Former UEFA Champions League winner and English Premier League veteran Djimi Traoré has joined the Seattle Sounders' preseason camp in Arizona, the club announced on Monday. The former Mali international could provide cover for the Sounders on the backline.
Patrick Ianni’s broken foot has left the team thin at center back, where they have just two healthy players with MLS experience. Behind Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Zach Scott, the team has second-year player Andrew Duran and rookie Eriq Zavaleta, who mostly played forward in college.
Traoré, 32, has spent the last 13 years in England and France, where he has alternated between left back and center back. He played most extensively with Liverpool from 1999-2006, helping them win a Champions League title in 2005.
He has bounced around since then and has most recently played with Ligue 1 sides AS Monaco and Marseille. He made 14 first-team appearances in 2011-12, but has been out of contract since last spring.
Assuming Traoré plays in Tuesday’s preseason game against the Portland Timbers (12:30 pm ET, watch LIVE on MLSsoccer.com), it will set up an interesting matchup with fellow-French born defender Mikaël Silvestre, who is on trial with the Timbers. The two met numerous times while Silvestre was with Manchester United from 1999-2008.
