Sounders’ Chad Marshall ready to become 13th MLS player to play in 400 games
Sounders defender Chad Marshall never much thought about his ironman status until a while back when it became a family affair.
He’d seen a Twitter post that compared his minutes played to that of his brother-in-law, Philadelphia Union midfielder Brian Carroll, both in the top-five list for Major League Soccer active players. On Wednesday night against Orlando City FC at CenturyLink Field, Marshall will achieve another longevity feat when he becomes only the 13th player in MLS history to log 400 games played in regular season, playoffs, Champions League and U.S. Open Cup play.
“At one point, him and I were No. 4 and 5 for minutes played, so it’s kind of cool to see the names that were on those lists,” Marshall said Tuesday. “So, to be on those lists of games played as well, it’s cool. It’s something I’ll look back on at the end and be prideful of that.”
His teammate, midfielder Osvaldo Alonso, 31, achieved a milestone of his own last Saturday, becoming the 11th MLS player to reach 300 games played with the same team. For Alonso, there’s no secret to how he’s lasted this long: “It’s tough playing on turf, but you have to be professional. Eat well, train hard and be ready for games. You have to focus on what you’re doing.”
That hasn’t been too hard for the Cuban defector. He says he’s eternally grateful he got the chance to play in even one MLS game, let alone so many for the same squad. In his mind, he owes it to the Sounders and fans to give back all he can.
In Marshall’s case, his 400 games will have come via nine seasons with the Columbus Crew and now a fifth campaign for a Sounders team that brought him a second MLS Cup championship ring to go with one earned in 2008.
Longtime Los Angeles Galaxy keeper Kevin Hartman leads the all-time appearance list at 507, followed by current Real Salt Lake and U.S. Men’s National Team keeper Nick Rimando at 496. Marshall would tie Jack Jewsbury, former Kansas City Wizards and Portland Timbers defender, for the 12th spot at 400 games played as of Wednesday.
“I’ve been really fortunate to stay relatively healthy, which has been huge,” Marshall said. “Not everyone can say that. In that respect, I’ve been able to be a part of some great teams. I’ve done a good job taking care of my body and making an impact on the field.”
Marshall has made an impact away from the pitch as well, taking part in a multitude of community events. On Tuesday afternoon, he and teammate Brad Evans attended a Pioneer Square news conference by Seattle’s five professional sports teams in support of the LGBT community ahead of the Sounders’ third annual Pride Day game against Orlando.
“I always think it’s a great cause,” Marshall said. “Seattle is all about being inclusive. It’s just something I really support, and I’m glad that our club is behind it. Obviously, the LGBT community has gone through a lot over the course of history. They’re fighting for equality and I think our team being a part of the community as they are, it’s great that we can get behind them and support it.”
Marshall said he’s fortunate to have played for two strong MLS organizations that encouraged community involvement from the start of his career.
Like Alonso, he never expected his career to last this long. In fact, he only found out about the milestone game Tuesday morning and said it made him feel old.
“You’re probably not in your 20s anymore if you’re playing your 400th game,” he quipped.
As for his brother-in-law Carroll, who played in his 350th game last season – but none so far in 2017 – Marshall has since passed him in minutes played at 31,163 to 30,776.
“I won’t rub that in until the holidays,” he said.