RENTON — The first day of Sounders FC practice was a little weird, players and coaches said.

A little quieter, too.

For the first time in three years, the team began preseason without Kasey Keller, its beloved and boisterous captain. The 42-year-old Olympia native retired after last season and has since moved into the broadcast booth, leaving Seattle without its most iconic player.

Keller's departure has also left a void in leadership as the Sounders aspire to greater success in 2012.

With sights set on winning the MLS Cup and breaking new ground across multiple competitions, Keller's headship will have to be assumed by committee, according to coach Sigi Schmid.

More players will have to speak up, more players will have to step up, and leaders will have to emerge from a veteran core.

"It was good to have (Keller) as the face of our franchise and to be there, because as we were establishing ourselves and our team and our brand and establishing ourselves in the community, that gave us a real good focal point and real good stability," said Schmid after practice Friday at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

"But now I think we're at a stage where that can be spread around a number of people, and that's also a positive."

There are several able candidates to assume positions of leadership. Standout forward Fredy Montero and All-Star midfielder Osvaldo Alonso, voted team MVP in 2010-11, have been mainstays since Year 1.

Midfielder Mauro Rosales has a first-class pedigree and is also a favorite within the team.

Other veterans like midfielder Brad Evans and defender Jeff Parke — who are currently serving with the U.S. national team — have leadership qualities, as well.

"Now I think it's the time for some others to speak up," said Schmid, who doesn't have a timeline on naming a new team captain. "Without Kasey there, they might find that a little bit easier, because oftentimes they felt those words would be uttered by Kasey, or if he's not saying it, maybe it doesn't need to be said right now. It opens up a void for others to step into."

But leadership doesn't just come from being vocal, or even necessarily from star players. Some of Seattle's leaders over the years have been veterans in reserve roles, who diligently ensured the quality of practice remained high, even if they weren't playing on game days.

Schmid referenced Tyrone Marshall, Peter Vagenas, Nate Jaqua and Pat Noonan as previous examples and thinks longtime Sounders Zach Scott and Roger Levesque have carried on that duty well, among others.

"That's something that the fans sometimes don't see and sometimes we forget about their importance," said Schmid. "But the better practice is and the more competitive practice is, the better you're going to be."

Notes

• Forward O'Brian White was not at practice as he recovers from last year's surgery to remove a blood clot in his left leg. Supplemental draft pick Jason Banton is expected to join training Saturday, and forward/midfielder Cordell Cato is supposed to be in on Monday.

• Training camp invitees Friday included goalkeepers Andrew Weber and Tyrel Lacey, midfielders Alex Caskey and Jonathan Prieto, and forward Darwin Jones.

• Wes Feigher, another supplemental draft pick, is expected to join the team when camp moves to Arizona in a couple weeks.

Joshua Mayers: 206-464-3184 or jmayers@seattletimes.com.

On Twitter: @joshuamayers