With an eye toward making a late push for the MLS playoffs, the Sounders Thursday signed midfielder Alvaro Fernandez, a 30-year-old Uruguayan international who spent nearly two and a half seasons (2010-12) in Seattle, where he scored 13 goals in 55 MLS regular-season matches. Fernandez will join the club as soon as his paperwork clears.
“It’s always great to bring back members of the Sounders family, and Alvaro is a player who knows the organization very well and can instantly come in and contribute to this team,” said Sounders GM/President Garth Lagerwey in a statement. “Paired with yesterday’s signing of Nicolás Lodeiro, we think we’ve added two players who immediately make our team better on the field.”
Fernandez joined Sounders midway through the 2010 season and was traded to the Chicago Fire in June 2012 in exchange for allocation money. Fernandez recorded 13 goals and three assists in 55 matches (38 starts), He added three tallies and five assists in CONCACAF Champions League play, including the winner in Seattle’s win at CF Monterrey Aug. 23, 2011.
Fernandez recorded 16 goals and 10 assists in all competitions.
“We’ve very excited to welcome a very good player like Alvaro back into the fold after a few years abroad,” said Sounders sporting director Chris Henderson. “He was a valuable asset to our team when he was in Seattle a few years ago, and we’re looking forward to the contributions he can make to our current squad.”
Fernandez has been capped 12 times by Uruguay and made four appearances in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, helping Los Charrúas to a fourth-place finish.
After his trade to Chicago, Fernandez scored two goals in 14 appearances with the Fire in the remainder of the 2012 season. Following short-term loan stints with Al Rayyan of Qatar and Nacional, he spent the last four-plus seasons with Gimnasia of the Argentine first division, where he scored five goals in 57 league appearances.
The Sounders (6-12-2, 20 points) return home Sunday for a full-stadium match at CenturyLink Field against the LA Galaxy at 1 p.m., PT.
3 Comments
Midfield depth, never a bad thing.
He was fairly productive as a Sounder. Hope that continues.
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