Back in September, Seattle Sounders GM Garth Lagerwey was asked if the team had ever considered signing a Japanese Designated Player. At the time, Lagerwey mentioned Hiroshi Kiyotake by name. The 27-year-old midfielder eventually signed with Sevilla, where’s he’s been sparsely used.
Supposedly, the Sounders are among the teams interested in another Japanese midfielder: AC Milan’s Keisuke Honda.
There was a time when Honda was considered one of the best players Japan had ever produced, peaking with a 16-goal 2008-09 season for VVV-Venlo in the Dutch Eredivisie. He’d go on to have several productive seasons with CSKA Moscow in the Russian Premier League and sign with AC Milan on a free transfer during the 2013-14 season.