The Sounders Monday announced the signing of Brazilian Thomás Jaguaribe Bedinelli, who plays professionally under the name Thomás. A midfielder with four pro seasons of experience in his native country, the 22-year-old is eligible to suit up for Seattle immediately.
“We are excited to welcome Thomás to Seattle,” said Sounders general manager and president Garth Lagerwey. “He is a dynamic attacking player that has a diverse array of experience despite being only 22 years old, and we look forward to his contributions to our club.”
Thomás made 61 career appearances from 2011-2015 in Brazil’s professional leagues. He logged 19 showings for Flamengo in Brazilian Serie A play from 2011-2013, in addition to nine more appearances in the Campeonato Carioca.
After being loaned to Italian side Siena for the 2013-2014 campaign, the attacking midfielder appeared 12 times in Serie B play. He was then loaned to Brazilian side Ponte Preta in 2014, where he appeared 21 times in league and Campeonato Paulista action, scoring one goal.
“Thomás is a player we’ve been tracking for the past three years, and it’s rewarding to finally be able to welcome him to Sounders FC,” said technical director Chris Henderson. “His technical and attacking abilities are impressive, and he’ll mesh well with our current roster as we move into the second half of the 2015 season.”
Following Sunday’s 2-1 win over the New York Red Bulls, the MLS-leading Sounders hit the road for a match at 5:30 PT Saturday at Sporting Kansas City, with regional television coverage on JOEtv.
CONCACAF opponents
In a group stage draw held Monday night in Miami, the Sounders were assigned a position in Group F for this year’s CONCACAF Champions League competition. Group F also includes Cascadia Cup rival Vancouver and Honduran side C.D. Olimpia. Dates and times for all matches will be determined later.
The Sounders qualified for CONCACAF Champions League play by winning the 2014 MLS Supporters’ Shield and U.S. Open Cup.
CONCACAF Champions League consists of eight groups of three teams each. Each team plays the other two teams in its group twice, one home and one away, with each group winner advancing to the knockout stage.
Seattle advanced out of the group stage in the 2011-12 and 2012-23 tournaments. In 2012-13, the Sounders became the first MLS team to oust a Mexican side from the tournament when they advanced past Tigres UANL in the quarterfinal round.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="2204176 https://sportspressnw.wpengine.com/?p=2204176">1 Comment
Now this is an interesting signing. I thought the Sounders would look to strengthen their backline and provide cover for Chad Marshall. Not going to complain about adding a South American playmaker, though; they certainly did well on that route with Mauro Rosales.