MONTREAL – Santiago González is a Montreal Impact player – a U-16 Montreal Impact player, that is.
But his namesake might now become his teammate, as Montreal are currently negotiating to sign Uruguayan forward Santiago González.
The 21-year-old from Montevideo has been playing for hometown club Sud América, which won promotion to the Uruguayan top flight as second division champions in 2012-13. The description of González given by head coach Frank Klopas, who said the club was “hopeful that things will pan out,” fits the needs outlined by sporting director Nick De Santis last week: a strong, quick forward with a good soccer IQ.
“He’s got pace, he’s physically strong,” Klopas told reporters on Tuesday. “You can play to feet, play in depth. He drifts out wide at times. I think they’ve used him in a 4-3-3 out wide at times with the youth national team, but he can play up top, and he’s physically very strong and makes smart runs. …
"He’s got good feet. If it works out, it could be a good addition to the club, and he’s a young player that you can build, that you can have for years to come.”
In his first season in the Uruguayan football elite, González has scored five goals in 14 games, most recently when Sud América drew 1-1 at Rentistas on Dec. 7.
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González was not on the squad sheet this weekend, however, when Sud América kicked off the 2014 Clausura season with a 3-0 home win over Juventud. This would match the news relayed by a Sud América blog last Friday, which tweeted that González had left the club for “an MLS team owned by Canadians.”
González recently followed the Impact’s Twitter account himself.
