Seattle Sounders FC announced Thursday that it has signed defensive midfielder Jordan Schweitzer as a Homegrown Player, the sixth Homegrown signing in the club's history.
Schweitzer, a 21-year-old native of Everett, Wash., was a three-time All-Summit League First Team selection at the University of Denver and led the Pioneers to three-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
Per Major League Soccer and club policy, terms of the agreement are not being disclosed.
“We’re pleased to add a Homegrown Player like Jordan to our roster for the upcoming season,” Sounders GM and President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey said. “We look forward to continuing to build through the Academy, and we see player development as paramount to our success as a club.”
Schweitzer started 70 of his 73 appearances across four collegiate seasons from 2012-2015 at DU. As a senior in 2015, he was named First Team All-West Region selection after co-captaining the Pioneers to their second-straight Summit League Championship and a 15-1-3 record.
“I’m a holding center-mid. I grew up watching Osvaldo Alonso, and he’s someone I look to emulate," Schweitzer told SoundersFC.com. "I’m someone who will work hard each and every day. If I get the chance to show myself in games and be someone in there who can break up plays and connect the back four to the midfield…I’m going to wear the crest with pride.”
Unbeaten in 18 matches prior to the NCAA Tournament, the defensive midfielder sat in front of a backline that recorded a 0.40 goals against average and 12 clean-sheets in 2015. Schweitzer recorded two goals and three assists and missed just six of matches in his collegiate career, with Denver accumulating a 50-18-11 record during his four-year span.
“Jordan is a player we’ve been following since his days in the Academy and throughout his career at the University of Denver,” Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said. “He is a central midfielder who understands the importance to the team effort through his distribution, positional play and passing.”
A member of the Sounders FC Academy from 2011-2012, Schweitzer recorded six goals in 25 appearances for the U-18s in the 2011-2012 season, as well as six tallies in 29 games for the U-16s in 2010-2011. A graduate of Henry M. Jackson High School in Mill Creek, Schweitzer was team captain as a junior and earned a First Team All-WESCO selection.
Schweitzer is the first Homegrown signing for the Sounders since Darwin Jones in January 2015.
"I know guys on the team … Academy players who are Homegrown Players now, like Aaron Kovar and Darwin Jones," Schweitzer said. "It’s exciting to meet up with them again. I’m going to take it one day at a time and try to do the best I can. I hope it’s a long and successful career.”
