It’s hardly news to anyone following the team that the Seattle Sounders are dealing with significant absences at the moment. Already playing without Will Bruin, Jordy Delem, Stefan Frei, Nico Lodeiro, and Nouhou — to say nothing of Jordan Morris and his injury — the Sounders have now had to add Shane O’Neill to the injured list as well as losing Cristian Roldan to international duty.
With so many players unavailable Seattle have become eligible for what the league calls “Extreme Hardship,” meaning they can add a player on a short-term loan. Enter Juan Alvarez, a 16-year-old midfielder who signed with Tacoma Defiance from the Sounders Academy back in May of this year.