Just days after signing with the Seattle Sounders on loan from English Premier League side AFC Bournemouth, defender Brad Smith has been declared eligible to play on Sunday vs. Western Conference leaders FC Dallas (7 p.m. PT; FS1, YouTube TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM | TICKETS).
"He is eligible to play and he's looked good," Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said after Saturday's training session. "In the bigger fields he's looked good, he's a good athlete so [I'm] happy to include him in the mix for playing."
The 24-year-old Australian international arrived in Seattle last week and immediately impressed the coaching staff with his pace and ball distribution.
"He's very fast, his crossing of the ball is very good," said Schmetzer. "Those are two key components. Obviously he's a talented player, he's got 19 caps with the Australian national team, [and] he's played in the EPL. I know his games haven't been much, but he's been training at a very, very high level so his soccer IQ is good."
While Smith is able to participate in Sunday's Western Conference clash against the Hoops, there still remains a learning curve as the fullback acclimates to a new league.
"He has to get caught up as far as what our league is all about. So, Tom Childs our video guy, has given him specific clips about players obviously for Dallas but [also] league-wide to get him to watch a couple of MLS games and stuff like that so he can be prepared."
