Though Osvaldo Alonso, Andreas Ivanschitz and Erik Friberg are the early favorites to claim the three starting midfield positions, Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said Cristian Roldan could step in and contribute from Day 1.
Sounders defender Dylan Remick has an awfully positive take on the value of competition, considering he has won then lost starting jobs in each of the past two seasons, and that Joevin Jones was brought in presumably to shore up his position.
“It wouldn’t be fun if it was easy,” Remick said. “Working for a spot and earning it is why we do it.