The Seattle Sounders added some technical depth to their midfield attack with the signing of Norwegian midfielder Magnus Wolff Eikrem and updated their technical staff.
Eikrem spent the last two seasons with Swedish side Malmo FF and has earned 17 caps for the Norwegian national team. Malmö FF won four of the five Swedish championships between 2013 and 2017 to overtake IFK Göteborg to become the most successful Swedish club.
The 27-year-old Eikrma comes to Seattle having won four topflight titles. Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) was used to acquire Eikrem, making him the fourth Sounders FC player to be added to the First Team roster using TAM.
“We are happy to sign a player like Magnus with extensive European topflight experience and a history of winning trophies,” said Sounders FC General Manager & President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey. “He is the type of player we like to target with these TAM-level signings and we look forward to what he brings to our locker room, in addition to giving us another skilled, versatile option in the midfield.”
The Sounders are hoping Eikram can create scoring opportunities in the offensive half of the pitch.
“Magnus is a smart soccer player that can play multiple positions throughout the midfield and create scoring opportunities in the final third,” said Sounders FC Vice President of Soccer & Sporting Director Chris Henderson. “We are also very happy to add an experienced player with a winning mentality to our roster.”
TECHNICAL STAFF SHUFFLE
In addition to signing Ekrim, the Sounders also announced some technical staff updates. The club the announced the hiring of Damian Roden as its new High-Performance Director to oversee all aspect of the clubs’ fitness and sports science programs.
John Hutchinson has been promoted to Head Coach of Sounders FC 2 replacing Ezra Hendrickson who joined the LA Galaxy.
Roden previous job was with Stoke City where he was the Premier League Club’s Head of Sports Science.
“Already Damian’s impact on our club has been felt, and he’s done a fantastic job of integrating himself within our group through the first phase of preseason camp,”
said Sounders FC Head Coach Brian Schmetzer.
“Damian’s extensive background in the Premiership and obvious ability to work with our players is going to really benefit our club as we embark on a season with multiple fronts, beginning with CONCACAF Champions League in just a few weeks. We’re pleased he’s here, and know that he will help push our players to an even higher level.”
Hutchinson’s first year with the Sounders organization was 2017 where he was an assistnat coach to Hendrickson. Sounders FC also announced a number of other staffing changes on the technical side of the club. In addition to his Academy oversight, Marc Nicholls has been promoted to Director of Player Development, while longtime Data Analyst Ravi Ramineni has been elevated to Director of Soccer Analytics.
Additionally, Corey Sinser is now the club’s Manager of S2 Player Relations, joining Hutchinson’s staff alongside Webber, S2 Performance Coach Brandon Moran, S2 Athletic Trainer Joe Montgomery and other support staff.
The 2018 Sounders FC preseason presented by Adidas continues with a week-long trip to Tucson, featuring friendlies against the Portland Timbers on February 3 and Columbus Crew SC on February 4.
Prior to the MLS regular season starting on March 4, Sounders FC is set to face Salvadoran club Santa Tecla FC in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League, the region’s premier club championship, with the first leg in El Salvador on February 22 and the second leg at CenturyLink Field on March 1.
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