Tacoma Stars sign former Sounder

Danish midfielder Philip Lund returns to Puget Sound, now repping Tacoma.

The MASL Tacoma Stars added another former Seattle Sounders player today. Philip Lund, 28, returns to the Puget Sound after a couple years in the Faroe Islands, Norway, and Oklahoma City. Lund played for the Sounders in 2013 with 16 minutes in MLS play and 593 minutes in the USL with the Sounders Reserves (prior to S2 formally joining USL).

Lund joins Sounders Academy talents with the Stars such as Troy Peterson, Chase Hanson and Duncan McCormick (who also played for S2). While Philip was not a scorer with the Sounders, Stars GM-Coach Darren Sawatzky thinks his left foot will help the indoor team.

“His skillset for us — he’s going to have to learn the indoor game a little bit,” Sawatzky told Sounder at Heart earlier this week, “but he’s got very good technique, a wicked left foot and a great engine. All of those things bode well to learning quickly.”

Lund originally joined the Sounders after Ezra Hendrickson (current S2 head coach) discovered him at a combine. He had played professionally with Vejle and Kolding in Denmark prior to Seattle. His last club was B36 Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands, and he spent one season with the Oklahoma City Energy in 2014.

Sawatzky sought a player with Lund’s passion for the region and his skill set.

“To be technically sound in tight areas and under pressure is paramount. If you can’t do that, you can’t play indoor soccer. Your speed of thought has to be fast. You have to move fast. You have to be able to pull things off technically pretty quickly. He possesses those things, so I think it will be fairly quick transition for him. He’s very excited to come back to the U.S.”

Lund was not just seeking to play in America again, but in the Pacific Northwest, where the fans taught him just how passionate soccer in the U.S. can be.

“The main thing is that he’s super excited to get an opportunity back in the United States, but more importantly in the Seattle area. He feels a real kinship with Seattle and the soccer in this area,” Sawatzky said.

When you are at ShoWare Center, look for Philip Lund on set pieces and power plays, as his powerful left foot can add a new dimension to the Tacoma Stars attack that features returning stars Derek “El Tigre” Johnson, Alex Megson, Danny Waltman, Evan McNeely and Trevor Jensen.

Open tryouts for the comings season are from 7-11 PM on Saturday, September 22. The tryouts are at the Tacoma Soccer Center with a $50 fee.

Friday, October 27, the Tacoma Stars open the home season. Kickoff is 7:35 PM at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington.