A Sounders star in the making?

Published 11:18 pm Thursday, May 6, 2010

SEATTLE — First Miguel Montano had to officially become a Sounder, which took a little longer than expected.

Next, the 18-year-old forward from Colombia got a chance to suit up for a game when Seattle took on Columbus last weekend. Up next, Montano hopes, is his Sounders FC debut.

The team brought Montano to Seattle in mid-March, but didn’t complete his signing for almost six weeks. During that time he returned home to play for Colombia’s Under-20 national team, but now he is back, signed and excited for a chance to play for Sounders FC, be it Saturday when Seattle hosts Los Angeles, or some other time soon.

“For me, this is a great happiness that I’m feeling right now,” Montano said through a translator. “This is the reason that I came to Seattle. I fought really hard in the first month that I was here to show my skills and come out here and show what I can do. Thankfully that worked out. It was great for me to be on the bench last week and start playing as a Sounder.”

The 5-foot-11 Montano has the slight build and baby face you’d expect of someone his age, but he possess speed and soccer skills that make him an intriguing prospect for Seattle. This season, however, it’s unlikely he will be used as more than a second-half reserve when Seattle is looking for late-game offense.

Montano’s skill-set could make him an MLS star down the road. He already has better speed than most players in the league, is strong with both feet and has a powerful shot. And while those skills are still a work in progress, Montano has shown enough in practice to earn playing time soon.

“He just plays with a lot of energy,” Sounders FC coach Sigi Schmid said. “Everybody brings their own traits to the game, a different style, and he’s very two-footed, he strikes the ball very well, and he plays with a lot of energy offensively and defensively. And sometimes that enthusiasm makes up for making an error or two, because through your hustle and your work you’re able to recapture the ball.”

And just because Montano is the youngest player on the team, Schmid won’t be afraid to play him if it will help the team. That’s a philosophy Schmid developed during his long tenure at UCLA.

“As an old coach of mine said, ‘There are good players and bad players, not old players and young players,’” Schmid said. “Certainly, you realize he’s a young player, but at the end of the day, you get on the field because you have the ability to play. When I was a college coach, I remember youth coaches used to tell me, ‘Coach, you get this guy and by the time he’s a junior he’s really going to help you.’ And I said, ‘By the time he’s a junior, I’m going to have a freshman who is better than him, so if he can’t help me as a freshman, he’s not going to help me.’

“So, I feel the same way: You bring in a young player, he’s got to be able to get on the field for you and do things. … I’m very confident in his ability to contribute. And yeah, we do remember he’s a young player, but that doesn’t determine whether he gets on the field or not.”

Man U coming to America

Major League Soccer announced Thursday that Manchester United will be the opponent for the 2010 All-Star game in Houston on July 28.

Last year’s MLS All-Star team, which featured Sounders FC players Kasey Keller, Freddie Ljungberg, Fredy Montero and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, played English Premier League team Everton. This will be the sixth consecutive year the MLS All-Star game will be played against a European opponent.

In a first for the Manchester United, one of the most popular teams in the world, the Red Devils will face MLS competition on a U.S. tour. In addition to facing the MLS All-Stars, the Man U also will play the Philadelphia Union and Kansas City Wizards.

Sounders injury update

Defender Tyrone Marshall, who sat out last week’s game against Columbus with a sore hamstring, is expected back. Midfielder Brad Evan, who left that game early with a hamstring injury, is also expected to be available. Midfielder/forward Pat Noonan (hamstring) will likely be out again Saturday.

Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com.