Tuesday, 13 December 2011

Mauro Rosales signs new deal with Seattle Sounders FC


The Argentine winger will return with the Sounders after setting a team record for assists in the 2011 MLS season.


Mauro Rosales, Seattle Sounders

Mauro Rosales has signed a multi-year extension with Seattle Sounders FC, per a club release. 

The 2011 MLS Newcomer of the Year set a Sounders record with 13 assists, third best in the league, and scored five goals. 

"Mauro was a huge impact on our team last year," said Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid. "He played well and made others better with his service and use of the ball. We are pleased to have him back as a Sounder."


Terms were not released, and won't be known until the MLS Players Union releases salary information in the spring, but Rosales is expected to have received a significant bump from the MLS base of $42,000 he earned in 2011. 

"He has earned this contract through his outstanding play, his dedication to his craft and his commitment to this club, his fellow players and our coaches," general manager Adrian Hanauer said. "It's no wonder he has become such a fan favorite. His love for the game is evident; he plays with passion and joy, with a flair and an acute sense for doing what the game demands."

With Rosales as a crucial offensive piece, Seattle won a third straight U.S. Open Cup and qualified for the playoffs and the knockout round of the CONCACAF Confederations Cup, which will resume in 2012. 

"I really am enjoying being here with the guys, with the team, with the people and the city," the 30-year-old said. "In the first year I was thinking just to play, to enjoy the game, and it was a season of great joy."

Seattle lost just three times when Rosales started, and his absence through injury during the playoffs likely contributed toward an early exit.

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