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When 2013 started Seattle Sounders FC thought that Patrick Ianni and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado were going to be the starting centerback pairing. They had just both re-signed with the club after Parke was cut loose and Silvestre/Traore were trialing their way to contracts. Then Patrick Ianni broke something in his foot during his vert test. Djimi Traore earned the starting spot and for two-thirds of the season Seattle's defense was outstanding.
Then Colorado and Vancouver happened. Great, big weaknesses were exposed. One of those weaknesses was Hurtado. Ianni still was not healthy, fit or something. Traore also became a weakness and so the Sounders Front Office decided to rebuild the defense. They traded for Chad Marshall, might be acquiring a semi-stud out of Norwayand dealt a one-time great MLS defender & a one-time USMNT prospect. In doing so Seattle got younger, some cap space and moved on from two of the founding players of the MLS side.
It's one of those "maybe they'll regain what they had when they move on" deals.
Hurtado was the 12th most significant player in 2013 according to Sounder at Heart readers. For stretches of the year he was one of the better CBs in the league. Other times he was poor. Jhon Kennedy is one of the better dribblers and passers in defense in MLS. He should score more than he does on set-plays. Defensively he struggles a bit with lateral movement (a legacy from an ACL injury). Will not be beaten by skillful players. Prone to mental lapses. On average a good CB in MLS who almost never performs at his average.
Ianni is more of an enigma. Somehow while hardly playing the SaH community rated him in the top 20. In 2012 as a half-time player he was ranked 14th. He's a very physical CB even for MLS. Likes to use shoulders and hips to win balls. Not fast, but not slow. "Fragile, but well built" may be the best description of a player ever. Everything about Ianni says that he should be a decent CB in this league. He just needs to play.
In all the Chicago Fire earned themselves a starter and a not-quite starter. That's not a bad deal, even with the addition of age and salary.