Down to just 12 available outfield players, the Seattle Sounders made four extreme hardship signings on Thursday ahead of the game against Austin FC. Samuel Adeniran, Juan Alvarez, Obed Vargas and Alex Villanueva all join the Sounders from Tacoma Defiance.
Adeniran, Alvarez and Vargas had all been previously signed to short-term contracts, while this is Villanueva’s first stint with the first team. Only Adeniran, easily the oldest and most experienced of the group at 22, has actually played, however. Each player is allowed to appear in two matches before the MLS Collective Bargaining Agreement dictates that they must be signed to a full first-team contract.