Léo Chú is on his way to Seattle

UPDATE: Chú is officially on his way to Seattle and is expected to be officially unveiled prior to Sunday’s game.

Léo Chú could join the Seattle Sounders as soon as this week, but the soonest he’d make his playing debut probably won’t be until next month.

“If he’s here this week, it’s not like he’s going to land and jump on the field,” Sounders GM and President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey told KJR. “It’s going to be a transition like we said, with a younger player, who’s never really left Brazil and doesn’t really speak English. We’re interested in his long-term development, not whether he gets on the field in the derby on the weekend.

“Léo will be a nice piece when he gets in, gets adjusted and gets his legs under him. We feel really good about [his] long-term prospects, but we have to be patient with that one and not heap a whole lot of expectation and pressure on ‘oh my gosh when is he going to play?’”

Lagerwey did note that although Chú only recently received his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, he likely won’t need to do any additional quarantine once he arrives. That’s due, at least in part, to the new Washington state health directive that requires masks to be worn indoors regardless of vaccination status.