Sounders Add Nate Sturgis for Second Tour of Duty

The Sounders signed free agent defensive midfielder Nate Sturgis on Tuesday. Sturgis had played for Seattle from 2009 to 2010.

Sounders General Manager Garth Lagerway signed defensive midfielder Nate Sturgis on Tuesday ahead of the upcoming opening match against Club America in the CONCACAF Champions League Knockout Round. Sturgis played for the Houston Dynamo in 2015, starting 15 games and scoring one goal while assisting two others.

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Sturgis was drafted 12th overall by the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2006. He played for the Galaxy and Real Salt Lake before being drafted by the Sounders in 2008 for their Expansion Draft. He made 29 appearances total for the Sounders during his two seasons in Seattle. His breakout year was in 2013 with the Colorado Rapids, however, when he logged career-highs games played with 25, starts with 23, minutes, and goals with 4.

Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said the midfielder will come off the bench and provide the team with a sound veteran presence heightened by his excellent technical ability and distribution prowess. Sturgis may be used off the bench in the opener, but he will have to shape up and train hard to get ready for the match against Club America. Sturgis comes in with familiarity of Schmid and the organization, so he should be ready to roll, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Schmid holds him back from the first game.

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The Sounders will host defending CONCACAF champions Club America on their brand-new sports turf at CenturyLink Field later this evening. The big question heading into the match will be how the Sounders can score without their top scorer from last season, Obafemi Martins. They managed four goals without him against the Galaxy in preseason action, but its first regular season match will be their first real test as a team without their star. The Sounders open their home MLS schedule on March 5th against Real Salt Lake.