By DAN KARELL
When healthy, the Seattle Sounders attack could be scary good this season.
Just before the 4 p.m. deadline, the Sounders announced that they had acquired former Chicago Fire winger Marco Pappa through the allocation process, after he signed with Major League Soccer on Wednesday. Pappa left former club Heerenveen earlier in January.
By acquiring Pappa, the Sounders have dropped to the bottom of the allocation order.
“We’re excited. Marco Pappa is a player that did very well in this league with Chicago,” Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said in a statement. “We were pleasantly surprised with the opportunity and we’re excited to have Marco.
“He’s a wide player and we lost a little bit there with Mauro (Rosales) and Steve (Zakuani) leaving. He’s a left-footed player. He’s very dangerous on free kicks. He’s very good on his service of the ball from wide positions. He’s got a good shot from distance,” Schmid said. “He’s got experience in this league. He knows what this league is all about. He knows what the travel is in this league and I think he’s a guy who can help us.”
During his time previously in MLS with the Fire, the Guatemalan international made 116 appearances in regular season and post season play, scoring 26 goals with 17 assists. Pappa became an impact player in the 2010 season, scoring seven goals and adding five assists. In his final three seasons with the Fire, Pappa scored 21 goals and had 12 assists.
With the Sounders, Pappa joins Clint Dempsey, Obafemi Martins, Kenny Cooper, and Lamar Neagle as proven scoring options for the club this season.
The Sounders press release states that he is scheduled to meet up with the team in their preseason preparations in Tucson, Ariz.
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What do you think of these developments? How do you see Pappa fitting in with the Sounders? How dangerous can their attack be?