Two more signings for S2 at Forward and Defender

Today, days before their inaugural game on Saturday against Sacramento Republic, Seattle Sounders 2, or S2, have signed forward Qudus Lawal and defender Nick Miele. This brings the S2 roster up to seven players, with Lawal and Miele joining Duncan McCormick, Amadou Sanyang, Sam Garza, Aaron Long, and Andy Craven as players to have signed with the USL Pro side.

Qudus Lawal is a 19-year-old Nigerian forward who spent last season with the Chicago Fire Reserves in the PDL. Standing at 5'10", he made himself known to the Sounders as a standout at their Las Vegas Combine earlier this year, earning himself an invitation to trial. S2 Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson said: "Qudus is a young, very strong player with an incredibly powerful shot. We see a very bright future for him, and we look forward to working on his technical ability and we see him being a big part of this organization for years to come."

Nick Miele is a 6'4" central defender who last year anchored the defensive line for the University of New Mexico. 22 years old, Miele helped UNM to a 0.88 goals-against average and eight shutouts, playing every minute of the 2014 season. He was named Second Team All-Conference USA as well as a Conference USA All-Academic and CoSIDA Academic All-District selection. "We saw Nick at our combine and kept an eye on him for quite a while. He has done really well for us in preseason so far," said Hendrickson. "We think he is a player that could develop really well for us and be a great centerback for our organization in the future."

All preseason Miele has been pairing up as the right-sided centerback next to Aaron Long in the starting S2 lineup. Which Seattle Sounders players are loaned down to S2 could determine whether Miele starts or not. Lawal, meanwhile, has not been starting, as those spots have gone to Craven and trialist Pablo Rossi.