Shalrie Joseph was among the best in the league and was a nemesis for the Sounders whe he played with the New England Revolution. Now he's wearing Rave Green and ready to make a run at MLS Cup.

By Matt Gaschk

In 2009, the Sounders FC was a fledgling organization, making their way through the difficult waters of Major League Soccer.  As they sailed through the season, they had varying levels of success against the established teams of the league and as an expansion team, that was to be expected.

By the end of the season, though, they had managed to at least earn a point from every team they played against over the course of the season.  Except for one.

While they struggled in their three matches against Chivas USA, the Sounders were able to earn a draw in their final meeting for their only point in that series.  They won the season series against eight of their opponents and tied the series against four of them.  And while they managed a point against Chivas USA, there was still one team that they absolutely could not solve.  Or, more to a point, one player they couldn’t manage to deconstruct.

That team was the New England Revolution, but more importantly, that player was Shalrie Joseph. The six-foot-three midfielder from Grenada was a menace to the Sounders – a puzzle with no solution.

In two matches against Seattle, he had three goals and the Revolution won 1-0 in Seattle and 2-1 in Foxboro.

Now, four years later, he has joined forces with the Sounders after a preseason trade with Chivas USA, for whom he played the last half of the 2012 season after nine and a half seasons with the Revolution that included four MLS Best XI seasons in 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009, the last of which he was a finalist for the MVP award. He was also honored as an All-Star eight times.

“Shalrie is a tremendous player and is somebody who, when I first got in the league, was one of two guys that I looked up to and said, ‘If I can model my career after him, I think I’d be doing pretty good,’” midfielder Brad Evans said.  “To have him on the team is a blessing.”

For as overjoyed as some of his new teammates were to have him join the team in Tucson, Ariz., for preseason training last week, he was equally beaming with excitement.

“It’s been fun to meet all the new guys and they’ve been very welcoming,” Joseph said.  “It feels good to be on this team.”

Three times, he reached the MLS Cup final with the Revolution, only to fall to the LA Galaxy in 2005 and the Houston Dynamo in 2006 and 2007.  Now 34, he views his new lifeline with the Sounders FC as a last chance to earn an MLS Cup title.

And if he is able to reach that goal, he will do so while playing the season in front of the most fervent crowd in MLS at CenturyLink Field, where the city of Seattle has packed the stands to the tune of record-setting attendance figures each season.

It’s an atmosphere relished by the team, but also one that is sought by players on visiting teams.

“Seattle is the best atmosphere in the league and every time you come here you look forward to that.  Now I get to play in front of the fans screaming my name and chanting for our team – it’ll be fun,” he said.  “I look forward to that atmosphere.”

He will be with the team when they open the MLS season on Saturday against the Montreal Impact, but he is still working his way back from a calf injury and is getting his fitness up to standard.  Seattle head coach Sigi Schmid said he expects Joseph to be at full stride by mid-April, pacing him to potentially be ready to start and contribute for the Sounders around the time that Seattle hosts his longtime team – the Revolution – on April 13 at CenturyLink Field.