A lot of pieces contributed to the Seattle Sounders’ incredible turnaround in 2016. The appointment of assistant Brian Schmetzer to interim head coach. The return Roman Torres. The coming of age of Jordan Morris.
But none was as significant as the signing of Nicolas Lodeiro, and he proved that immediately.
The Uruguayan Designated Player made his Major League Soccer debut against the LA Galaxy on July 31, less than a week after Schmetzer took over. Coming off an embarrassing loss to Sporting Kansas City the week before, the Sounders looked like a revitalized team against the Galaxy.