The Sounders Tuesday selected midfielders Stefano Rijssel (55th overall) and Fabio Pereira (77th overall) in the final two rounds of the Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The 21-year-old Rijssel is a veteran of five pro seasons in Trinidad and Tobago and his native Suriname, while the 22-year-old Pereira played four seasons at the University of Michigan.
Rijssel participated in the inaugural MLS Caribbean Combine in early January, where he earned a trip to the MLS Player Combine in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Rijssel scored three goals in three matches for Trinidad’s W Connection in the 2013-14 season, and scored a career-high four goals in 13 appearances in the 2012-13 season. Prior to joining W Connection, Rijssel played for Inter Moengotapoe and SV Leo Victor in Suriname.
“Stefano is a young player that Ezra Hendrickson scouted at the Caribbean combine and we all saw at the MLS Combine,” said Sounders assistant Kurt Schmid. “He showed good tactical sense as well as physical qualities. He can play wide in midfield but also has some versatility.”
Pereira graduated from Michigan ranked No. 2 in school history with 22 assists and ninth with 13 goals. He started 66 of 79 appearances at Michigan, highlighted by his junior season when he ranked second in the Big Ten with eight assists, adding a career-high six goals. A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Pereira was named team MVP in 2011 and earned Big Ten All-Freshman honors in 2010.
“Fabio has done well throughout his college career,” said Schmid. “He’s a player we had a chance to work with closely at our Las Vegas combine. We like his soccer IQ and technical ability. Fabio can play all over midfield and has a good engine. Both players have the ability to compete for a spot on our roster.”
Sounders preseason training begins Jan. 25 at Starfire Sports in Tukwila. Seattle hosts MLS Cup champions Sporting Kansas City March 8 in the “March to Soccer Opening Match” at CenturyLink Field.
6 Comments
Could someone pass along a note to MLS that this isn’t the Seventies and they really sound dated by formally using “Super” in conjunction with their draft? I keep expecting to read that the Sounders have picked Dave D’Errico or Manny Matos. Simply calling it the MLS Draft won’t harm it. Really.
I wonder if they’ve considered any goalkeepers to take in the draft or do they have other plans?
The draft is over: Two defenders, one midfielder, one midfielder/forward but no goalies. Hard to believe they’re set with Frei and Hahnemann going into the season.
I know, right? Maybe they have more moves planned, I don’t know. But you’d think they’d have some big move planned for the position by now.
Yeah, doesn’t training camp open in three days? There are still six weeks before the regular season begins so there’s time to do something, but the clock’s ticking.
At this point I’m assuming they’re either set with what they have (and I’m with you that I can’t believe they’re set at the position) or they’re planning some overseas pick up. Or maybe a trade though I doubt that. If they were going to do one they’d have done it before the draft.