BIOGRAPHY
Nicolas Lodeiro was born March 21, 1989, in Paysandu, Uruguay. He is a midfielder in Major League Soccer.
In January 2010, Lodeiro signed a contract with AFC Ajax until June 2012 with option of 2 more years.He joined his fellow Uruguayans Bruno Silva and his friend Luis Suárez at Ajax. His first appearance for Ajax was as a substitute in the match against FC Twente on 7 February 2010. He marked his first goal against Go Ahead Eagles with Ajax on 25 March in the KNVB Beker. Because of an injury he sustained during the World Cup he didn't play a single match for Ajax in the 2010/2011 Eredivisie season. He did however make 19 appearances for Ajax the following season, scoring twice in the regular season, and once against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, all while helping Ajax to win their 31st league title.
On 20 July 2012 it was announced that Botafogo had signed Lodeiro to a four-year contract, taking the young midfielder over to Rio de Janeiro from AFC Ajax for an undisclosed fee. He was a key part of the squad that won the Campeonato Carioca in 2013 and qualified Botafogo for the 2014 Copa Libertadores after 18 years absent of the tournament. During his time with Botafogo, Lodeiro was part of Uruguay's 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2014 FIFA World Cup squad.
On May 29, 2014, Lodeiro signed a four-year deal with Corinthians, for a R$4.5 million fee.
In 2015, Lodeiro signed with Argentinian club Boca Juniors. In September 2015, Lodeiro scored against River Plate in the Superclásico. On 4 November 2015, Lodeiro scored a penalty in the 2015 Copa Argentina Final helping Boca defeat Rosario Central 2–0, and secure their domestic double.
In the summer of 2016, Lodeiro was widely rumored to be moving to the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer. Lodeiro began discussing a transfer with Sounders general manager Garth Lagerwey during the Copa America Centenario, using teammate Luis Suarez as a translator. Lodeiro bid farewell to the Boca Juniors fans in late July amid reports that he would join the Sounders pending his physical. He officially signed with the Sounders on July 27, 2016.
He made his club debut on July 31, 2016, starting in the midfield and playing the full 90 minutes of a 1–1 home draw against LA Galaxy. In his first match, Lodeiro recorded 124 total touches, the fourth-highest total of the 2016 season for the Sounders, and 94 passes, the most for Seattle. He scored his first goal for the Sounders on August 14, 2016, at home against Real Salt Lake in the 24th minute of a 2–1 win at Century Link Field.
Lodeiro was also instrumental to the team's MLS Cup run in 2016 under caretaker manager Brian Schmetzer. He scored four goals and provided eight assists in 13 games in the regular season to help Seattle qualify for the playoffs; in the post-season, he scored four more goals in six play-off games as he led the team to the championship. In the MLS Cup Final against Toronto at BMO Field on 10 December, following a 0–0 draw after extra time, Lodeiro notched a penalty kick in the resulting shoot-out to keep the Sounders hopes alive; Justin Morrow then missed Toronto's next spot kick, which allowed Román Torres to win the first MLS Cup for the Sounders after netting his kick. When Lodeiro arrived, the Sounders were at the bottom of the league, but because of his ability to create and make others around him better, the Sounders were able to turn their season around. For his performances, he was named the 2016 MLS Newcomer of the Year.
On November 10, 2019, Lodeiro assisted Víctor Rodríguez's goal in a 3–1 home win over Toronto FC in the MLS Cup Final.
Seattle Sounders
