Marshall reunited with Schmid in Seattle after being traded by Columbus
Chad Marshall, right, will be marshaling the center of the Seattle Sounders back line next season after being traded by Columbus on Thursday (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press/AP)
The Seattle Sounders figured to be in store for a shake-up after the disappointing conclusion to its 2013 MLS season, and so far that has held true to form.
After trading for goalkeeper Stefan Frei and dealing Mauro Rosales to Chivas USA in the past two days, Seattle acquired veteran center back Chad Marshall from the Columbus Crew, reuniting him with former Crew manager Sigi Schmid. Columbus received an undisclosed sum of allocation money and a third-round pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft in return.
“Unfortunately in our league in order to get something of value you have to make difficult decisions," new Crew manager and sporting director Gregg Berhalter said in a team statement. "This deal gives us significant flexibility to continue building our roster. We feel that this is the perfect time to maximize Chad's value, and by us doing this trade, we have received that and additional resources.”
The trade had to be executed prior to Wednesday's 5 p.m. pre-Re-Entry-Draft deadline, and, according to a Crew press release, it was, even though it was not announced until Thursday afternoon.
Seattle deals Rosales to Chivas USA
Marshall, 29, is a two-time MLS Defender of the Year, though he has battled injuries in recent years. He presents a valuable piece of the puzzle in defense, which was a point of inconsistency for the high-spending and star-studded Sounders during their struggles. He was at the center of Schmid's MLS Cup winning defense in 2008 with the Crew.
