SEATTLE (AP) The Seattle Sounders signed Paraguayan striker and World Cup veteran Nelson Valdez on Friday, becoming the third forward on their roster who is a designated player.
While Seattle announced Valdez's signing, it will be at least a week before the 31-year-old forward gets on the field in a game after a busy summer that included playing in the Copa America.
''This is one of the best teams in the league that is always fighting to get the cups and one of the key reasons why I wanted to come here,'' Valdez said through an interpreter.
Valdez was last playing for Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga where he made 10 appearances with the club. He played 15 seasons in Europe, including stints with three clubs in Germany: Eintracht Frankfurt, Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund. Valdez also had stints with Hercules, Rubin Kazan, Valencia, Al Jazira and Olympiacos in various leagues.
Valdez is a veteran of two World Cups and two Copa America tournaments with the Paraguay national team. Valdez has 68 national team appearances and 12 goals in his career for Paraguay.
In Seattle he will reunite with fellow designated player Obafemi Martins. The pair played together at Rubin Kazan. The combo of Valdez, Martins and Clint Dempsey could be one of the best attacking trios in MLS.
''He gives us a guy who can play up front. He's played wide before as well. He's played different positions so that is a good thing as well,'' Seattle coach Sigi Schmid said.
Seattle cleared space to make Valdez a designated player by using targeted allocation money on midfielder Osvaldo Alonso to lower his salary budget charge.
The signing of Valdez capped a busy week for Seattle after previously signing Austrian midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz after his contract at Spanish club Levante had expired. Ivanschitz played the last six years in Spain's La Liga and the German Bundesliga.
