Tough Day: Sounders Lose Riley, Wahl, and Arlo White

James Riley: Wikimedia Commons

Fullback James Riley was selected by the Montreal Impact in the 2011 Expansion Draft.  The Sounders also traded another fullback, Tyson Wahl, to the Impact for allocation money.  Finally, the Sounders play-by-play announcer, Arlo White, has been hired by NBC to be their main voice for national MLS broadcasts.

James Riley has been the Sounders' starting right fullback for all three of their years of existence.  Tyson Wahl was also a starter for most of last year.  Allocation money, which the Sounders received for Wahl, can be used by the club to exceed the salary cap in 2012.  The Sounders will need it, as they will need to replace two defensive fullbacks, as well as their goalkeeper.  The Sounders do have room on their roster for one more Designated Player.  Each MLS team can have up to three DP's, which are players whose salries are not restricted by the salary cap.  The Sounders' current DP's are Fredy Montero and Mauro Rosales.

The Sounders will also need to find a new play-by-play announcer.  Arlo White, originally from Britain, served two seasons as the Sounders' announcer.  While it's a huge loss for fans of the Sounders, choosing White to be their main play-by-play announcer was a smart move by NBC.  White has a passion for the game, and has been a huge supporter of the Sounders and MLS.  He will be hard to replace.

Joshua Mayers reports on the moves in his Seattle Times blog here.

The blog Sounder At Heart comments on the player moves here and the loss of White here.