It has been two years since Fredy Montero last played for the Seattle Sounders. Then 36, he was coming off a season in which he had just three goals and two assists in less than 650 minutes across all competitions. Most of us expected him to retire, content with a prolific career that had taken him literally around the globe, seen him win a bunch of trophies and score nearly 200 professional goals.
Montero had other ideas. Apparently not ready to become a full-time barista — he owns a coffee shop in the Roosevelt neighborhood — he returned to his native Colombia to play for his boyhood club Deportivo Cali in the second division.
The first season back in Colombia — his third stint there — was rather unremarkable with seven goals in about 1,500 minutes. But he enjoyed it enough to apparently want to do it again, transferred to Real Cartegena and even convinced his family to join him.
That seems to have reinvigorated his career. Montero scored 30 goals in 38 matches, tying him for the most in the Colombian second division. It wasn’t just the number of goals, either, as this compilation shows:
Yes, there are seven penalties that help beef up the total, but there are also all manner of goals from bicycles to volleys, as well as a bunch of headers and fox-in-the-box types that he has always specialized in. This does not look like a 38-year-old just riding off into the sunset.
Not only was that Montero's best scoring season of his impressive career, but he also played about 3,100 minutes. That's the most he's played in a calendar year since 2012, during his first stint in MLS.
I don't think any of this means the Sounders goofed by letting Montero leave a couple of years ago. Watching the highlight reel also shows that the quality of defense in Colombia's second division isn't exactly stellar. But it's still awesome to watch Montero enjoying himself like he seems to be and isn't showing any signs of slowing down.
