Wednesday morning the Seattle Sounders announced the signing of midfielder Victor Rodriguez from La Liga 2 side Sporting Gijon. The winger began training with the 2016 MLS Cup Champions on Monday. The move was finalized days later before the club announcement became official.
Victor Rodriguez signs with Seattle Sounders FC
Spending nine years in his home country of Spain, the 28-year-old has tallied up over 230 appearances for CF Badalona, UE Vilajuiga, Zaragoza, Elche CF, Getafe CF, and Sporting Gijon. Rodriguez has become the Sounders second signing during the current transfer window after they signed Dutch fullback Kelvin Leerdam last month.
"[Rodriguez] is a player [Vice President of Soccer and Sporting Director] Chris Henderson has scouted for almost two years now," general manager Garth Lagerway told the media.
Rodriguez is a product of the infamous youth academy La Masia, who is affiliated with Spain's famous club FC Barcelona. They have also produced great players such as Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and world-class player Lionel Messi.
The winger spent four years with the academy and played alongside current fullback Jordi Alba of Barcelona. He then went on to make 127 appearances for Badalona in La Liga first division.
Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said in a statement, "From a coaching perspective, adding a player of Victor's quality only helps to improve our team at a critical juncture in our season. We are excited to get him into training quickly and onboard him with his new teammates. We have some critical games on the horizon, and Victor's abilities and experience are welcome assets to our club."
During the first half of the season, Lagerway addressed the two main positions that were mostly unsettled. Right fullback and left wing.
"What we really want for the second half of the season is stability and good consistent options. As a GM I want to give my coaching staff options. By signing Victor, we give our coaching staff more options. He's a guy we made an investment in and who we think can have a bright future for us," Lagerway said.
The Sounders recent match saw the return of newly minted Los Angeles Galaxy head coach Sigi Schmid where they played to a 0-0 draw.
The Sounders next match comes Saturday when the Rave Green boys travel to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota United (8 pm ET | MLS Live).