will freddie ever play in a sounders shirt again?

In all honesty, no one on the team has been having a good year. Not even Keller. I think this is a huge misjudgement from the management and it sounds like he is being pushed out. I always thought he would be the one to decide to leave, because of how obviously better he is than the majority of the players in this league, even at his age. He got pissed at the refs but do you honestly blame him? We have 3rd rate officiating in a 2nd rate league. He’s 32 – he shouldn’t be getting kicked in the spine by some punk ass that plays on a shitty team in a sub par league. This is a pretty big blow to what has already been a disappointing season.

To be honest if he’s not trying he shouldn’t play on this team

SBI claims it is the result of a contract dispute: http://twitter.com/SoccerByIves/status/19026746976

I agree with a lot of this.   But as repetitive as it is, the physical level of play and/or officials hurt him so much. I think he could shine again at in La Liga (at a lower level team obviously) or Serie A, the bruising nature and lack of calls of at MLS really wore him down emotionally at the very least.   
 
Moreover, it seems to me, he doesn’t have it in him to be a “club man” and of course we have Roger in that role and he costs 1.2M less – thus time to move on.
 
I sure hope we can get someone for him that will be a long term contributor.   There was a great article in the NY Times after the U.S. – Slovenia game…one paragraph really rang true with me.
 
For whatever the reason, Americans generally do not play well against nations from east of the Rhine — deliberate, hardcore physical specimens, the cream of the crop back home. The Yanks often revert two or three decades in time, cough up the ball, get whacked around, make mistakes.
 
In the spirit of that article – Adrian if FL is gone please find us a box to box hard-man, with just a touch of poise and flair.   (If not by August 15th, in the off season).  If history (and the way we got knocked off the ball against Celtic) shows us anything it is that direct and physical play win MLS cups. 
 

I agree with Ken.  I think there are a lot surrounding factors that yamsmos mentioned, but at the end of the day it comes down to money and security.

Especially if you read Josh’s most recent chat with Sigi, you will see that the issue seems to be contract renewal. 

The Sounders have been playing bad, so the managment doesn’t want to renew anyones contract for next year, just yet.  Makes sense, wait and see how the players play the rest of the year before you decide to bring them back.  However, Freddie is at the end of his career and he wants to be sure he has a future team.  If the Sounders can’t gaurtentee he has a job next year, Freddie needs to get on a European team before their leagues start up.

If he is leaving I wish things would get sorted out very soon. We could use another really great player to turn this season around, someone who is actually a proven goal scorer.

I’m not sure how much he is being “pushed out.”  What struck me during the past off-season was how little he was committing to return (it was always “yes, I’m under contract and intend to honor it, but…” ), how often his blog entries seemed obsessed with Europe, etc., etc.  It just left me with the sense that he had at least one foot out the door, and probably a lot more than that.  His play this year hasn’t done anything to disabuse me of the notion.  My sense is that FL discovered early on that MLS is an extremely physical league where what would be clear fouls elsewhere were brushed-off on a regular basis, and decided he would rather be elsewhere if he could get a good enough European team to offer him a spot.

Well, it was a short contract to begin with. He did bulk up in the off season, and every interview I read his comments seemed sincere about liking it here and being open to the possibility of staying after his 2 year contract ended. Apparently I’ve been watching different games than you have this season. FL10 has been one of the only bright spots in otherwise impassionate and frankly boring play. You’re making it sound like he’s half-assed it this season, as others are accusing, and that’s not based on witnessable facts.

This limbo period tells us a) he’s on the trade block and b) there’s no deal yet.  Most likely, he’s gone to the front office and demanded a trade.  Rather than it get ugly, they made a deal to sit him and find him a new home.  Meanwhile, they maintain radio silence.

I assumed that freddie would only stay for the duration of his contract and then retire or move back to a European league… but I am starting to wonder, rather wildly speculate, if maybe they (FO) are trying to get him into a coaching job. However, that doesnt explain the ankle injury, or the NYRB rumors…

maybe that is just a pipe dream…

I agree with everyone who suggested that it was money. I feel that, as well as how he responded to Sigi’s authority, was the majority of what caused this split.   He is very good still and I was looking forward to seeing him and Kufo play togeather. One thing that FL did sometimes, that was not too good for play, was cause the distrubution in midfield to be too predictable.  He was the most fouled player in the league and that had somthing to do with his attitude. What the Sounders needed was someone to take the presure off him. Sometimes a Porsche part is just not any help in fixing a Chevy. Maybe Freddie will find a team that he fits better.

in one of the interviews, hanauer mentioned that at least part of the disagreement was that freddie wanted to finalize a contract negotiation now whereas the sounders wanted to wait until the end of the season. which is to say, the sounders weren’t 100% sold on bringing him back. so i can understand why freddie would want to leave. if he plays out the year in the mls and the sounders don’t renew his contract and he doesn’t get something worked out with a european team during the january transfer window, he’d miss almost ten months which would be a pretty substantial part of the time he has left. if he can’t finish his career with the sounders, i think it’s in his best interests to move now. and i think even though he’s been with us for such a short period of time and definitely hasn’t been an unmitigated success, we still owe him that much.

I respect Ljungberg’s abilities, but I’m no fan so I’m not mourning his departure, but there are other practical considerations to consider.  I’ve never believed he was going to stay beyond his initial contract as this seemed to be a step he took to rejuvinate his career.  Here he could be the hero of a new franchise, playing time would be a nonissue, and he felt he would be less exposed to injury than what he dealt with in the EPL.  But whenever a players contract is within the last year or so, they are unofficially on the market.  The MLS in particular, needs the infusion of money sales of players such as Ljungberg provide.  Better to let him go when his stock is high.

Two, he doesn’t seem to be willing to submit himself to the authority of an MLS coach and Sigi in particular.  Anyone who has ever played knows how poisonous this can be to team mentality.  More than most sports, the “team” element of soccer requires a clear, unified vision.  Star players who completely disregarding the judgment and authority of the coach are rarely successful.  Ljungberg goes and I think the “spirit” and “intensity” we’re hearing about becomes the norm again.

Like Liverpool, no one is bigger than Sounders FC.

I heard that RBNY is going to sign Rafa Matquez & trade him AND Henry to seattle for Freddie. Pass me another latte and crank up the Mudhoney!

No, they are just going to switch franchises completely, red bull seattle and new york sounders, and who’s Matquez?

I believe Latte Lover means MaRquez…

literacy… its not just for Seattleites…

Sorry. I was too busy drinking my latte and typing on my I-phone while being a hip Seattleite! Now, let’s go SKATEBOARD!  

This is the worst trolling attempt I’ve ever seen.

Whose trolling? I love seattle. What a great city. best team in all of world football. Fabulous rave green shirts! Great coffee! WE ARE HIP!