Sounders lose Marshall, get draft pick

Sounders FC said goodbye to Tyrone Marshall Wednesday and said hello, very briefly, to Chris Seitz, a goalkeeper for the Philadelphia Union.

Both veteran players left their respective clubs courtesy of the MLS Re-Entry Draft Stage 2. Marshall went to Colorado and Setiz, a keeper, became Seattle property for about an hour before the club swapped him to Dallas FC for a fourth-round draft choice in 2012.

The re-entry draft process allows veteran players to test the market and try to find a new club. Major League Soccer rules stipulate that a drafting club will be required to make a genuine offer to an out-of-contract player within seven days of the selection.

Marshall, a 12-year MLS veteran, came to the Sounders in a trade with Toronto FC in exchange for allocation money, prior to the 2009 season. Marshall, who carried a high six-figure salary, will have to negotiate with the Rapids to secure at least a one-year deal. The Rapids have seven days to make him a “legitimate” offer, according to MLS rules.

Marshall appeared 46 times for Seattle — of which 39 were starts. He scored three goals and recorded three assists.  He also made seven appearances in CONCACAF Champions League and two in the US Open Cup.

“First and foremost we want to thank Tyrone for his service to the club for the last two years,” said Adrian Hanauer, owner and general manager.  “He was a contributor and a leader and we wouldn’t have had the success that we had without him.”

But age and his high salary caught up with with the Jamaican native and longstanding member of the Jamaican National Team. With Jhon Kennedy Hurtado returning from a knee injury suffered in 2010, the resurgence of Jeff Parke and the emergence of Patrick Ianni, it looked crowded in the center back position.

Other defenders remain in the mix and are younger and cheaper:  Taylor Graham, who featured in Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League play, as well as Zach Scott and Tyson Wahl.

“The realities of managing the salary and roster limitations in the league made it close to impossible to keep Tyrone in the group.  We felt comfortable with our strength in the depth of our center back group,” Hanauer said.  “Unfortunately, someone had to be the odd man out.”

Marshall, 36, has 270 career MLS matches with 15 goals and 20 assists to his credit, playing for the Rapids in 1998, then moving on to the Miami Fusion, LA Galaxy, Toronto FC and Sounders FC.  In his career, he has won two US Open Cups with Seattle in 2009 and 2010, two MLS Cup titles in LA in 2002 and 2005 and a Supporters’ Shield with the Miami Fusion in 2001 and the Galaxy in 2002.  He also has 70 caps for the Jamaican National Team.

Marshall will join another former Sounder, Sanna Nyassi, on the Rapids.  Nyassi was drafted by the Vancouver Whitecaps second overall in the Expansion Draft, then traded to the Rapids.

The off-season has featured the Expansion Draft and two stages of the Re-Entry Draft.  Now, players who weren’t taken in the Re-Entry process become free agents, able to negotiate with any team in the league.

The priorities up next for the Sounders: running their own college invitational combine this weekend in Las Vegas, then attending the MLS combine in January in Fort Lauderdale that is conducted prior to the MLS SuperDraft on January 13.