More honors rolled in Wednesday for 21-year-old phenom Fredy Montero, as the Seattle Sounders’ forward was selected Major League Soccer player of the month. Just two games into his MLS career, Montero has scored a league-leading three goals.
• Sounders FC at Toronto, Saturday, 1 p.m., FSC
Two of those goals have won goal-of-the-week honors. He was selected player of the week for his first week in the league, and now player of the month for his first month in the league. That thundering introduction to North American soccer has raised not only eyebrows, but also speculation that Montero’s time in MLS may be short.
“Right now, I’m very, very happy being here,” Montero said through an interpreter last week. “I hope that after this year, when my contract is up, that there will be some offers coming in from European clubs. I’ll think of that time when it comes.”
Montero broke into Puget Sound’s sports consciousness March 19 when he scored two goals and assisted on the other in Seattle’s 3-0 win over New York. He followed that up Saturday with a sizzling, twisting 28-yarder that found the net and capped the Sounders’ 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake.
It may seem like overnight success, but Montero’s early career actually has been a steady one-step-at-a-time journey. It began in Campo de la Cruz, Colombia, where his father was a good soccer player in his own right but supported his family as a police officer.
“He got his job as a policeman because he was a good soccer player,” Montero said. “It was a good job for him. It was most important that he went to work from 8-5 and stayed with the job for 20 years and put food on his table for his family. I’m really proud of that fact.”
Montero began playing soccer as a 9-year-old, and it quickly became apparent that his father’s soccer skills were not only passed along, but amplified. He first drew attention on school teams, then on recreational clubs, then more competitive clubs. The next step was inevitable.
“I became a professional player,” he said. “And now soccer is my life. I’ve always dreamed of doing it.”
For now, he’s a specialist: a goal-scoring forward. Five-foot-9, 162 pounds, with toughness, speed and a straight-ahead approach.
In 2005, he scored 20 goals in 38 appearances with his first professional team, Deportivo Cali of Colombia, which retains his rights. In 2006-07, he scored 22 goals in 27 appearances while on loan to Atlético Huila. In 2007, he made his debut with the Colombian national team in a game against Panama. Now, he has three international appearances and one goal for his national team.
All that attracted the attention of Major League Soccer – especially Sounders general manager Adrian Hanauer and technical director Chris Henderson.
“(Their interest) came from my playing in Colombia, scoring a lot of goals,” Montero said. “Then it was a process of my rights being purchased. The company that had my rights had a great relationship with MLS. There were a lot of other clubs that were reaching out, but this was the most serious club. Now I love playing soccer here, and I love being part of the team.”
The feeling has become mutual. Sounders fans were excited when hometown hero Kasey Keller signed on as goalkeeper, and when international star Freddie Ljungberg signed on as the designated player. But through performance alone, Montero has lifted himself onto their level among the most popular and best-recognized Sounders. He admits he is increasingly recognized in area restaurants.
His star has soared so quickly that coach Sigi Schmid mixes his praise with caution for keeping expectations reasonable.
“It’s important that everybody stays level-headed,” Schmid said. “He’ll know that. He’s played in the pros already long enough (to know) sometimes it’s feast or famine. As a goal scorer, when you bang it in the back of the net, everybody forgets about everything else in your game. And when you don’t score, everything else becomes magnified. He hasn’t impressed me as a guy that has his head in the clouds at this stage.”
Montero followed his attention-grabbing debut with that memorable goal against Salt Lake, which even impressed Ljungberg, who has seen his share as a 10-season veteran of the English Premier League.
“That was a great goal,” Ljungberg said. “It was from far out, which we’re not complaining about at all. It was a great shot; killed the game. Happy days.”
It’s easy to envision a decade of happy days stretching out before Montero.
The question is: where?
Added time
The Sounders leave today for Toronto, where they will play their first road game on Saturday. ... Montero left Tuesday’s practice early with flu-like symptoms, but Schmid said he expects Montero to travel with the team.
Don Ruiz: 253-597-8808
blogs.thenewstribune.com/soccer
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