Sounders sign Tony Alfaro, land international roster spot from TFC

The Seattle Sounders announced a flurry of roster moves on Tuesday, signing draft pick Tony Alfaro and loaning Damion Lowe to Minnesota United. The club also traded allocation money to Toronto FC for an international roster spot and targeted allocation money.

Alfaro’s signing comes after high praise from the club on draft day, when Garth Lagerwey stated the club rated him in their top ten overall in the draft. The left-footed centerback’s distribution skills made him attractive to Seattle and it’s little surprise to see him sign as the roster continues to get younger.

Damion Lowe’s loan to Minnesota United ends speculation surrounding the move after a picture of him holding a Minnesota United surfaced on social media several days ago. If Lowe performs well in the NASL and gains some professional experience, it should solidify his MLS prospects as his physical attributes have always been MLS quality. Perhaps there will be a chance with him in Seattle then, or perhaps he’ll move to Minnesota on a permanent transfer if he plays well.

The big news of the day was the trade with Toronto, which now leaves the club with an open Designated Player spot and an open international roster spot. That leaves the Sounders free to sign a foreign player after being full up on internationals prior to the trade. As per MLS policy, none of the GAM or TAM figures were released. Seattle could use a chunk of TAM to buy down the cap hit of an additional non-DP player who would’ve used that tag otherwise. With more DP-level salaries than DP slots available on the books already, it may be more likely for that TAM to be used to keep Seattle salary-cap compliant. Regardless, it appears the Sounders will soon sign a new designated player following the departure of Obafemi Martins to Shanghai Shenhua.

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Full club press release:

SOUNDERS FC SIGNS DEFENDER TONY ALFARO Rookie centerback joins Seattle after being selected in the Second Round (27th overall) of 2016 MLS SuperDraft; Seattle also loans Damion Lowe to Minnesota United FC for 2016 season and acquires Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) and an international roster spot from Toronto FC                                                                                                                 For Immediate Release: March 8, 2016 Contact: Alex Caulfield, 206-512-1225 or Matt Winter, 206-512-1215   SEATTLE, WASH. – Seattle Sounders FC today announced the signing of 2016 MLS SuperDraft Second Round selection Tony Alfaro. The 22-year-old was a Division II All-American last season at Cal State Dominguez Hills before Seattle made him its first pick in January. Additionally, Sounders FC has made two other transactions, loaning third-year centerback Damion Lowe to Minnesota United of the NASL and acquiring Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) and an international roster spot from Toronto FC in exchange for General Allocation Money (GAM).   “We’re pleased to add a talented player like Tony to our roster as the 2016 season gets going,” said Sounders FC General Manager & President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey. “He’s obviously a player we liked in the draft when we selected him and we’re looking forward to continuing his development.”   Alfaro, 22, was named a First Team All-American by the NSCAA and a Division II CCA Second Team All-American after starting all 21 of his appearances as a senior. As team captain and the California College Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year in 2015, Alfaro led the Toros with 1,954 minutes to along with six goals. The Santa Barbara native started 71 of his 75 appearances in his collegiate career and was a four-time All-CCAA selection.   “Tony is a big centerback with good feet and solid technical abilities who did well for us throughout the preseason,” said Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid. “He’s a player with real potential who we think can provide good depth for us on the backline this season.”   Sounders FC also announced on Tuesday that it has loaned defender Damion Lowe to NASL side Minnesota United FC for the 2016 season. Lowe was the club’s First Round selection (eighth overall) in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, but has yet to make an appearance with the Sounders FC First Team in MLS play. The six-foot-three Jamaican international started 14 of 17 appearances last season for Sounders FC 2, scoring one goal and one assist.   The Rave Green has also acquired TAM and an international roster spot from Toronto FC in exchange for General Allocation Money, the club announced today.   Following a 1-0 home loss Sunday evening to Sporting Kansas City in the opening match of the 2016 MLS regular season, Seattle Sounders FC trains this week at Starfire Sports before traveling to face Real Salt Lake on Saturday, March 12 at Rio Tinto Stadium (1:00 p.m. PT /  JOEtv, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360 AM).   Great seats are still available for Sounders FC 2016 season tickets, starting as low as $24 per match via the following link: http://sndrs.com/uxb7 or by calling 1-877-MLS-GOAL. Half-season packages, which include nine matches for just $21 per match are also available via the following link: http://sndrs.com/half or by calling 1-877-MLS-GOAL. Single-match tickets are available starting at $28, with fans able to purchase via the following link: http://sndrs.com/onsale2016.   TRANSACTION: Seattle Sounders FC loans defender Damion Lowe to Minnesota United FC on March 8, 2016.   TRANSACTION: Seattle Sounders FC acquires Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) and an international roster spot from Toronto FC in exchange for General Allocation Money (GAM) on March 8, 2016.   TRANSACTION: Seattle Sounders FC signs defender Tony Alfaro on March 8, 2016.   Name: Tony Alfaro Position: Defender Height: 6-2 Weight: 190 Born: June 15, 1993 Hometown: Santa Barbara, CA College: Cal State Dominguez Hills Citizenship: United States Pronunciation: al-FAR-oh Acquired: Signed to Sounders FC roster on March 8, 2016 – SOUNDERS FC –