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The Seattle Sounders continued their active offseason on Wednesday, officially announcing the signing of 23-year-old fullback/midfielder Christian Sivebaek. The move has been rumored since late December, and the player himself had even confirmed the deal.
"Christian is a player that we have been following for quite some time," Sounders technical director Chris Henderson said in a team release. "He is a good one-versus-one dribbler who can provide consistent quality service to our strikers. He has good speed and physical presence.
"He has been an up and coming player in Denmark," added Henderson, "and we are looking forward to adding Christian to our attacking arsenal."
Sivebaek -- the son of former Manchester United player John Sivebaek -- has appeared in 80 league matches and scored six goals with Midtjylland, a team in Denmark's first division. He has also made 19 appearances for various Denmark youth national teams. But after getting starter's minutes at Midtjylland in recent years, mostly at right back, Sivebaek seems to have fallen out of favor and has appeared in just three matches this season. There have been reports that part of the reason for the fallout was his desire to play more in the midfield.
Like fellow international signings this offseason Adam Johansson and Michael Gspurning, Sivabaek appears to have been won over by the crowds and professionalism in the Sounders organization.
"This is an exciting opportunity for me, to be joining such a club as Sounders FC," Sivebaek said in a statement. "I am looking forward to playing in MLS and for one of the best and biggest teams in America. I am very impressed by the professionalism of the club, the high quality of players and staff, and the great number and passion of their fans."
The expectation would be that Sivebaek, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 194 pounds, would be Mauro Rosales' primary backup at right midfield and could possibly spell Johansson in a pinch. Sivebaek's signing brings the Sounders roster to 27 players just days before the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. The team has also reportedly signed Cordell Cato. Either way, there are precious few remaining open spots on the roster.