who was the first drafted player for the sounders
2009 Seattle Sounders FC season Seattle Sounders FC was given first negotiation rights to any player that was not drafted in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft and joined the USL Sounders for the 2008 season. The team was also allowed to promote as many players from the 2008 USL Sounders squad as they'd chose, as long as the player's rights were not controlled by another team.[14] Seattle Sounders FC officially announced the 2007 USL First Division MVP and former USL Sounder Sébastien Le Toux as its first signing on May 7, 2008.[15] On August 14, 2008, the Sounders announced in a press conference their second signing for the 2009 season, former United States men's national team goalkeeper Kasey Keller, a Washington native.[16] On September 5, 2008, Seattle Sounders FC announced the third signee for the franchise to be Sanna Nyassi from Gambia. Nyassi, a 19-year-old midfielder, was a member of the Gambia U-20 national team at the 2007 FIFA Championship. Sanna’s twin brother, Sainey Nyassi, was signed by the Revolution and is a regular starter in MLS this season.[17] On October 28, 2008, it was officially announced that the Sounders had signed Swedish midfielder Fredrik Ljungberg using the Designated Player Rule. He signed a two-year contract reported to be worth $2.5 million per season.[18]