SEATTLE, WASH. – Seattle Sounders FC today announced that it has signed midfielder Jordan Schweitzer as a Homegrown Player. The Sounders FC Academy product comes to Seattle following a standout career at the University of Denver. Per Major League Soccer and club policy, terms of the agreement are not being disclosed.
“We’re pleased to add a Homegrown Player like Jordan to our roster for the upcoming season,” said Sounders FC General Manager & President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey. “We look forward to continuing to build through the Academy, and we see player development as paramount to our success as a club.”
Schweitzer, 21, was a three-time All-Summit League First Team selection, starting 70 of his 73 appearances across four collegiate seasons from 2012-2015 and leading Denver to three-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. As a senior in 2015, the Everett native was named a First Team All-West Region selection after co-captaining the Pioneers to their second-straight Summit League Championship and a 15-1-3 record. Unbeaten in 18 matches prior to the NCAA Tournament, the defensive midfielder sat in front of a backline that recorded a 0.40 goals against average and 12 clean-sheets in 2015. Schweitzer recorded two goals and three assists and missed just six of matches in his collegiate career, with Denver accumulating a 50-18-11 record during his four-year span.
“Jordan is a player we’ve been following since his days in the Academy and throughout his career at the University of Denver,” said Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid. “He is a central midfielder who understands the importance to the team effort through his distribution, positional play and passing.”
A member of the Sounders FC Academy from 2011-2012, Schweitzer recorded six goals in 25 appearances for the U-18s in the 2011-2012 season, as well as six tallies in 29 games for the U-16s in 2010-2011. A graduate of Henry M. Jackson High School in Mill Creek, Schweitzer was team captain as a junior and earned a First Team All-WESCO selection.
Sounders FC begins its preseason preparation for the 2016 campaign this month before the club takes part in a series of Desert Friendlies in Tucson against Vancouver Whitecaps FC, the Portland Timbers and Mexican side Celaya FC in early February. Seattle’s eighth season begins in late February with the 2015-2016 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal Round against Club America before the MLS season-opener on March 6. 2016 Sounders FC Season Ticket Packages, which include the first leg against Club America on February 23 at CenturyLink Field, are available now for as low as $24 per match online or by calling 1-877-MLS-GOAL.
TRANSACTION: Seattle Sounders FC signs midfielder Jordan Schweitzer as a Homegrown Player on January 7, 2016.
Name: Jordan Schweitzer
Position: Midfielder
Height: 6-0
Weight: 165
Born: April 19, 1994
Hometown: Everett, Washington
Citizenship: USA, Canada
Acquired: Signed as a Homegrown Player on January 7, 2016.