TUCSON, Ariz. — Not long after arriving on an intercontinental flight to Seattle, Magnus Wolff Eikrem was on the move again.
The new Sounders midfielder joined the team on its preseason trip to Arizona after signing with the club on Tuesday. The Norwegian Eikrem, 27, spent the last three years plying his trade with Malmö in Sweden and is ready to for his new challenge.
“It’s nice to play with all the players here and settle in,” said Eikrem, who is still adjusting from the nine-hour time difference. “There are a lot of good players here, and I can’t wait to start playing games with them and blend in.”
Eikrem made 66 appearances for Malmö, recording 12 goals and 28 assists. A dynamic central midfielder, he has excellent vision and succeeds at setting up his teammates in dangerous areas.
The Molde, Norway, native joins Gustav Svensson (Sweden) and unsigned 2018 MLS SuperDraft selection Markus Fjørtoft (Norway) as Scandinavians currently with the Sounders, and he is the second former Malmö player to play for Seattle in the last few years after Erik Friberg. Eikrem had seen some Sounders games before and is excited about making an instant impact in Major League Soccer, a league for which he has a lot of respect.
“There are many good players here,” Eikrem said. “It’s a league that’s growing and growing, and I want to take part in that and see how far we can go.
“I can chip in with some goals and some assists, and I want to play in as many games as I can and help the team win another championship.”
