Sounders midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro, who joined the club from Argentina’s Boca Juniors in late July, has been named Major League Soccer’s Newcomer of the Year following a vote of the league’s players, front offices and media.
Lodeiro notched four goals and eight assists in 13 regular-season games, during which Seattle went 7-2-4 en route to a once-unlikely playoff berth. In the postseason, the Uruguayan playmaker has scored three times in three matches, including the away goal that essentially locked up the FC Dallas series.
His influence has been notable off the field, as well, with multiple teammates crediting his presence for the shift in chemistry that inspired the Sounders’ dramatic midseason turnaround.