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Seattle Signs FC Twente And Swiss International Striker Blaise Nkufo
Sounders FC general manager and co-owner Adrian Hanauer today announced the completion of negotiations for the veteran Eredivisie goal scorer to join Seattle later this year.
Mar 4, 2010 9:15:00 PM
By John Zielonka
RENTON, Wash. -- Seattle Sounders FC addressed one of their most pressing needs by signing Blaise Nkufo, a 34-year-old striker who is the all-time scoring leader for FC Twente in Holland.
The club went through several stretches in last year's campaign where goals were hard to come by. Since the end of last season, rumors were rampant that the club was looking for a physical presence and scorer.
Adrian Hanauer announced that Nkufo will join the Sounders after his commitments to the Eredivisie and World Cup competitions are completed. Hanauer targeted the July 15 game against D.C. United as the Swiss international’s first in MLS.
The 6'2" veteran striker, who was born in Zaire (now the Republic of Congo), is playing in his seventh season with Twente FC and earned 27 caps with Switzerland. He’s netted a total of 111 goals for the Dutch side and seven in international competitions.
Head coach Sigi Schmid provided his assessment of where Nkufo will play.
"He's somebody that's going to play up top, he's going to be a target," Schmid said. "Whether we play with one [striker] and one [withdrawn forward] underneath, or whether we play with one [striker] and two wingers, or whether we play with two strikers, he's definitely got to be one of the guys up top."
When comparing the Swiss international to current MLS forwards, Schmid likened his style to Juan Pablo Angel.
"He's not going to be a forward like Jeff Cunningham or someone like that," the veteran manager clarified. "He's going to be more like Juan Pablo Angel, a guy who can hold up the ball for you, who can play with his back to goal, who's going to get on the end of crosses. The timing of his runs are good. [He] is somebody who just knows how to sniff out opportunities when they present themselves."
Earlier today Goal.com recorded Hanauer’s thoughts about his newest acquisition via video. Watch below.
John Zielonka is the Seattle correspondent for Goal.com
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page
The club went through several stretches in last year's campaign where goals were hard to come by. Since the end of last season, rumors were rampant that the club was looking for a physical presence and scorer.
Adrian Hanauer announced that Nkufo will join the Sounders after his commitments to the Eredivisie and World Cup competitions are completed. Hanauer targeted the July 15 game against D.C. United as the Swiss international’s first in MLS.
The 6'2" veteran striker, who was born in Zaire (now the Republic of Congo), is playing in his seventh season with Twente FC and earned 27 caps with Switzerland. He’s netted a total of 111 goals for the Dutch side and seven in international competitions.
Head coach Sigi Schmid provided his assessment of where Nkufo will play.
"He's somebody that's going to play up top, he's going to be a target," Schmid said. "Whether we play with one [striker] and one [withdrawn forward] underneath, or whether we play with one [striker] and two wingers, or whether we play with two strikers, he's definitely got to be one of the guys up top."
When comparing the Swiss international to current MLS forwards, Schmid likened his style to Juan Pablo Angel.
"He's not going to be a forward like Jeff Cunningham or someone like that," the veteran manager clarified. "He's going to be more like Juan Pablo Angel, a guy who can hold up the ball for you, who can play with his back to goal, who's going to get on the end of crosses. The timing of his runs are good. [He] is somebody who just knows how to sniff out opportunities when they present themselves."
Earlier today Goal.com recorded Hanauer’s thoughts about his newest acquisition via video. Watch below.
John Zielonka is the Seattle correspondent for Goal.com
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page
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