Sounders sign S2 defender Nouhou Tolo to senior team contract

Seattle Sounders FC announced on Thursday that they have signed Cameroonian defender Nouhou Tolo. He spent the 2016 season with S2 and appeared in 24 games — all starts.

Tolo joined S2 in April 2016 after playing for Rainbow FC in Cameroon. He logged 2,061 minutes last year for the USL side in what was a disappointing season for S2 as they finished in 12th place of the 15 team Western Conference.

"Nouhou performed admirably for S2 last season and we're excited to add him to the First Team roster in 2017," Sounders GM & President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey said in a team release. “It's important that we continue to build players up through our developmental pipeline, and here is another good example of a young player who earned his opportunity to represent the First Team."

Tolo becomes the third player signed directly from the USL affiliate after Andy Craven and Oalex Anderson.

The Sounders will finished this week of training at Starfire and will have a day off on Saturday before heading to Tucson for ten days.