Darren Sawatzky has returned to his hometown of Seattle to play for the Sounders, after stints in MLS with New England, Dallas and Colorado.
SOCCER AMERICA: How are things going in Seattle?
DARREN SAWATZKY: We’re doing real well, considering. We just got back from a real tough East Coast road trip. We have a pretty tough schedule. Just about every team in our division is a playoff-caliber team, and then we go out of our division to Minnesota, Montreal and Rochester, the last three champions.
SA: You’re a hometown boy done good. How has the reception been in Seattle?
DS: It’s been incredible. I have a big fan base in that I’ve got my whole family here. My dad never misses a game, my mom never misses a game. It also gives me a chance to hang out with my brother and sister.
SA: Looking back at your time in MLS, any regrets?
DS: I have zero regrets. Any time you get to play in a new city anywhere, and play at that level you’re very lucky. I enjoyed every single city I played in.
SA: Your best success was with New England in ’96.
DS: That was the only place where I really got to play on a consistent basis in MLS. I’m getting middle of the road now as far as soccer players go, but when you’re a younger American, it’s hard to get minutes on those teams. In New England, I was lucky. We had some injury problems, and I performed well when I got to play. Frank Stapleton left me in there to play. After that, a lot of the coaches I played for, they had their set lineups.
SA: You’ve been a bit of a journeyman. Is this the final stop for you?
DS: I’m always keeping my ear up. Everybody wants to play at the highest level, and if another opportunity came along, I would have to look at it.
SA: What would be the dream scenario for you? How about an MLS team in Seattle?
DS: The dream scenario would be AC Milan calling tomorrow (laughs). No, I would love to play in Seattle, and if they had an MLS team here, it would be incredible.
by Soccer America associate editor Poul Swain