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SEATTLE -- Nicolas Lodeiro, the attacking midfielder who just helped Argentina powerhouse Boca Juniors reach the semifinals of the prestigious Copa Libertadores club championship in South America, has signed with the Seattle Sounders as a designated player.The 27-year-old Lodeiro also has 48 caps for the Uruguay national team, including this summers Copa America Centenario in the United States.With the performance the Sounders typically have, they have always played in the playoff every season and are an important team in the MLS overall, Lodeiro said through a translator during a press conference Wednesday. That convinced me to come over here and be part of this project and be part of this team, and to help the team to continue to be successful.Success has been elusive for the Sounders this season, as they lag near the bottom of the standings with a 6-12-2 record. Wednesdays move was their second major one in 24 hours.On Tuesday, the team announced it had parted ways with coach Sigi Schmid, who had been in charge since Seattle joined MLS in 2009. Longtime assistant Brian Schmetzer was named the interim head coach and was delighted to add Lodeiro to the roster in just his second day on the job.Im very keen on getting Nico and Clint Dempsey together, Schmetzer said about pairing the newcomer with the U.S. national team forward. All the guys, Im sure, are going to get a good burst of energy from Nicos appearance with the club.Pending the receipt of his P-1 visa and international transfer clearance, Lodeiro could be available as soon as Sunday when the Sounders host the Los Angeles Galaxy.The decision of where I play is up to the coach, he said. The most important thing to me is to play with great players.Added Schmetzer, It gives us new options. Nicolas is going to have a big impact on the team, on and off the field. Hes going to work hard and hes going to work smart.Loderio has played in three Copa Americas, including 2011 when Uruguay won it. He has been in two World Cups, helping the country finish fourth in 2010 and reach the round of 16 in 2014. He also was in the 2012 London Olympics.Professionally, Lodeiro played three seasons with Uruguays Nacional, three seasons with Dutch side Ajax, two with Brazils Botafogo, and one with Corinthians of Brazil. He joined Boca Juniors in 2015, scoring three goals.With Dempsey, rookie Jordan Morris, and veteran Nelson Valdez up front, Sounders officials said adding an attacking midfielder was a priority.Nicolas is going to be a tremendous presence for us going forward, general manager and president of soccer Garth Lagerway said. Even five years ago, the thought that the playmaking midfielder for Boca Juniors, one of the biggest clubs in all of the Americas, would come and play in MLS in the prime of his career at age 27 was unbelievable.This is a game-changer for us.Nicolas Lodeiro, the attacking midfielder who just helped Argentina powerhouse Boca Juniors reach the semifinals of the prestigious Copa Libertadores club championship in South America, has signed with the Seattle Sounders as a designated player.The 27-year-old Lodeiro also has 48 caps for the Uruguay national team, including this summers Copa America Centenario in the United States.With the performance the Sounders typically have, they have always played in the playoff every season and are an important team in the MLS overall, Lodeiro said through a translator during a press conference Wednesday. That convinced me to come over here and be part of this project and be part of this team, and to help the team to continue to be successful.Success has been elusive for the Sounders this season, as they lag near the bottom of the standings with a 6-12-2 record. Wednesdays move was their second major one in 24 hours.On Tuesday, the team announced it had parted ways with coach Sigi Schmid, who had been in charge since Seattle joined MLS in 2009. Longtime assistant Brian Schmetzer was named the interim head coach and was delighted to add Lodeiro to the roster in just his second day on the job.Im very keen on getting Nico and Clint Dempsey together, Schmetzer said about pairing the newcomer with the U.S. national team forward. All the guys, Im sure, are going to get a good burst of energy from Nicos appearance with the club.Pending the receipt of his P-1 visa and international transfer clearance, Lodeiro could be available as soon as Sunday when the Sounders host the Los Angeles Galaxy.The decision of where I play is up to the coach, he said. The most important thing to me is to play with great players.Added Schmetzer, It gives us new options. Nicolas is going to have a big impact on the team, on and off the field. Hes going to work hard and hes going to work smart.Loderio has played in three Copa Americas, including 2011 when Uruguay won it. He has been in two World Cups, helping the country finish fourth in 2010 and reach the round of 16 in 2014. He also was in the 2012 London Olympics.Professionally, Lodeiro played three seasons with Uruguays Nacional, three seasons with Dutch side Ajax, two with Brazils Botafogo, and one with Corinthians of Brazil. He joined Boca Juniors in 2015, scoring three goals.With Dempsey, rookie Jordan Morris, and veteran Nelson Valdez up front, Sounders officials said adding an attacking midfielder was a priority.Nicolas is going to be a tremendous presence for us going forward, general manager and president of soccer Garth Lagerway said. Even five years ago, the thought that the playmaking midfielder for Boca Juniors, one of the biggest clubs in all of the Americas, would come and play in MLS in the prime of his career at age 27 was unbelievable.This is a game-changer for us. Supply NFL Jerseys . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. Wholesale Basketball Jerseys Authentic . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. http://www.wholesalechinajerseys.net/ . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. Wholesale Jerseys From China . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. Cheap NFL Jerseys Shop . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match.BARCELONA, Spain -- Tires shredded like paper, rubber flew everywhere and cars flitted in and out of pit lane like shoppers in a supermarket parking lot. On a frustrating day for drivers and fans alike, nearly 80 pit stops were made during Sundays Spanish Grand Prix, highlighting what has become a major concern for Formula One teams five races into the season -- the vulnerability of Pirellis tires. "At this rate, F1 is going to become a pit-stop contest with a few race laps thrown in," 1997 F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve said during television commentary. Things wont get much better in time for the showcase Monaco Grand Prix next week, as Pirelli said it wont be able to make changes to the tires before the Canadian GP next month. However, tires should be less of an issue in Monaco because the course layout makes it difficult to pass and speeds are slower than in other races. Most drivers had hoped for a three-stop strategy on Sunday but instead had to settle for four. "Im not here to defend four pit stops. We know its too complicated," Pirellis motorsport director Paul Hembery said. "It wasnt what we wanted. However, theres also many factors behind that and we have to make sure we get it back in line with what weve been asked to do, which is two or three (stops)." It was a confusing sight at the Circuit de Catalunya with leading drivers pitting as early as the ninth lap. With so many stops, it was hard for spectators to keep track of which driver was actually in the lead. "With this years degradation and this years tires we see the races keep changing all the time. Whoever keeps the tire alive normally is on the podium at least," said Fernando Alonso, who won the race. "If its too much confusion for the spectators? There is no doubt. I think its impossible to follow one race now. ... If Im sitting in the grandstand, without any radio, telephone or something, you only see cars passing." Strips of rubber were shooting off Jean-Eric Vergnes rear tire less than 40 laps into the race, and championship leader Sebastian Vettel, who was fourth, fears races are being more influenced by tires than driving skills. "We are not going to the pace of the car, we are going to the pace of the tire," Vettel said, adding that Red Bull got its strategy wrong. "I think we tried to hang on to the three-stop for too long in the race and had to admit toward the end we wouldnt make it." Red Bulls team principal Christiaan Horner echoed Vettels concerns.dddddddddddd "They are black and round and called Pirelli," he said. "And whoever masters and understands these tires best and most consistently will emerge (victorious) at the end of the year." Pirelli made modifications to its hard compound before the Spanish GP, and gave drivers an extra set of hard tires to practice on, but this made little difference on race day, where orders barked out over race radio were usually about sparing the tires. "Theres something wrong. This is the pinnacle of motor sport," former champion Jenson Button said. "We shouldnt be driving round so slowly to look after the tires." For the Canadian GP, Hembery said Pirelli will try to provide teams with tires that mix the stability of the 2012 tires and "the performance of the current ones." Hembery, however, thinks some of the criticism has been unfair, especially as Pirelli has had to do testing on older F1 cars. "Its all right to sit there and criticize. Were not exactly given the tools to do a precise job," he said. "We have absolutely no in-season testing. We dont have access to these cars that are going around now. We have to run around on a 2010 car." Although Kimi Raikkonen chose a three-stop strategy on Sunday, finishing second, the sight of top drivers changing tires early seemed to cause a panic reaction. "Sometimes its driven by the strategy of the first people that pit. If anyone was thinking of doing three, it might have been influenced by everybody else coming in and already deciding to go on a four," Hembery said. "Having seen it though, four was probably the right call. Kimi was hanging on.." Even before Sundays race, there were clear signs of degradation when Force India driver Paul di Resta lost the tread on his left-rear tire in practice. "Completely unexpected, in the middle of a high-fuel run," technical director Andrew Green said. Pirelli believes debris was to blame for both of Felipe Massas punctures in the Bahrain GP three weeks ago. Fears that the tire is not resistant enough were also highlighted by Lewis Hamiltons left-rear tire failure during Bahrain practice. "As long as it doesnt blow up at 300 kilometres per hour, thats OK. Touch wood, weve never had a problem with them for Lotus," Frenchman Romain Grosjean said. "But its sure that you have to be careful, and it doesnt make things easy." ' ' '