Midfielder Khano Smith, 28, is headed to New York in exchange for allocation money. He played four seasons in New England, scoring eight goals and registering 11 assists in 85 matches. Last season, he played 23 games, scored two goals, and contributed three assists. He has also played 24 times for Bermuda's national team.
"I didn't draft him, so you'd have to ask Adrian," said Seattle coach Sigi Schmid, referring to general manager Adrian Hanauer, who made the selections because Schmid had not been officially hired when the expansion draft was held. "But he thought other teams would be interested in him, and I thought he'd be too inconsistent for us, so as it turns out, we were both right."
The left-footed Smith played outside back and flank midfielder for the Revs. During the offseason, the Red Bulls traded Dutch midfielder Dave van den Bergh to FC Dallas, and Smith is one of the candidates - as is Danleigh Borman - to fill that spot.
"One of our priorities before the start of the season was to add depth and athleticism to the left side of our midfield and we feel that we have accomplished this goal by acquiring Khano," said Red Bull sporting director Jeff Agoos. "We think that Khano's pace, athleticism and experience will immediately help our club as we enter the new MLS season."
Also on the shopping block is another expansion draft pick, defender Jeff Parke, who has balked at playing in Seattle and has tried to find a club in Europe without success. Though Seattle earns his rights, his contract has expired and so he must agree to a new deal as well as a trade.
Seattle released seven non-roster players Thursday: Danny Jackson, Leighton O'Brien, Kevin Guppy, Larry
Nagle, Ryan Pore, Quevas Kirk and Adam West.
The Sounders make their MLS debut March 19 against the Red Bulls at Qwest Field. They are training in Southern California and play San Jose Friday on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. They return to Seattle Saturday for a few days of training before traveling to Argentina Feb. 24.
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