Nico Lodeiro agrees to Sounders contract extension

UPDATE: The Sounders confirmed that Nicolas Lodeiro has been re-signed through 2023 and will remain a Designated Player at least through the end of that contract.

“It’s important to say that Nico is clearly a DP,” Sounders GM Garth Lagerwey said, joking that Lodeiro did not accept a 60% pay cut after finishing third in MVP voting. “We’d never talk to him about anything other than a DP. He’s the cornerstone of our franchise. He’s the best player on the team. He’s already the best Sounder ever.”

Nicolas Lodeiro isn’t going anywhere. The midfielder has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him under contract with the Seattle Sounders through at least 2023, according to a report at MLSsoccer.com. The Sounders had already informed Lodeiro that they intended to exercise their option for the 2021 season, but this gives the 31-year-old some stability going forward.

There had been rumors that Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal was interested in acquiring Lodeiro. He also made some ominous-sounding comments prior to this year’s MLS Cup.

“I knew this could be my last year so I didn’t want to think about what’s next, I just wanted to focus on this season,” Lodeiro said. “All I know is that after Saturday I want to go back to Uruguay and see my family.”

Now he can do that with a much clearer head.

Lodeiro has been arguably the best signing in Sounders history since joining the team in the summer of 2016 and has shown no signs of slowing down. He has accumulated 33 goals and 58 assists in regular-season play over five seasons, eclipsing at least 10 assists in each of the last four seasons. Lodeiro has also led the Sounders to two MLS Cup victories and two other finals.

This year, he was named MLS Best XI and was third in MVP voting after a 7-goal, 10-assist season. He followed that up with 1 goal and 3 assists during the playoffs, giving him 8 goals and 10 assists in 21 postseason matches.