That’s right! There’s a strong possibility we’ll be adding another Freddy (or Freddie) to the already growing Sounders squad. At this time it looks like the Spanish Club Sevilla holds the other 35% of his contract.

If it’s true that Sounders FC hold a majority of the head-banded wonder’s contract then we have two ways of benefiting from this.

1. We get a great striker/attacking midfielder to pound in the crisp crosses from Ljungberg.

2. We’ll receive a pretty penny from Sevilla to obtain the rest of his contract rights. Then we take this new cash into the transfer market at some point.

Personally… I’m hoping for the first. Let’s hope he can come to the MLS and make a name for himself. (the picture seems a bit reminiscent of a North American CR7…)

This is the first of many posts coming your way! We’ve had a change in writers for the Sounders FC Offside. I’d love to hear your feedback… let me know how we’re doing.

So, if you’re a Seattle fans and looking to share your opinions on the Sounders with a good-sized audience, then you might be exactly who we’re looking for to captain this here Seattle blog.

The bad news is that it doesn’t pay. The good news is that it’s a lot of fun, and you get to be part of The Offside community.

If that all sounds good then please read our guidelines here and then send an email to daryl[at]theoffside[dot]com explaining why you’d be excellent.

Since the first season of MLS in 1996, only one non-MLS team has won the US Open Cup. In 1999, the then A-League Rochester Raging Rhinos defeated the Colorado Rapids 2-0. Since then, no non-MLS team has even returned to the finals.

In 2007, the Seattle Sounders defeated the lowly and insignificant Portland Timbers before upsetting Chivas USA (3:1) and the Colorado Rapids (5:0) to reach the semi-finals. The team was finally outclassed by FC Dallas, 2:1.

Could the Sounder’s take the next step in 2008 and somehow make it to the Open Cup final? If the European Championships taught us anything, it is that football can be a marvelous place for miracles. Turkey was only a few ugly German’s away from unbelievably making it to the finals on a slew of dumb luck and flabbergasting, bamboozling, tear-producing, heart-pounding, gut-punching, last minute comebacks.

So, say the Sounders accomplish the nearly impossible and win themselves a spot in the Champions League. What will league officials do with the Sounder’s berth once the team dissolves? If a team wins both the Supporter’s Shield and the Open Cup, the spot normally goes to the Open Cup’s runner up. This is one possibility.

The other option, and my personal preference, is that the Seattle Sounders FC take the Sounders spot in the Champions League. It would be great to generate fan interest, but would a first year team embarrass itself against the relatively high level of competition?

Your thoughts?

French striker Henry spent this past weekend with his good friend and compatriot, NBA star Tony Parker, cruising the Big Apple and playing in the Steve Nash charity soccer game. Naturally, his presence in NYC was hard to ignore for both MLS fans and the press.

So, is the MLS in his future? Henry has made no secret of his affinity for American culture and has even stated his interest in playing in the MLS in the future. When questioned about a move to America and playing football, the all-time Arsenal scorer responded, “Why not? I love America. I love it here. And, whenever I come here, I feel free. Hopefully, one day.”

The question is, when will the move happen? How soon can we expect Henry to bring his pedigree and starpower stateside to rival Beckham? He currently has three years left on his Barcelona contract. When Beckham left Real Madrid, his contract had expired and therefore, Becks came to the MLS on a free transfer. The price was right ($0) for MLS, which currently handles teams’ financial transactions involving designated players.

If Henry comes to the MLS in 2009, as many predict, the MLS would have to pay the transfer fee for the player, estimated at over $25mn. However, can you put a price tag on the value of not only an elite player, but a marketing symbol to boot (ask the LA Galaxy and the people who calculate the attendance)? Even at the age of 31 and on the downside of his career physically, the price tag is no issue.

Much like with Beckham, it is not a question of if, but when. “You never know what’s going to happen. But, at the moment, I’m still over there,” Henry said.

So where will Henry land in the MLS? it appears that Henry already has chosen the apple of his eye, NYC. “I’m here on vacation, enjoying the town,” he told The Associated press. “It’s an amazing town. I love New York. It’s not the first time I say it. Sometimes I do get recognized, but I feel free when I’m here, so that’s the most important thing. I love it.”

According to Dave, plenty of people in NY recognized him this weekend at the park. Don’t despair Seattle fans, maybe he wants to go to a smaller city. Maybe he would feel more like he was in England again in the beautiful Seattle weather.

The Seattle ownership had already made it plainly obvious that the money is on the table. Let’s just hope that Red Bulls have already filled their DP slot with Riquelme by that time.

There is nothing I would like to see better than Henry in off-puke green in Summer 2009 However, it looks more likely that Red Bulls fans will soon have their Altidore-broken heart mended by the soft-spoken and smooth playing Frenchman.

The Seattle Sounders FC has come out with an exclusive site that resembles matchmaking or social networking sites such as Match.com, Harmony.com or Facebook. Such a site was originally a demand made by Drew Carey to secure his participation in the establishment of the team.

The new site will match season ticket buyers to seats that match their own personal preferences. The main idea behind the site is to provide fans the best sporting experience possible. Whether fans prefer standing or sitting; cheering or silence; the site will the match the users’ preferences with simliar fans to find the ideal seat.

For a franchise that has yet to take the field, the team has generated wild popularity in the Seattle area with 11,000 of the 15,000 early season-ticket deposits already leading to the purchase of season tickets.

Read more on this story here.