Seattle Sounders Sign Uruguay's Alvaro Fernandez

The Seattle Sounders have announced the long-rumored signing of Uruguayan national team midfielder Alvaro Fernández, who played in four games during La Celeste's run to the semifinals.

Fernández will be the club's third Designated Player after Swedish midfielder Henrik Ljungberg and Swiss striker Blaise Nkufo, although the former may not be in the Emerald City for long. Fernández has considerable range, is just 24 years old and could be considered Ljungberg's replacement.

"I'm very excited to be playing in the U.S. because the football has grown a lot in the last few years and keeps getting better. Seattle is beautiful and I think it's the ideal place to be with my family. All these things helped in making my decision," Fernández said.

He spent the spring with Santiago's Universidad de Chile, and before that he bounced around clubs in his native Uruguay, Mexico and Portugal. Fernández made his national team debut in 2008 in a World Cup qualifier against Chile and then earned a spot on the World Cup roster.

In South Africa, he came on as a substitute in first-round games against South Africa and Mexico, then played six minutes in the round-of-16 match against South Korea before starting the quarterfinal victory over Ghana. He was removed at halftime of that match, which Uruguay went on to win on penalties. He did not feature in either the semifinal or third-place game.

"Alvaro is a versatile player who can play in a number of midfield positions. He brings good energy to the game as well as World Cup experience. He can score and also set-up others," Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said.

Fernández described himself as a "fast, smooth player, who can play on either flank. I am strong in the air, and I work very hard."

With the Uruguayan on board (contract terms weren't revealed), the Sounders finally seem ready to say goodbye to Ljungberg, the former Arsenal star and underwear model who helped the club make such a splash last year during its inaugural season in MLS.

Ljungberg earns $1.3 million per year and his contract expires at the end of the year. He hasn't played for Seattle since July 4 and reportedly is training on his own while he tries to make arrangements to leave the club. The relationship started to sour as the Sounders won just two of 10 matches during April and May. Ljungberg, 33, struggled with ankle problems, and according to Schmid, also may have been unhappy that he wasn't offered a contract extension.

Last week, the coach said that Ljunberg was "exploring options", while Sounders technical director Chris Henderson said his departure would "open a lot of doors for us."

Either way, change is coming to the Sounders, who started the season with so much promise but who now sit in sixth place in the Western Conference at 6-8-4.