SEATTLE – Seattle Sounders defender Brad Evans and midfielder Osvaldo Alonso will reach a milestone when the team hosts Philadelphia Union at CenturyLink Field on Saturday (7 p.m. PT; JoeTV/Univision-Seattle/KIRO 97.3 FM/El Rey 1360 AM), as both players stand on the brink of 200 MLS regular season appearances.
Evans appeared in 30 games for Columbus Crew SC and has added another 169 with the Sounders, while all 199 of Alonso’s regular-season appearances have come with the Sounders, tops in franchise history.
“It’s fantastic for both of them, and it’s fantastic for our franchise to have players already that have gotten 200 games,” head coach Sigi Schmid said. “It shows their commitment to the team and the importance that they’ve had to this team over the years.”
Both Evans and Alonso have been with the Sounders since day one of the MLS era. Alonso, who was acquired from the Charleston Battery in January of 2009, has been an MLS All-Star selection four times, was named to the MLS best XI in 2012 and has been named team MVP four times.
“It’s been pretty fast, you know, now I have 200, it’s amazing to me,” Alonso told reporters. “I’m excited; I hope I can have 200 more in the future.”
Evans, who was acquired via the MLS expansion draft in November 2008, has played a variety of roles. But most notably, he has played the role of captain for the Sounders since 2012.
“Providing a good locker room and a good peace of mind for a lot of guys is No. 1 for me,” said Evans.
Chad Marshall leads all Sounders players with a combined 318 MLS regular-season appearances over a decade with the Crew and three seasons in Seattle.
As for number 200, Evans said he and his teammates don’t really think about it too much.
“It’s just another week,” Evans quipped. “It just means you’re getting old.”
