Will Bruin has been called a lot of things on the soccer pitch but what he truly winces at is his actual nickname.
For six seasons with the Houston Dynamo, the high-scoring striker with the tall and stocky build was known as “The Dancing Bear’’ because of his celebrating during one game his rookie campaign. Bruin notched a hat trick against D.C. United and after each goal did a celebratory jig likened to a bear waving its paws.
“The day before the game we were doing a finishing drill,’’ said Bruin, a strapping 6-foot-2, 194-pounder who could start Friday night for the Sounders against Atlanta so Jordan Morris can rest his sore ankle.