The 1996 Season

Gleaned from Seattle PI by Mark Coker

Subject: SOUNDERS ARTICLE IN P-I
Date: Wednesday, 18 October 1995 07:45

Underneath the article heralding the MLS press conference, there was an article discussing the Sounders and their plans for 1996. Here are a few snippets from the article "Despite MLS, attendance woes, Sounders will return next year", by Lenny Anderson of the P-I:

Oki: "Absolutely we will be back next year...I'm a little bit disappointed in the attendance for an obviously top-notch team, but I have an absolutely upbeat view in every other way. I'm optimistic about the coming year."

Jason Farrell [who has a one year contract with one year option]: "I don't think any of us are convinced the new league will be at the highest level."

Peter Hattrup [contract includes a right-of-first-refusal clause]: "I'll listen to anybody who wants to talk. I'd love to stay in Seattle, but I've got to make a living. I'm 31 years old. I know a lot of people in the new league. They'll be catching up with me or I'll be catching up with them."

Marcus Hahnemann: "Exactly where [I'll be playing], I have no idea. I might be playing in Germany." The article notes he has dual citizenship (his parents are German-born) and the average salary on a team like Hamburg (I assume Hamburger SV, not St. Pauli Hamburg) is $100,000, probably more than triple the A-League norm.

Wade Webber: Will probably remain a Sounder, because they're "every bit as good" as any team on the continent.

Chance Fry [who has a one year contract with one year option]: "I'm still under contract for another year and I don't have any plans to move. I'm employed by the Sounders and that's the way it is."

The article also said that Hinton had a five hour meeting with director/GM Neil Farnsworth to discuss the team's future. Hinton said "There are rumors around about Sounders. All I can say is that Scott Oki and Neil Farnsworth are very committed to '96. I've always been supportive of the players' ambitions to better themselves. We've got to do what's best for the club. So we have to find a balance. I'm very pumped about the future."

Oki: "We will not necessarily be competing with the new league. There will be some players with whom we will negotiate a deal, but I think our operation will be less expensive. It will be dictated by what the A-League does. If we adopt a salary cap, we will have to live by it. I would support a reasonable salary cap.

The article says most Seattle players are on one-year contracts with options. Hattrup, and Dusty Hudock have "first-refusal" contracts. Four others are on loan, Marco Rizi (Buffalo-NPSL), David Hoggan (Detroit-NPSL), and Bryan Haynes (Kansas City-NPSL) and Dominic Kinnear (a minor league team in San Francisco) [the article said three, but listed four].

There was also a little insert entitled "Raid alert" which talked about the MLS (Monikers Lame and Stupid) and its planned franchises: It says 17 players are signed for one year with option, the two aforementioned players (Hattrup and Hudock) and the players on loan.