero. Currently vying for a spot on the World Cup team, Cubero is apparently still under contract at Costa Rican club Herediano. Primarily a defensive midfielder, the Sounders would likely be looking at him as a player they could rotate in with Osvaldo Alonso and Gonzalo Pineda.
“I can’t really talk about him,” Schmid said when asked specifically about the Cubero rumors coming from the Costa Rican press. “He was somebody who was in the mix of players we were looking at the time before we signed Pineda. He’s still a quality player.
“He’s one of those guys where you have to see. Is this the right time? Is he out of contract? OK, is it maybe a situation that we need to address now, or do we wait until the winter?”
The rumors are persistent enough that Cubero actually addressed them during a Wednesday press conference, saying that he was likely waiting until after the World Cup to make any final decisions.
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Either way, the Sounders would not be able to add Cubero – or any other player currently under contract – until Major League Soccer’s secondary transfer window opens on July 8.
As for a possible center back transfer, Schmid referenced the age of the Sounders existing defenders.
“We do recognize that we’ve got two center backs that are a little bit above 30 now [Djimi Traore and Zach Scott], and one that’s going to hit 30 this year [Chad Marshall],” Schmid said. “So we want to make sure that we continue to be prepared for 2015, as well. So if a good center back comes along in the summer window, rather than miss that opportunity and wait for the winter, we might need to grab it now.”
