SEATTLE — If the Sounders are going to win an MLS Cup, it’s going to be through Fredy Montero.
That was the message from Tukwila, Wash., on Wednesday as the Sounders signed the 23-year-old striker as the club’s third Designated Player alongside Blaise Nkufo and Álvaro Fernández. As part of the transaction, the club acquired his full rights from Colombian club Deportivo Cali.
A relative unknown in North America when discovered by Sounders FC general manager Adrian Hanauer, Montero soon became the centerpiece of the Seattle attack. Recognizing the importance of his 22 goals and 17 assists in the past two regular seasons, Hanauer opened up the checkbook to keep Montero in the Emerald City for the long haul.
While many expected Seattle to re-sign Montero, Wednesday's announcement ends a period of speculation surrounding the prized striker. Never one to open up to the media, he had been especially guarded when asked questions about his future.
Despite notifying fans via Twitter of a new house in the Seattle area, Montero had deflected any questions about staying with the Sounders long-term.
Rumors had linked him to clubs all over the world, and earlier this year a move to Russia’s CSKA Moscow seemed imminent. Now, with his future secured, Montero can turn his attention to the 2011 season.
“I am happy and proud to be a part of Sounders FC,” Montero said in a team release. "This is a good contract, but my goals are not complete and I aspire to grow as a player and get better."
WATCH: Fredy Montero highlights
With due respect to Osvaldo Alonso and Kasey Keller, no player has been more critical to the Sounders’ success than Montero. The forward, who turned 23 in July, has unquestionably been the team’s best attacker in its short history.
Players and coaches around the league concede that Montero possesses all the qualities one would hope from a star striker: He’s proficient with both feet and good in the air. A threat to score on free kicks, he can set up players as well as score. His instincts in the penalty area are superb.
“He’s probably the best clinical finisher we have in the league,” one MLS technical director said earlier this season.
READ: 24 Under 24: Fredy Montero
To these traditional striker qualities he adds a much-improved defensive work rate. He’s versatile—when the Sounders were struggling to find their shape, he acquitted himself as a target forward.
He can play almost unlimited minutes—his 40 games played (35 starts) in all competitions led Seattle’s field players. He’s handling himself better on the field, earning only five cautions over the regular season despite suffering 60 fouls.
Perhaps more importantly, though, Montero’s getting better. Under Sigi Schmid’s tutelage, the young star has improved in nearly every phase of the game, adding tenacity and grit to his already considerable natural talents. Montero’s No. 17 jersey is a common sight around the city as younger Sounders fans have taken to the Colombian with the unique hairstyle.
“He is a special player who is still developing, but also a player who has been instrumental in our success these last two years,” Schmid said in a team release.
That was enough for the Sounders to lay their future at the Colombian’s talented feet.
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