Nicolas Lodeiro starting in MLS debut

The Seattle Sounders aren’t wasting anytime throwing Nicolas Lodeiro into the deep end. The Uruguayan Designated Player will start in his debut, less than a week after his signing was completed.

To make room for the playmaker, Brian Schmetzer appears to be switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Nelson Valdez up top, Jordan Morris on the left, Clint Dempsey in the middle and Lodeiro on the right.

Of course, the Sounders’ lineups have been notoriously misleading for much of this season. It’s entirely possible this plays more like a 4-3-3 with Valdez shifting wide and Dempsey up high and Lodeiro sitting behind.

Either way, it will be interesting to see if Lodeiro can help bring out better play in a strike force that has dramatically underperformed this year.

The other notable inclusion in the gameday roster is Alvaro Fernandez, who was also signed late this week. He’ll be joined on the bench by Tyler Miller, Zach Scott, Oniel Fisher, Andreas Ivanschitz, Oalex Anderson and Herculez Gomez.