SEATTLE, WASH. – Seattle Sounders FC today announced the signing of attacking midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz. The 31-year-old Austrian international comes to Seattle from Spanish club Levante, and is being added to Sounders FC's roster pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate. Per MLS and club policy, additional terms of the deal are not being disclosed.
“Andreas is a skilled and dynamic player that has proven his abilities in some of Europe’s top domestic leagues and at the international level,” said Sounders FC General Manager & President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey. “We’re excited to bring him to Seattle and help him integrate into our attack as we head toward the stretch run of our season.”
Ivanschitz joins the Rave Green following 15 seasons in the European topflight, including the last six campaigns in Spain’s La Liga and the German Bundesliga, amassing 380 appearances and 62 goals throughout his professional career. The Eisenstadt, Austria native began his career with Austrian power Rapid Vienna from 2000-2005, earning 2003 Austrian Footballer of the Year honors and leading Rapid to the 2004-2005 Austrian Bundesliga title. He spent three seasons with Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos from 2006-2009 before moving to Bundesliga side Mainz, where he scored 22 times in 104 appearances. Ivanschitz moved to La Liga club Levante in 2013, where he’s spent the last two seasons.
“Andreas has the technical ability to help break down teams with his passing and movement in the attacking third,” said Sounders FC Sporting Director Chris Henderson. “We’ve followed Andreas for a while now, and he’s a smart player who has played in top leagues all over Europe.”
Known for his abilities as a set-piece specialist, Ivanschitz has 69 career caps for the Austrian National Team, where he has worn the number-10 shirt and recorded 12 international goals. He captained Austria for the first time when he was only 19 years old. No stranger to major competitions, he was capped three times in the 2008 European Championship for Austria in addition to earning 14 appearances in UEFA Champions League play with Rapid Vienna and Panathinaikos.
“Andreas is a player who is creative in the attack and dangerous on set-pieces, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can contribute to the group,” said Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid. “As we head into the final months of our season and begin CONCACAF Champions League play, we welcome Andreas’ experience and poise at this critical time of year.”
MEDIA NOTE: Lagerwey, Schmid and Henderson are being made available to members of the media during today’s press access window at Starfire Sports in Tukwila, beginning between 11:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. PT. Interested members of the media should contact a representative of Sounders FC Communications for further details.
Following Saturday's home loss to Whitecaps FC, Sounders FC (10-11-2, 32 points) continues its busy month of August with a pair of matches this week, beginning with Wednesday’s 2015-2016 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League match at Vancouver’s BC Place (7:00 p.m. PT / FOX Sports 1). Seattle then returns to MLS action with its second match of 2015 against the LA Galaxy on Sunday, August 9 at the StubHub Center in front of a nationally televised audience (1:00 p.m. PT / ESPN, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360 AM).
Transaction: Seattle Sounders FC signs midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz on August 4, 2015.
Name: Andreas Ivanschitz
Pronunciation: ee-van-SHETZ
Position: Midfielder
Height: 6-0
Weight: 180
Born: October 15, 1983
Hometown: Eisenstadt, Austria
Citizenship: Austria
Acquired: Signed on August 4, 2015 as a Discovery Player
