Report: Seattle to announce Ljungberg signing next week

The long-rumored signing of Freddie Ljungberg by Seattle Sounders FC appears close to reality as the Seattle Times is citing a Swedish report that has revealed that Ljungberg is set to be introduced as Seattle's designated player next week.

Ljungberg is set to join former U.S. national team goalkeeper Kasey Keller, USL star Sebastian LeToux and Gambian starlet Sanna Nyassi as the first four building blocks in the Seattle team set to begin play as Major League Soccer's 15th expansion team in 2009.

Ljungberg, a 31-year-old winger best remembered for his days with Arsenal, has the skills and charisma to be an impact player for Seattle, but whether he is worth a designated player slot is another story. Obviously the only way Seattle could bring him in was via a DP slot, but with only one slot per team you can't help but wonder if Ljungberg was the best fit to take up that slot.

SBI readers weren't a fan of the Ljungberg-as-DP move when I first mentioned it 11 days ago, with 56 percent of the 1,571 readers who voted declaring that they thought it was a bad idea. You can include me in that camp. I do think he could be an impact player on the field, but am not sold on him  as Seattle's first designated player.

What do you think of the news? Ready to order your Ljungberg Seattle jersey? Think he's going to be a bust in MLS? Looking forward to Calvin Klein underwear giveaway night at Qwest Field?

Share your thoughts on the Ljungberg-Seattle below.

Comments

[Nick]

I'm sold on Ljungberg as a DP for Seattle. I think people who question the signing are being unrealistic about the quality of players MLS can attract at this point in time. How many top players really want to leave Europe to play for an expansion team in Seattle, when they will probably be making less money here?

[Oranje Mike]

His best days are far behind him. Didn't West Ham pay him to leave? I'd vote that he's not worth the DP cash.

[jrnail23]

So I guess this means that Keller will be playing for non-DP money? Or is Seattle looking to get a 2nd DP slot?

[Richard, UK]

A world-class 31 year-old (with the added bonus of being a good-looking chap and a model, which will get media attentuon) midfielder isn't a bad signing, but I have the same reservations as most. His record with injuries and the fact he looked very ordinary during his spell with West Ham are the two main worries.

I don't think he'll be a total bust, but may we see a new Gallardo? Quality when he played, but didn't play enough to justify the salary.

Anyone want to guess at the salary? I'll go for just under $1 million a year.

[Richard, UK]

Re: jrnail23

Keller isn't a DP. I do imagine Seattle would be interested in a second DP slot, but more importantly, I think MLS will scrap the DP wage counting against the cap. I think it's a given the way Seattle Sounders are gonna stack their squad.

[Ed]

Actually I was going to buy a Seattle jersey. Living in the south with no team to support, I liked Seattle's colors and sponsor. Who knows, maybe I'll get Freddie's name on the back as well...

[CD]

Depending on contract details I could see it being an alright move. If they have him on a one year deal I am alright with it. If they have him locked for 3 and can't cut him I don't think it is a good move. If they want to have a competitive team in their first year I think they are well on their way to that if they get Ljungberg in and he can stay healthy for their first season.

[CD]

With Keller I am thinking he has got a special deal worked out involving be part of the orginization long term. There are also Keller Seattle FC t-shirts already available for sale and I am sure he will get paid for some of his promotional activities. He is planning on retiring in the area and he already has made about as much as any US soccer player has over his career so I am sure he is doing fine.

[Dave Clark]

I'm hopeful and yet worried.

His value to us will entirely be determined by his health. He wasn't healthy at West Ham with both a hip issue and chronic migraines.

If healthy we have a midfielder who can control the ball, score and play short through balls likely to put up 5-8 goals and 7-13 assissts.

If he isn't healthy it is an entirely wasted DP slot.

For these reasons I pray that SSFC can deal for a second DP, or that the league adds a second straight up.

In talking to a Swede about Ljungberg I expect that he will be a game a week guy. Meaning no USOC starts for him, unless SSFC thinks that they could make a run at the USOC and sit Freddie from league play.

[Tim]

IVES- What do you think of the Ljungberg as a DP and how he will be on the pitch ignoring his salary?

Are you gonna do a espn piece on it or a post on this blog about your thoughts?

[Krista]

I'm so pissed! I just moved from Seattle and they get a damn team and now Freddie?

I want a club in the south! Dont think ATL will get a slot any time soon. Is it too early to drink yet?

[Michael F.]

He's not a DP signing.

[DemonJuice]

F@$k Shittle.

Just have to get that out of the way. You might guess where I'm from.

I'm happy they wasted their DP. It will just mean that they'll be weaker come 2011.

[John]

Anything over $400,000 is DP money. This is the problem. No European based player is going to come for anything less than that. The salary cap needs to be raised or the DP shouldn't count against the cap.

[coque]

two conditions: 1. he gets paid a reasonable salary (reasonable for a dp slot)
2. they have a spine of decent players (no galaxy)

if those two conditions are met, this is a fantastic signing for seattle's only dp slot. does it really make sense for teams to go out and use a dp slot on a player like mikael sylvestre? i say absolutely not. mls needs more sportscenter moments. enough sportscenter moments to make the top 10 plays every night. ljungberg is definitely the right track.

the next step in the progression is getting ljungberg type players when they're 29-30 not 32-33.

[Scott A]

I voted no in that SBI poll and yet I feel excited by the idea of Ljungberg in MLS. No idea what that means...well, hope it works out

[nevets]

He and Keller will both bust. Both are too old.

[Jon E]

Since I'm not a Sounders fan, I don't worry too much about their line-up, but I do worry about Keller's effectiveness in goal. When the next season starts, he won't have played a competitive for over a year, right? That seems like a long time for a GK, especially one who (as far as I know) hasn't been practicing with a team.

[Steve]

I'm not sure how much more high-profile Seattle could have gotten. Obviously a Thierry Henry level European would be a pipe dream. Who's a possibility that is more famous than Ljungberg and wouldn't think Seattle is too small a pond? An Omar Bravo wouldn't be a good fit because, unless I'm mistaken, I don't think there's a large latino population to draw on.

Ives,
If Ljungberg isn't a worthy DP, what would be your list of 10 or 20 ideal, realistic DPs?

[Charley]

I voted no against Ljundberg last time, but now I feel like the Sounders may have a pretty strong team. Now, I don't know what positions the other two players of the 4 mentioned by Ives, but Keller and Ljundberg sound solid. I like Seattle's thinking here. Let's not spend a huge amount of money on one player who really may not do that much, and could miss a lot of the season (I love him, but Beckham) and instead lets just have a talented group to build around. If one doesn't work out, it's not a big deal, because they haven't put to much into him and they can get rid of him without much work. That is unless Ljundberg is paid beckham like numbers. In that case, Seattle is stupid and this is probably a bad deal.

[northzax]

who cares how much he is being paid? Once he's into dp money, anything over 400k, it's irrelevant. Seattle has the wealthiest non-corporate ownership structure in the league. Heck, behind Chelsea, Zenit and Man City they may have the richest owner in sport. If Paul Allen wants to pay Freddie five million a year, I am pretty sure he can afford it.

[Ethan]

I like Ljungberg, and I believe the problem with West Ham wasn't Freddy but West Ham's team in general.

Of course, I think a more intelligent signing for Seattle is a Japanese star. Nakamura of course would be fantastic, but even looking at some of the young players in Japan who have showed promise might be a good idea.

For some reason, I decided to research this a bit...established players that they might go after include:

Yoshito Okubo formerly of Mallorca.
Naohiro Takahara formerly of Hamburger FC, Boca Jrs., and Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga
Yuki Abe
Tasuya Tanaka
Yasuhito Endo
Mashashi Ogoro

And a young player who would has a lot of promise:
Shinji Kagawa

These aren't as famous as many others, and some of them I know very little about, but demographically, it makes sense, and I'm alright with teams signing good players I never heard of previously (even in a DP spot) as long as it is an intelligent buy.

Random thought: Why don't we have as many talented Brazilians in our league as the J-League? Every year, they have a Brazilian leading their league in scoring. I think that's only happened once in the MLS. What gives?

[Cosmos Forever]

Being an Arsenal fan I appreciate that he's had a very good career. What I worry about is the constant injury/headache problems that he's had the past 3 years. I'd rather see Seattle get someone a bit less known, but someone who can play 90% of the games. A Darren Huckerby type perhaps. Freddie might sell a couple of extra tickets, but Sounders fans will be lamenting his signing when he misses 50% of the games.

[Zach]

Ethan,
I believe the reason we don't have the players the J-League has is because they either don't have a salary cap or it is a much higher one than the MLS.

[Ethan]

Zach,

I thought about that, and you are probably right, but if they are good enough, the DP enable a team to have the capabilities to take one away. Of course, if they all get paid $4 million a year, well...I don't see that happening. :)

[Dave Clark]

And the person mentioning the West Ham "buyout" might want to pay attention to the fact that West Ham had 40 players on their roster, that Freddie wasn't healthy enough to play and that the owner of West Ham bankrupted the nation of Iceland.

[Henrik]

Not the best of news, but surely decent. Ljungberg is a fantastic player though his best years are behind him, he still could put in a few more years in either the EPL or Serie A as was reported of him heading to Roma. I think a 2 or 3 year contract would do well and he could firmly help establish the team not just across MLS but perhaps outside the league as well.

[scotty]

MLS is a mini league even compared to Eredivisie or Scottish league. In 10years we will be earning the respect of everyone but takes time, talent, promotion and prestige. Ljungberg isnt the best player but also is not the worst. Surely giving him a million or 2 a year as a DP wont hurt anyone. He will bring in enough attention especially from a financial viewpoint. Not as huge as Beckham but more skilled and known than JPA or Blanco. Give him a chance

[John]

I think the people arguing that Ljungberg isn't DP quality are missing the point--they're thinking too much about signing someone like Henry or Zidane or whomever.

Think Landon Donovan. Would you pay DP money for Donovan now? Of course you would. He's probably the best player in MLS and if he isn't, it's because of a small handful of players who might be ahead of him: Schelotto, Beckham, Joseph and that's about it. Well, I think right now and for the next 1-2, maybe 3 years, Ljungberg is about on-par with Donovan. They have similar games, are about similar quality as players. Donovan is quicker at this point in their careers and Ljungberg is probably more consistent and has more ice water in his veins.

I see only two potential negatives about signing Ljungberg:
1. Keller isn't a DP but I'm sure he signed for near max salary. As teams like the RedBulls, DCU and LAG know all too well, when you tie up a big chunk of your salary cap with two players, a lot of other guys are making a pittance and you can't afford as much depth. The flip side of not having two DP-salary or near DP salaries is to look at Houston.
2. Injuries. I'm not his physio so I can't say what his health status is. But if by signing him, Ljungberg doesn't play until Seattle rolls out a ball in preseason, that gives him plenty of time to get healthy and get his legs back.

I think it's a good signing.

[svesea]

Great news! Regardless of whether his best days are behind him, he can still provide a spark from time to time. Plus, there is a novelty factor for the few of us swedes in Seattle.

[Ethan]

I'm still flabbergasted how anyone would rate Beckham as 1.) better than Donovan and 2.) in the top 5 players in the league.

Joseph, Schelleto, Blanco, Donovan, Angel are all better...and I'm not sure that there aren't a lot more better. Who would you have rather had this season, Ralston or Beckham? On how they played, I don't think it is as obvious as the expected answer.

[cbr]

fantastic signing for the Seattle and the league

[Scott A]

Not sure MLS is a mini league compared to the Scottish league. Beyond Celtic and Rangers, the rest of the teams are pretty average and get pretty terrible attendances

[Justin O]

I think some people are pretty unrealistic about the kind of player you can sign with a DP. I think Freddie is about as good as MLS can reasonably expect. If nothing else, he's younger than what one should expect.

Now, you could argue that Seattle should pass on signing a DP completely. But if you are going to sign one, Ljungberg is probably as good as Seattle can realistically hope to get.

[Myran]

I agree that people are being unrealistic about who can be signed as a DP. By definition if it is a star player they will be the tail end of their career. So then the question becomes can they compete in the MLS and the answer there is a resounding yes. Take any healthy 30 year old star player from the EPL, La Liga, Serie A and put them in the MLS and they are better then most players in the MLS. If they were not, all the MLS players would have joined the above mentioned leagues as they too would be very good.

Another question is your priorities in signing a star player: do you sign them for soccer abilities or star power or both. I think Freddie has both. So that probably translates into money well spent as the star power part translates into $ going into the club which helps pay for his salary.

The Seattle ownership is very shrewd. They are not new at this as Adrian Hanauer has run the USL Sounders for a while. I expect them to field a strong them with or without Freddie. Further, I wouldn't be surprised if some of Freddie's salary is coming through endorsements. Look at who Seattle has already lined up (XBOX). Freddie already modeled for Calvin Klein so there is potential tie-ins to fashion and/or soccer apparel. It's well known that Freddie wants to stay involved in fashion after his career ends.

However, from a pure soccer stand point if they were going to sign a Swede they should have signed Henrik Larsson. He is out of contract in December (and is talking about playing abroad again) and with all due respect to Juan Pablo Angel, Henke will make him look like a b-rated player.

[socceraddict]

I hope that FL does well. Time will tell due to the fact that his game suits more than the likes of Gallardo and Lopez. Lopez has been horid. As soon as Onalfo, took him out of the starting lineup the team started to play well and made the playoffs. Lopez shanked an easy breakway today 1v1 on Reis.

It could be a good move for FL because his skills translate better than forementioned DP's. Hopefully, he will have success which will entice other talented players from other countries to test the MlS waters. Guud luck Freddie............My 2 cents

I am soccer addict and I approve this message.

[Terry]

It's amazing the negativity about Beckham. He has raised the interest in the league two fold and if not for him, I don't think Freddy L. would have considered coming to our up and coming league. The comments about his quality are ridiculus! For some reason, Real Madrid thought he was good enough for them. The England National team as-well. Name me one player from the U.S. that has played recently or maybe ever for a club as good as those. Josy Altidore. Future. Amazing the amount of jelousy people show when someone has it all. I for one am glad he came to the MLS, and am excited to see him play for AC Milan. This will build up the respect for MLS if he comes back. And by the way. Who wouldn't want to play for AC Milan? Anyone who blames him is just living in an ideolistic fantasy land.

[CD]

MLS= elephant graveyard....so sad

[Mike Kurowski]

Seattle are putting together a really nice team with two decorated veterans in goal and up top. These two players absolutely have their best days behind them, but they still can perform at a very high level. Even more, they are going to bring so much experience to all the players. Good management already from Seattle. I agree absolutely agree with Terry above me.

[Joamiq]

I think it's going to be a good move, personally.

[smokeminside]

I'm with Terry and Mike...Beckham bashers are not thinking clearly.

And Llungberg will be fine.

Hey, Seasve, isn't the entire neighborhood of Ballard practically Swedish. There's an Ikea a stone's throw from where the Sounders played this season.

The stars are aligned.

[nad]

i for one am not too keen on the deal, but on the other hand it doesnt matter if he is a DP or not, our owners have extremely deep pockets

[seven]

One of the biggest drawbacks to any DP signing is that they have to be out of contract. MLS is not going to get into paying transfer fees. This drastically reduces the pool of potential DPs because clubs generally don't allow players to reach the end of their contract. Once they get close they either extend the contract or sell them to a club that will offer them a new deal. Unless MLS starts paying transfer fees DP's will always be aging stars. The trick will be making sure that there is something left in the tank - both physically & mentally.
Having said that I think Ljungberg is a good signing, but he will need some quality around him to allow him to really perform. He has at his best when Bergkamp was finding him when he made his runs into the box.

[Alexi Lalas]

Sign Beckham.

[michael]

There is a clear formula they are using. Designated players are certainly the face of MLS while the younger and more established players are the ones who are depended on to score goals and bring substance to the league.

I have no problem with this. Its good marketing while building something on solid footing. If you can bring Beckham, Ljundberg, and Blanco over to make people interested in the sport, I am all for it. They will then learn the names of Klesjan, Cooper, Altidore, Rodgers, and others who have made the league something special to watch.

Plus Seattle is gonna have a good team if they raid the USL club like they are supposed to. Its not as frivolous as it sounds in a lot of respects.

[Dave Clark]

For all of those saying that Freddie is too old, why not live in reality?

Five DPs are older than Ljungberg
the Likely MVP is older than Ljungberg
15% of all Mids/Forwards in the LEAGUE are older than Ljungerberg
All but two teams have as one or more of their most important attacking players an older man than Ljungberg

The ONLY question is the hip/headaches

[steve-o]

it depends on how much DP cash he is getting. I'm getting sick of that term. If he is making a mil or so (or less), maybe it is a great deal. If it is 2 mil or more, maybe it is not a great deal. who really cares, if ownership wants to spend the cash let them.

I'm a DCU fan, and think the Gallardo as a DP move was a bust. Emilio has somewhat earned his DP status.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

I bet he gets injured and misses half the season

[Ryan G]

I'm personally friggin stoked. I'm a HUGE Ljundberg fan, and even though Seattle will be a Western rival for my team (San Jose), they will still be my second favorite team in MLS, precisely because of Ljundberg.

Nice to see a Swede make the jump across the pond.

[SonicDeathMonkey]

I think saying Ljungberg is old at 31 is silly...however.....signing a player at DP wages who was just payed millions of dollars to GO AWAY and has some injury issues? And oh yeah, have him play on field turf? I know Seattle fans are stoked at getting a team, and thats great. But they have to take the blinders off and at least admit this signing is a bit of a reach.

[Ljunberg= BECKHAM LITE]

WOO HOO ! BECKHAM LIGHT!!

[huricano]

Ives, what about buying budding Argentinians and Brasilians, like Mexico does? Maybe we won't get the Kun's, but there's still got to be quality left to pick over.

[Ceez]

I think this is a great signing. Sure, he doesn't have the fame or following that Beckham, C. Ronaldo, Dinho, or anyone at that level but he has the looks and the skills.

Look at Schelotto, for example. I knew about Schelotto for a very long time since I've been watching Boca Jrs. and the Argentine League for as long as I can remember (my family is South American and therefore huge fans of the Argentine league) but I'm pretty sure the casual fan here didn't know about him. There is NO doubt in my mind that everyone in Columbus thinks of him as THE man in Columbus and the main reason the Crew are where they are as a club -- attendance and standings wise.

I'm confident that Ljungberg will have the same effect in Seattle.

...and he'll sell underwear too.

[Matt]

Ah....good idea.

Thirty-one years old, injury-prone and of a nationality that won't bring in a single dollar of revenue.

But I'm sure that thousands of people will show up in the stands because a guys that was sitting the bench on a mediocre European team is on the field (or in the hospital).

Great signing. Definitely worth millions and 1/6th of the salary cap.

[arisrules]

He's a good signing, if he stays healthy. Simple as that.

I'd take him over Claudio Lopez, and I think his style of play probably suits the league more than the quasi-bust Gallardo.

[rancho chevron]

Wouldn't Seattle want to get a coach in place first ? and by the way when is the expansion draft??