Gordon Williams, Gleaner Writer

When Grammy winner Erykah Badu sang "Call Tyrone" in her late '90s neo-soul hit, she didn't have a city-hopping, professional Jamaican footballer in mind.

Badu directed an ex-boyfriend to get help in moving out. But fledgling Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs have taken similar advice, reaching out to another 'Tyrone' to move up in North America's premier competition.

Over a decade in the MLS, Tyrone Marshall has been sought by franchises needing a talented and tested player. This season, when first year club Seattle Sounders FC called, Marshall again answered.

"Yeah, you could say that, that all the teams I've been to have been fairly new," he said, a week after helping the Sounders crush fancied New York Red Bulls 3-0 in the opening game of 2009.

"To come in and basically organise things and be a good example, I think that's the reason they brought me in. It's a new (MLS) city and new club. You need that veteran leadership and players who know how to win. I think I offer that."

11th overall pick

Having two MLS championship rings and covered stops across the United States and Canada, Marshall surely does. The 11th overall pick in the MLS draft, he started his career with Colorado Rapids in 1998, less than two years after it was founded. He played one game, before being traded to the Miami Fusion, then a year old.

But the Florida club folded five years later and the Los Angeles Galaxy took Marshall to the California club, which, at age seven in 2002, was the oldest MLS franchise the player had been with.

"It was a good situation for me," Marshall said.

Yet, in another five years - which included 2005 when he returned from a serious knee injury to earn the team's top defender honour, was named an MLS All-Star and the Galaxy won the championship - Marshall was again on the move. Year-old Toronto FC called in 2007.

New challenge

On March 19, the 34-year-old, who last year captained Jamaica to win the Digicel Caribbean Championship and has earned some 60 caps for the Reggae Boyz, started for the Sounders, his fifth MLS team. Yet Marshall is relishing his latest challenge with the club from America's northwest state of Washington.

"Seattle is really nice," he said on Wednesday, while spending his day-off getting home supplies, kids in tow. "People are friendly and excited about the team."

A sold-out stadium expressed that enthusiasm against the Red Bulls. The team responded to the fever-pitched passion.

"We knew we had prepared well," Marshall said. "So we expected to do well ... . Plus 34,000 fans came out."

The Sounders have compiled a solid squad, led by coach Sigi Schmid, who won the 2002 MLS Cup with Marshall in Los Angeles, and is banking on the player's contribution to make the new franchise an immediate success.

"(Marshall) has two rings to his name and that championship mentality is something we can always use," Schmid said recently.

Seattle, a city notorious for persistent rain, has forecast bright days ahead for its football.

"From day one, we expected to make an impact in the league," Marshall said. "That's how the team has been assembled. So they gave me the call. I know the league. I've been there."

No regrets

Marshall harbours no regrets playing elsewhere. His past teams said they had no problems with the polished 6' 2", 195-pound defender, who began his MLS career as a forward and has scored 13 goals in roughly 250 games. So why do they keep letting him go? It's the nature of the pro game. For example, L.A. Galaxy needed goal-scoring punch so it traded Marshall to Toronto FC, which was looking to shore up its backline, for US striker Edson Buddle. Toronto released Marshall to Seattle for cash. It also sought a younger talent to replace the veteran, who would miss games due to country commitments.

"Tyrone was great," admitted Mo Johnston, director of soccer for the Canada-based club.

"We were gonna lose Tyrone for up to six or seven national games this year. Tyrone is 34 going on 35. We had the opportunity to bring a Canadian international in at 29 years old. So (the move) was good for Tyrone and it was good for us."

No bad blood

Marshall agrees, partially. But there's no bad blood.

"I understand the business end," he said. "There's no hard feelings at all. I'm happy because I am in a good situation here for me and my family."

His family, which includes a wife and four young children, is settling in Seattle. On Tuesday, the Marshalls finally moved out of a hotel, where they lived for two weeks while seeking a home. Six-year-old Savanna took her school assessment test on Wednesday and will start first grade. Sons, Morgan, four, and three-year-old Marley, attend basic school a few times a week. Nine-month-old Kingston stays at home with his mom Cari who, Marshall acknowledged, "makes everything work for me."

Excited to be here

On March 28, Andy Williams, Marshall's old friend and international teammate, rolls into Seattle with Real Salt Lake. Marshall is eager to play.

"I'm so excited to be here," he said.

But the "very stressful process" of constantly moving, which Marshall accepts as "part of life in MLS," is wearing on him. This year's Gold Cup will be his last appearance for Jamaica. Seattle will be his final club as a pro. Soon, more MLS franchises will be added to the current 15. If they call Tyrone, it's unlikely he'll respond.

"I don't see me moving as a player again," Marshall said. "I'm not getting any younger. It might happen, but I probably won't want to go."