There was a time not so long ago that Nick Hinds appeared to have the inside track on being the Seattle Sounders’ left back of the future. As recently as the beginning of the 2020 season, Hinds was the starting left back for the Tacoma Defiance and in 2019 he was invited to do preseason training with the first team. In 2019 he also earned a short-term contract for MLS play, though did not make an appearance.
But Hinds fell out of the rotation at Defiance — failing to make an appearance in their last seven matches as Alex Villanueva seemingly overtook him — and then had his contract option declined at the end of 2020.