Sounders reshape roster by acquiring goal-scorer Will Bruin from Houston
SEATTLE – The Sounders added their second player in as many days on Friday, acquiring forward Will Bruin from the Houston Dynamo for targeted allocation money and general allocation money.
Bruin, 27, has 50 goals and 20 assists in six MLS seasons, all of them with the Dynamo.
“You pay money for goals, and he scores goals,” Sounders general manager Garth Lagerway said on Friday morning in a conference call. “He’s just another good, hard-working kid who makes us younger and more athletic and it’s something we need to continue to do.”
The move comes a day after Seattle acquired midfielder Harry Shipp from Montreal for general allocation money.
Like the Shipp move, the acquisition of Bruin is meant to bolster a part of the team that is in need of depth and talent in the wake of the Sounders declining options on 13 players on Dec. 12. Among those who had their options declined was veteran forward Nelson Valdez, who was vocal about wanting to return in the wake of the Sounders’ victory in the MLS Cup final on Dec. 10. But that required a massive pay cut from the $1.45 million the 30-year-old Valdez earned as a Designated Player in 2016.
“I totally understand why Nelson was not enamored by our offer,” Lagerway said of the team’s efforts to keep Valdez at a lesser salary. “But that said, I can’t say enough nice things about Nelson and everything he did for us. But it’s unlikely (he returns). He will certainly be missed for the culture he helped create and the massive contributions he made during our run.”
Another factor that played into the Sounders adding a forward like Bruin was the uncertain status of Clint Dempsey, who missed the last two months of the seasons and the entire postseason after he was found to have an irregular heartbeat. Lagerway said Friday what happens with Dempsey will have a major impact in how the Sounders will shape their roster, though he added he does not know when exactly that will become clear.
“We’re going to be ultracautious with Clint,” Lagerway said. “He’s going to be brought back at the pace he needs to be brought back, but there’s no way to know one way or the other on him. … The Dempsey factor is a complicating one on trying to make final decisions on (our roster).”
As for Bruin, he joins Seattle after establishing himself as one of the most consistent scorers in MLS during his time in Houston. He had a career-high 12 goals in 2012 and has six goals in 13 career playoff games. Bruin was a three-year standout at Indiana, scoring 33 goals in 66 games for the Hoosiers.
“Will is a good player who brings a unique skillset to our team,” Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to welcoming both him and Harry Shipp to Seattle and seeing how they compete within our existing group of players.”
— Will Bruin (@wbruin) December 23, 2016