Nicolas Lodeiro signs with Orlando City - "Thrilled to have Nico join us"

After eight seasons, Nicolás Lodeiro has left the Seattle Sounders. Now he has found a new club. The 34-year-old former Uruguay international joins Orlando City SC as a free agent. He has signed a one-year contract with the Lions with a club option for a further year.

“We are thrilled to have Nico join us here in Orlando. He is a player we are very familiar with and feel fits perfectly within the style of soccer we want to play,” said Orlando City EVP of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi. “He is a proven winner in this league, lifting the MLS Cup twice and winning the Concacaf Champions League, so he knows what it takes.”

Lodeiro joined the Seattle Sounders from Boca Juniors in the summer of 2016. He played 231 games for the Sounders, scoring 58 goals and assisting 62 more. He won the MLS Cup with the Sounders in 2016 and 2019, as well as the Concacaf Champions League in 2022.

Back in October 2023, Lodeiro said that his contract with the Sounders would not be renewed. This was officially confirmed at the beginning of December.

However, ending his career was out of the question for the 34-year-old. The long-time Sounders captain had offers from Houston Dynamo and the San Jose Earthquakes, among others. In the end, however, he opted for Orlando. There he will now succeed Mauricio Pereyra, who has left the club and moved to Club Nacional.