By DAN KARELL
Brad Evans has parlayed his recent form with both the Seattle Sounders and the U.S. Men’s National Team into a new contract.
The Sounders announced on Wednesday that Evans has signed a “multi-year contract” to remain with the club. Per league and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Evans’ signing comes just one day after the Sounders announced that they were bringing back Osvaldo Alonso on a Designated Player contract and nearly a week after announcing that Sigi Schmid would return to the club as head coach for next season.
“Re-signing Brad was a major priority for us,” Sounders owner and general manager Adrian Hanauer said in the club’s press release. “He has become a leader in the locker room and is a versatile player on the field. Brad exhibits the commitment, values and spirit of playing for the Sounders FC badge.”
In the 2013 season, the 28-year-old Arizona native played 27 times with 24 starts for the Sounders in domestic play, finishing with five goals and six assists as the Sounders made it to the Western Conference semifinals. Evans also split time this year with the USMNT, making 10 appearances as a right back for the squad in World Cup qualifying matches and friendlies.
Evans scored one goal for the USMNT this summer, the game-winner in their 2-1 victory at Jamaica in June.
“My goal was to stay in Seattle and I’m very excited to continue my career here,” said Evans. “It’s always an honor to play for this city and these fans. I can’t wait to get back to work with my teammates to prepare for the 2014 season.”
Evans has been a member of the Sounders since they entered MLS in 2009 after being selected in the MLS expansion draft. Prior to that, Evans spent two years playing for Sigi Schmid with the Columbus Crew, winning an MLS Cup in 2008.
This past season, Evans earned a base salary of $167,296 and it’s likely that he will see a boost in his salary with the new contract.
——
What do you think of this news? Happy to see Evans stay with the Sounders? Did you expect him to re-sign with the club? Disappointed he didn’t go to Europe?
Share your thoughts below.
Can someone with some soccer knowledge explain to me why Brad Evans is so bad? Having seen most Sounder games he is not a defensive midfielder – he usually makes most of the runs off the ball into dangerous areas. Unlike many mids in the MLS he tracks back on defense. He is one of the leaders on the team (either he or Ozzie will be captain next year). He is on the National team, that being said if he is our starting right back that could be challenging. Position wise on the Sounders he is the most versatile (RB, CB, LM, RM, CM) – in any case I need specifics on the downsides – we do need more goals from run of play as many of his goals are via PK (someone stated correctly he is our ONLY PK taker). So Evans haters step up with some specifics….
Don’t quite understand signing Evans when he plays the same position as Dempsey. This reeks of Sigi Schmid. The reason the Sounders were so bad was because Evan’s mediocre talents were being put at many different positions that he is not good at. The captain, Rosales, who also played the most minutes on the team this year, was benched and stripped of his captaincy for Evans at right wing. Evans, does not possess the speed or crossing ability to play wing. He also blows a lot of wide open opportunities in front of the goal when he makes his runs. He does not possess a good shot from distance and can’t take free kicks. He makes an occasional good pass but turns the ball over more often than not. JK knew he is best somewhere on defense and out wide where his only talent is his scrappiness. Evans is a good bench player and replacement but he is nowhere near starting ability for the MLS or Sounders. His only claim that he has about getting playing time is that he is playing a position on the national team where everyone is hurt and doing okay. He would be a good signing if he were playing right back but Deandre Yedlin plays there and he is much better.
So, is this guy any good?
Core of team consolidated but they need some money left over to add a true offensive midfield playmaker. Hope they are using their cash to fly around argentina scouting players. They are not going to threaten for the cup without a morales or higuain type ( too painful to mention val… Can’t do it)
dempsey will be that person next year
“Brad Evans has parlayed his recent form with both the Seattle Sounders and the U.S. Men’s National Team into a new contract.”
Pretty good trick since he basically lost his position due to his “form.”
I think he’ll lose more than that if he doesn’t go on loan soon. If JK wasn’t bluffing about his MLSers going on loan during the offseason, then Evans could lose his ticket to Brazil considering Geoff Cameron looked great on tuesday as RB and if Dolo fully recovers, timmy chandler has a great season and if eric has a great season and forest. He could get passed up by any of these 3 in the RB pool.
Imagine if Sounders have two three players out on loan..? allocation to buy talent or buy down cap..
Poor sounders fans, first sigi stays.
Then Evans gets a new contract, when he kinda sucks but in America,MLS fans think Evans is top class.
Third, mr.cuban american gets a DP contract, seriously. Alonso has no skills but to run and run like a deer after a ball and fouls like a machine.
At the end of the day, sounders front office keep showing their soccer knowledge is low and will not make their team better.
This team is going to break sooner than later, dempsey and oba will not get along, sigi will be sigi, ej is practically gone.
Glad to see my daily dose of your nonsense. Evans is an above average MLS player and Alonso is near the top of his position in the league. Do you even watch games or just spout out random things?
Shouldn’t you be studying for fourth period math class or something?
^This was CLASSIC!
This is a good move for the franchise. Evans-haters should reevaluate. He grew a foot taller as a player this year during his time with the MNT – touch, read, confidence all seriously improved. He or the club should send Klinsmann 10% of the difference in salary.
Sigi check ( and staying )
Ozzie check
Evans check
Those were the obvious signings, once Sigi’s fate was decided.
Now it gets interesting. Gspurning ? Rosales ? EJ ?
Gspurning is already gsigned for 2014.
Are you gsure?
(Not doubting. Wanted to join in on your joke.)
Not sure this is true. I couldn’t find any proof of it at all when I was writing a piece about Hahnemann tweeting that he would be back in 2014 for a different site.
Gspurning’s original contract with Gseattle is believed to be 3 years:
http://relevant.at/sport/fussball/277683/gspurning-wechselt-zu-seattle.story
EJ – Gone
Gespurning – Replace
Rosales – this is the itneresting one. I think he comes back. But it’s a close call
The more time that passes the less I think we’ll see Rosales again, unless he takes an extreme pay cut to something less than $100k.
The old, “Per league and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.” And yet every year the Players Association releases the salaries of all the players. League and team ought to do the same.
This news may not be greeted with cheers for a lot of Seattle fans, a good number of them hate Evans. I happen to think he is a good player that is a big contributor when healthy but is obviously a bit injury prone and that is frustrating.
I think hate is a little strong. He is a RB, who plays defensive mid, on a team that has the best defensive mid in the league.
( he is the only PK taker on the team however…and I mean the only one ).