PST: Joseph, now a Sounder, wants an MLS Cup

Shalrie Joseph looks darn happy about recent developments, he could be in the next Geico ?Happy? commercial.

And he sounds just giddy, too, saying all the right things about his move to Seattle.

Why wouldn?t he be thrilled about his move to Seattle? This really is the ideal move for a man who was the midfield gold standard in MLS for so long ? but a guy who has precious little hardware to show for it.

Consider for a moment how many times Joseph came so tantalizingly close to an MLS Cup crown in New England; he was on three teams that found their way to the final but lost. The Revolution fell in Major League Soccer?s championship contest in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Two of those losses were by one goal, the other in a heartbreaking penalty kick tiebreaker.

Remember also that Joseph, for all his individual honors, never got close to a World Cup or any other significant international achievement. Convinced long ago to play for the national team of tiny Grenada ? rather than gambling a bit and awaiting an opportunity for the U.S. national team that almost surely would have come somewhere in the middle of the 2000s ? he never had a chance to rise on the international stage.

(MORE: Looking at Joseph trade from Chivas USA to Seattle)

Once Joseph arrived at a place in his career where Europe was no longer an option, his ability to win an MLS Cup was always going to represent the very pinnacle of team achievement for Joseph.

So there should be no surprise in what Joseph told MLSSoccer.com?s Jonah Freedman on Wednesday in Arizona about why he?s so excited to sign with Seattle:

I?m at the tail end of my career and I want a chance to win a championship. I think this is the team that?s giving me the best chance to win.?

By the way, Joseph also said he didn?t care where he played on the field. He gets it regarding holding midfielder Osvaldo Alonso, whom even Joseph recognizes as the best in MLS at that spot right now.

At 35, Joseph as a fill-in for Alonso, an option at center back and a huge, huge bother on attacking set piece plays looks like a great find for the Sounders. Especially when Joseph is clearly so driven to claim that elusive MLS Cup.

Source: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/21/shalrie-joseph-wants-an-mls-cup-above-all-else/related/

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