TUKWILA, Wash. (AP) – Barely two months after celebrating their second MLS Cup title, the Seattle Sounders opened training camp Tuesday in a winter snowstorm.
The thin layer of snow on the practice field was hardly the biggest obstacle facing Seattle after a challenging offseason. Players have departed and the team has struggled to finalize new signings - not to mention league-wide uncertainty regarding negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.
All told, it's been a quiet break for a team trying to build on last year's title run.
''That offseason after you win is always the roughest offseason because everyone gets recruited, right?