Seattle Sounders have confirmed signing Swedish midfielder Gustav Svensson on Monday. The 29-year-old went straight into the teams training camp in Tucson, Arizona, upon his arrival. The MLS giants are preparing for the new season which kicks off on March 3.
Svensson brings in some level of experience to his new side, having played for IFK Gotenborg in Sweden, Bursaspor in Turkey, Tavriya Simeferopol in Ukraine and most recently Guangzhou R&F in the Chinese Super League. He also has six caps for the Swedish national football team, most recently in 2016.
Welcome to #SFCPreseason, Gustav! pic.twitter.com/TYYadyXBwy
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) January 31, 2017
In Sweden, he won the Swedish league with IFK Gotenborg in 2007, the Swedish Cup (in 2008, 2015) and the Swedish Supercup in 2008. He is expected to partner with Osvaldo Alonso, Cristian Roldan and MLS 2017 Super Draft arrival Dominic Oduro in the defensive midfield. Speaking about his transfer to Sounders, Gustav told the club's official website:
“Everything happened very fast, but it turned out really well. When I came to Seattle I fell in love with the city and the club.
“I had some friends play here before, both in MLS and in Seattle, so I know a lot about it.”
And about his new teammates, he added:
“Good lads. They invited me here with open arms. The training here are good quality with good tempo.”
The MLS Cup defending champions play Portland Timbers in a pre-season friendly on Feb 4. They will then play San Jose Earthquakes three days later.
