RENTON \u2013 It has been far too long since the Seattle Sounders signed a player for whom it felt worth staging a press conference. That finally changed on Tuesday when the Sounders introduced new Designated Player Dejan Jovelji\u0107 to the local media.<\/p>\n
Jovelji\u0107 came off affable and self assured without appearing arrogant. He was relatively soft spoken but also seemed genuine. More than anything, he seemed very happy to be in Seattle, an organization that, despite its recent struggles, is known as a winner around the league. <\/p>\n
In short, Jovelji\u0107 seemed exactly like the type of player the Sounders have always prided themselves in signing. <\/p>\n
Here were my main takeaways from his first day in Rave Green:<\/p>\n
Jovelji\u0107 lives a ‘simple’ life<\/p>\n
One of the recurring themes of the press conference is that Jovelji\u0107 sees himself as an uncomplicated person. Asked what he likes to do in his free time, he said, “Simple life: family, chess, thinking about soccer and waiting for the weekend for the games.\u201d <\/p>\n
He seems to see his game as similarly uncomplicated. Jovelji\u0107 clearly sees himself as a goal-scorer \u2013 mentioning some version of that no less than six times \u2013 but also doesn’t overthink how he does it. When describing how he plays, he mentioned that he scores with his left, his right, his head and is willing to do just about anything to find the back of the net. <\/p>\n
That seems to be a big part of what attracted the Sounders to Jovelji\u0107, as they praised him for his work ethic and productivity. <\/p>\n
Jovelji\u0107 was quickly won over to the Sounders, too. He said within a few minutes of meeting with head coach Brian Schmetzer and GM Craig Waibel, he told them that “I\u2019m giving you my word that I\u2019m going to come to Seattle.” The Sounders\u2019 ace in the hole seems to have been Jovelji\u0107’s own experience of playing against the Sounders, and understanding the importance of their winning culture.<\/p>\n
The Sounders also got a bonus promise from Jovelji\u0107 to get revenge on the Sounders\u2019 behalf for that dastardly goal he scored in 2024.<\/p>\n
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