As Obafemi Martins departs Seattle, is there a better story in MLS than the now very intriguing Pacific Northwest? Sure, Los Angeles has been making some news and New York is never far from the headlines but the clubs of Cascadia have certainly put themselves front and center this off-season.
Portland, looking to defend their first MLS Cup, have added a nice mix of veteran experience and young talent such as Ned Grabavoy and Jack McInerney. The Vancouver Whitecaps for their part have looked to continue their upward trend trading for Blas Perez and adding Christian Balanos on free transfer.
Seattle added the much coveted Jordan Morris from Stanford to their already star heavy roster. Convincing the Homegrown player to shun the advancements of Bundesliga side Werder Bremen was no small feat and seemed enough to put the Sounders ahead of their Cascadia Cup rivals.
Then things really got interesting. Seattle Sounders forward Obafemi Martins announced his intention to sign with Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua. The impending departure of their leading goal scorer puts added pressure on Morris and reaffirms the status quo amongst the clubs in the Pacific Northwest.
Martins was arguably the best player on the pitch for the Sounders during his three-year tenure. Not only did he contribute 40 goals and 23 assists through 72 regular season MLS matches but he, along with Clint Dempsey, shouldered a great deal of the pressure and high expectations that come with playing for Seattle.
Seattle, as a city, has largely held the reputation in the sporting world for coming so close only to fall just short. From the Mariners and SuperSonics of the 1990s to the Sounders and Seahawks of this century, the Emerald City has only seen one championship despite being home to some of the most talented athletes.
Ken Griffey Jr, Alex Rodriguez and Shaun Alexander all passed through Seattle without quite capturing the championship in their respective sports. Now, Seattle can add Martins name to that list of MVP athletes.
Always a threat to score and electrify the home crowd, Martins’ impending departure is incredibly disappointing for both the league in general and Seattle in particular. It does not however, leave Seattle out of title contention. For all the almost runs and the sad goodbyes, Seattle has always continued to move forward with another talented athlete and another title contending run seemingly always on the horizon.
Fortunately, for the Sounders fan, that next star has already signed up.
The pressure is certainly on for Morris. But Cyle Larin showed last year that a college standout can transition quickly into a valuable piece for an MLS squad.
With Martins on the roster, Morris put the Sounders clearly in front of the Whitecaps and Timbers. In Martins absence, the three clubs remain more on par with each other. Morris certainly could still be the difference maker in putting Seattle over the top.
The Portland Timbers have made it clear they are not going to be content with just one Cup and a ride off into the sunset. Vancouver was willing to bring in rival Blas Perez to help push them closer to their goal. Seattle, as always, remains proactive in their quest for their first championship.
As for Obafemi Martins, one can simply wish him the best as he embarks on the next chapter of his soccer journey with Shanghai Shenhua. The Chinese Super League is making a strong push for relevance in the soccer world and the addition of Martins to their league is only a positive. Whether they can sustain their growth and spending is another matter and an issue with which I have little to no concern over.
All the best to Martins, but the corner of the soccer world he just left holds a great deal more interest and intrigue in this upcoming season.
