Tuesday afternoon the Seattle Sounders announced the signing of Shandon Hopeau to the First Team. Hopeau, 21, joins the Sounders as a USL Championship veteran, having already accumulated more than 5,000 minutes at that level. In addition to his extensive experience in USL with Tacoma Defiance (and formerly S2), Hopeau has also earned 114 minutes with the Sounders First Team through two US Open Cup appearances and one MLS appearance in 2019 when he played against the Colorado Rapids as an Extreme Hardship signing.
During his time in USL, Hopeau’s production doesn’t exactly jump off the page — 8 goals and 7 assists in 5,202 minutes — but playing with Defiance has provided him the opportunity to learn and expand his game.