RENTON – It has been far too long since the Seattle Sounders signed a player for whom it felt worth staging a press conference. That finally changed on Tuesday when the Sounders introduced new Designated Player Dejan Joveljić to the local media.
Joveljić came off affable and self assured without appearing arrogant. He was relatively soft spoken but also seemed genuine. More than anything, he seemed very happy to be in Seattle, an organization that, despite its recent struggles, is known as a winner around the league.
In short, Joveljić seemed exactly like the type of player the Sounders have always prided themselves in signing.
Here were my main takeaways from his first day in Rave Green:
Joveljić lives a 'simple' life
One of the recurring themes of the press conference is that Joveljić sees himself as an uncomplicated person. Asked what he likes to do in his free time, he said, "Simple life: family, chess, thinking about soccer and waiting for the weekend for the games.”
He seems to see his game as similarly uncomplicated. Joveljić clearly sees himself as a goal-scorer – mentioning some version of that no less than six times – but also doesn't overthink how he does it. When describing how he plays, he mentioned that he scores with his left, his right, his head and is willing to do just about anything to find the back of the net.
That seems to be a big part of what attracted the Sounders to Joveljić, as they praised him for his work ethic and productivity.
Joveljić was quickly won over to the Sounders, too. He said within a few minutes of meeting with head coach Brian Schmetzer and GM Craig Waibel, he told them that "I’m giving you my word that I’m going to come to Seattle." The Sounders’ ace in the hole seems to have been Joveljić's own experience of playing against the Sounders, and understanding the importance of their winning culture.
The Sounders also got a bonus promise from Joveljić to get revenge on the Sounders’ behalf for that dastardly goal he scored in 2024.
