Seattle Sounders Expansion Draft Protection List Released; Fucito, Riley Among Those Left Exposed

SANDY, UT - MAY 28: Jamison Olave #4 of Real Salt Lake obstructs Mike Fucito #2 of the Seattle Sounders FC after being beat deep in goal scoring territory in a MLS soccer game on May 28, 2011 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. Olave would go on to earn a red card for the obstruction. (Photo by Mike Terry/Getty Images)

Mike Fucito and James Riley headline the list of players available for selection by the Impact.

The list of Seattle Sounders players protected from being taken by the Montreal Impact in Wednesday's MLS Expansion Draft has been released. The majority of the list is anti-climactic, but the intrigue was always going to be on the bubble just as has been the case for most MLS teams. List is below, with a bit of analysis to follow:

If there is a surprise, it's that Mike Fucito was left exposed while both Brad Evans and Erik Friberg were protected. A lesser surprise is that James Riley has been left exposed as well, meaning the Sounders could enter emerge from the draft with Zach Scott as the only player on the roster with regular time at right back. The possibility of Brad Evans transitioning to that position has been alluded to as well.

Without doing a great deal of analysis as to what other players are available, Mike Fucito seems the most likely Sounder to be taken by the Impact. Riley is a distinct possibility as well, with Patrick Ianni and Servando Carrasco looking vulnerable depending on what direction Montreal is looking to move. We'll find out for sure on Wednesday.