Updated Feb 2, 2013 - 12:15 pm
Who Will Replace Fredy Montero?
by John Zielonka
Fredy Montero's departure back to his native Colombia to join the Millionarios left a huge gap at the forward position for the upcoming season. Montero accounted for 17 goals last year and 15 the year before in all competitions.
Sounders preseason training in Casa Grande, Arizona (SoundersFC.com)
Head coach Sigi Schmid does have several choices from the 2012 squad with returnees David Estrada and Sammy Ochoa. Seattle invited several young players to their preseason training camp to identify another potential double-digit scorer to complement striker Eddie Johnson.
In his Friday telephone press conference from Casa Grande, Arizona, the veteran head coach didn't exclude any alternatives, including signing another Designated Player.
"I think we have options with the returning players," Schmid said. "Obviously David Estrada and Sammy Ochoa are the ones who were with us last year, probably more prominent."
Schmid promised to continue his search and give everyone a long look to replace Montero.
"We're looking at different options," Schmid went on. "We haven't really looked at some of our other internal options, but we're still looking at possible DP options out there, as well. We haven't stopped searching for that, we feel in the near term we have enough quality to get by in that position, but there's certainly a lot of guys with opportunities to show themselves and show they've been playing better."
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John Zielonka is a lifelong fan of soccer. He previously lived in Detroit and attended numerous NASL matches featuring the Detroit Express. John follows the local soccer scene and is the Seattle correspondent for Goal.com, where he writes about the Seattle Sounders and MLS for Goal.com. Internationally, he's viewed matches at the World Cup, Confederation Cup, England's Premier and Championship leagues.
