The Seattle Sounders have acquired Braudilio Rodrigues’ MLS rights and signed the midfielder to a first-team contract, multiple sources have confirmed to Sounder at Heart. It was not immediately clear what the Sounders gave up to get Rodrigues’ MLS rights from New York City, but similar moves tend to cost teams about $50,000 in General Allocation Money or a lower-round draft pick.
Rodrigues, 24, is a little older by developmental standards and will likely count as an international – he’s from Portugal – but had such a standout season with Tacoma Defiance that the costs were easy to justify. Rodrigues had 17 goals and four assists in a little less than 2,500 minutes, with just two of those goals coming from the penalty spot.
Rodrigues mostly played as a left winger, but got starts across the attacking band and even had one at defensive midfielder. Then Defiance head coach Wade Webber raved about Rodrigues whenever he had the chance, remarking on both his technical ability and work ethic.
“He understands that you come early, you stay late, you don’t count the hours, you just do what you need to do to prepare for the next day,” Webber told Nos Audietis in September.
