Marcus Hahnemann at the ready for Seattle Sounders
Nov 2, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann (24) makes a save against the Portland Timbers during the second half of the western conference semifinals at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann could have called it a career last season. But that itch to drive, that itch to compete just kept gnawing and tearing at him. He wanted another go, and now he gets another go.
“I came back and didn’t feel that bad,” Hahnemann told MLSSoccer.com’s Jeremiah Oshan. “I don’t run that fast, mind you, but I ran most of it. I thought, ‘I don’t feel that bad. If I can do that at the end of the season, I have to be able to play another year.
“I plan on playing. That’s my goal, to go in and play. But that’s my plan. If you ask my mom, she’ll tell you I should be starting, my wife probably the same thing. But they don’t pick the team, I don’t pick the team, Sigi [Schmid, head coach] picks the team.
“The thing I can do is work my ass off for the next 39 sessions and put myself in position, like I think I did last year for the preseason where I was playing really well.”
With Michael Gspurning on his way out to PAOK, the spotlight is on Hahnemann to potentially deliver, although he will face competition from Stefan Frei, who will also see playing time.
“They’re just going to play and we’ll see how things come along,” said Sounders manager Sigi Schmid. “It’s always an open competition in the sense that you’re always going to play who’s playing better. There’s expectations and maybe in your mind there’s a pecking order, but on the same token if a guy is playing well he’s going to play.”
“We have a lot of good competition, which is what you need,” Hahnemann concluded. “It’s going to make us all better.”
In other news, a local report indicates that Swedish midfielder Erik Friberg could be returning to the Seattle Sounders after spending a 2011 stint with the club. Friberg made 26 appearances for the Rave Green and currently plays for Swedish side Malmo FF.