Unlike past years, the back end of the Seattle Sounders roster is quite young. Any player with more than a year of experience will probably be in the gameday 18. Having that much youth on the squad can lead to complacency and a lack of competition. To push young defensive talents like Oniel Fisher, Brian Nana-Sinkham, and Nouhou Tolo, the club brought in former New England Revolution defender Darrius Barnes.

Brian Schmetzer said, “We need some competition at the bottom half of the roster.”

Barnes is right footed but played left back, right back and centerback with New England. He missed almost all of 2016 due to injury.

“I’ve admired Darrius for a long time. He had some good years in New England,” Schmetzer continued. “We’re just trying to see if he can fit in.”

That fit will be hard for the 30-year-old defender, but he will have that opportunity. Barnes is a free agent, and so the only question is whether or not he can be the eighth or ninth defender on the roster.

Jake from the Bent Musket provides this scouting report for the former Rev.