Y ahora con ustedes...Fredy Montero

(Translation: And now with you, Fredy Montero.)

The young forward talked about how he came to be part of Sounders FC. His contract has yet to be finalized, but the word is that the team believes it will get a deal done with Montero when he gets a work visa and international clearance to play in Seattle.

He's 21, stands 5-9 and a half and was most recently with Deportivo Cali.

Here's some of what he had to say today, translated from Spanish:

On answering his critics:
"The commentaries are always there from 'X' amount of people that want to have that image [of not playing well in big matches] but the majority of people in Colombia know the human quality I have and I believe they're going to feel hate from these kind of commentaries from people who don't know about soccer."

On if things don't work out with Sounders FC, what about Real Betis of Spain (thought to be trying to get him from Seattle)?

"Well, I'm happy to be here...I believe this is the big time with great players with great objectives, and that's that. And I hope it all goes well."

On how Colombia views MLS:
"In Colombia it's not taken well, but we know the soccer world, and I've always known that we've sent good Colombian players to Europe."

On what his goal is:
"My dream is to play in Europe."

On the cold weather here:
"Well, the cold is really something that got my attention. These two days there's been a lot."

On why he's glad to be here:
"It's great, without a doubt. I've found myself with players who are giving their all and I want to be part of a group that wants to make up a winning formula."

Let's go to the YouTube video:

Update 4:30 p.m. - Here's Coach Sigi Schmid's thoughts on Montero:

"It's going to be an on-going process. I don't know if people outside can imagine being 21 years old and coming to a country and not speaking a language and be thrown in the middle of all that stuff. You got to have something. You got to have some quality, and some thoughts to you, and you have to have some ability. Certainly he's shown his ability already at times on the field.
"If you've been coaching this long, when you meet people even quickly, you get a feel for their personality. He seems like a very good person to me. His personality is very absorbing. He listens to what people have to say. He wants to improve. He wants to get better. He's already expressed that on certain things. He knows physically he can improve himself. He's going to feel more comfortable each day.
"There's guys on the team that speak Spanish. That helps a little bit. He was standing close to me when somebody did something. I said 'Well done.' I heard out of his mouth 'Well done.' He's learning phrases and expressions. Just a willingness to say it shows me something of his character and his quality."