TUKWILA, Wash. – The Seattle Sounders have followed and tracked Andreas Ivanschitz closely for the last couple of years, hoping that the time would eventually arrive when the Austrian midfielder could be swayed into making a move to the Pacific Northwest.
Tuesday morning, the Sounders officially announced that they got their man.
The Sounders confirmed Ivanschitz’s signing ahead of Thursday’s closure of the transfer window, marking the 31-year-old’s first foray into the United States after a 15-year career that has seen stops playing in top leagues in his native Austria, as well as Greece, Germany and Spain. He also has 12 goals in 69 career caps for the Austrian national team.
“Really good player, good pedigree, played in really good leagues,” Sounders general manager Garth Lagerwey told reporters following Seattle’s Tuesday practice at Starfire Sports Complex. “He’s a player that [Seattle scouting director] Chris Henderson and the guys here have tracked for a number of years and are very familiar with.
“He was available now, at a value price, and we stepped in and took it.”
With their attack floundering to the tune of just two goals in their last eight MLS matches, the Sounders hope that Ivanschitz can step in and make an immediate impact as an attacking midfielder.
“We’re signing him to compete for starting minutes right away,” Lagerwey said. “We haven’t had the production that we need from our midfield and I think he’s going to really help us.”
Lagerwey said that Ivanschitz is in the process of taking care of his work visa and that the hope is that he will arrive in the United States later this week, although he may need some time to reach full game fitness before he actually gets on the field.
One area where Ivanschitz could make a quick impression is with his service on set pieces. Seattle have scored just three goals off of set pieces all season, and Ivanschitz has frequently acted as his team’s go-to option in those scenarios throughout his career.
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“He gives us a left-footed player, someone who can play on the left-hand side, which is something that we felt we needed,” Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said of his newest acquisition. “He’s also very, very good on set pieces. His service, his shot, all of those things are very good.”
Although he’s 31 with 15 years of professional soccer mileage on his body, Lagerwey said that he feels as though Ivanschitz has the fitness and work ethic to remain a contributor beyond this season’s stretch run.
“I think Andreas can play a number of years here,” Lagerwey said. “He’s a super fit guy. He’s got a body type that can run. If you look at his data output in terms of physical performance in the Bundesliga and in La Liga, it’s very good. I do think he’s a guy who can be with us for a couple of years, so I don’t think it’s just a win now or just for this summer.
“But are we trying to win? Yeah, you’d better believe we’re trying to win.”
