Two-time MLS Cup champion and ex-Uruguay international Nicolas Lodeiro headed to Orlando City in blockbuster free agency deal

The Athletic reports that the 34-year-old Uruguayan, who had a contract run out with the Seattle Sounders in 2023, is set to take his talents to Florida and join up with Orlando City. Lodeiro will not occupy a Designated Player slot for the Lions, as his contract will be below the max TAM threshold.

Orlando get one of the most well-respected attacking midfielders across the league, who likely still has two or three good years left in his boots. A 2023 campaign that saw limited minutes due to injury means he's theoretically saved an entire season on his body, too.

Lodeiro was capped 60 times by the Uruguay national time prior to international retirement. He was the first-ever captain of an MLS side to lift the CCL trophy (in 2022) and was a two-time MLS Cup winner with the Sounders during his eight-year stay in the Pacific Northwest. Now, he's taking his talents to sunny Orlando, where he'll look to add to his trophy cabinet.

The 2024 MLS season is just a few months away, with MLS preseason beginning in January 2024. The Lions will be back in action in just under a months time, with friendlies and training sessions being scheduled before the campaign starts up in late February.