So, the transfer window passed and the Sounders didn’t get their Speedy Winger™ — at least not exactly. Instead they got Brad Smith, an alumni of Liverpool’s academy who Garth Lagerwey coyly described as a speedy “left-sided player.” The implication of “left-sided player” is that Smith can play left back or left mid, giving the Sounders the lineup flexibility that Joevin Jones provided in 2017.
Ostensibly, it’s true that Smith can line up as a left back or left mid — the newest Sounder has logged minutes at both positions during his time in the EPL and for the Australian national team.