Sounders
Brazilian player Welton could provide scoring boost

By Matt Massey
Special to The Seattle Times

DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES Welton, the Brazilian standout and former MLS star, was acquired as a free agent and should make a sudden impact for the Sounders.

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The flash of brilliance opened eyes immediately. The deft moves froze fellow teammates. The speed left practice defenders with mouths agape, standing still.

Darren Sawatzky, one of pro soccer's fastest players, will never forget the first time he saw Welton back in 1996 when both were Major League Soccer rookies with the New England Revolution. The 21-year-old Brazilian was a blur.

"We were both really young, and he was fast as lightning," Sawatzky said. "In a one-on-one drill with defenders at that first practice, he couldn't be stopped. He must have scored 20 times in a row."

Eight years later, Welton is a 29-year-old veteran in the twilight of his pro career with the Seattle Sounders.

Welton signed April 5 as a free agent, and the Sounders hope that dazzling rookie that so impressed Sawatzky can add scoring punch to his new A-League team. A sore groin could delay his debut.

"That's why I'm here, to score goals," said Welton through unpolished English. "I'm here to work hard, score some goals and maybe have a chance to go back to MLS.

"Or I can stay here. There are some nice guys here."

The Sounders hope that Welton adds scoring punch to a defensive-minded team that struggled to score in last year's playoffs. His first chance to have an impact in the season opener Saturday at the Portland Timbers at 7 p.m. The Sounders' home opener is Saturday, May 8 at 7 p.m. at Seahawks Stadium against the Edmonton Aviators.

The once high-scoring MLS rookie duo of Welton and Sawatzky reunites with the Sounders after almost eight years.

"He's a proven goal-scorer," said Sawatzky of the 10th-year pro with the full name Welton Araujo Melo, who was twice an MLS All-Star. "We need that. I might be watching more games with him around.

"He'll provide veteran leadership. Scoring 40 goals in MLS is no small order."

There are no obvious signs of Welton slowing as he returns to the A-League for the second time after an injury-plagued 2003 with Fredrikstad FK, a Norwegian first-division club.

Welton rang up eight goals and four assists before his season was cut short with a strained left hip muscle. That was six months ago, and Welton has pronounced himself healthy.

"This team is going to help me and I'm going to help them," Welton said of the Sounders, who are 44-17-8 in two seasons under coach Brian Schmetzer.

After five MLS seasons with New England, Los Angeles Galaxy and Miami Fusion, Welton ranks among the top 20 scorers in league history with 44 goals and 36 assists. In his last stint in the A-League, with Pittsburgh in 2001, Welton had 20 points in 25 games.

He still coasts. He still glides. He still fires laser-beam shots with precision.

"If he scores like he did in the past, he'll score a ton of goals for us here," Sawatzky said. "Welton's a scorer. He's your typical Brazilian player. He's a cruiser in training.

"You see flashes of brilliance every now and then. He's the kind of guy you won't notice in games for a while and then he dribbles through four guys and he's there with a goal."

For a team lacking goals in 2003, Welton could help fill a void. Seattle outscored opponents 45-24 in winning the A-League's Pacific Division at 16-7-5 and reached the Western Conference finals before going scoreless in two games.

"Sure, he's our biggest offseason acquisition," said Schmetzer. "The Achilles' heel of this team when we faced Minnesota in the conference (finals) was scoring goals. I think Welton can do that for us."

Seattle, already strong on defense, got even stronger by adding Billy Sleeth, a UW grad and former MLS player, and moving Marco Velez to the back line full time.

Defender Danny Jackson, the team's MVP, returns from knee surgery alongside veterans Scott Jenkins and Ryan Edwards. Seattle opted to sign longtime goalkeeper Preston Burpo instead of last year's No. 1, Rich Cullen.

Along with the development of forwards Roger Levesque, Kyle Smith, Craig Tomlinson and the savvy of veterans of Viet Nguyen and Sawatzky, Seattle appears poised to strike offensively with more frequency.

Welton almost fell into the Sounders' lap when his agent, Christian Brei, attended open tryouts March 6-7.

After Brei informed the Sounders that Welton wanted to return to the United States to play, the organization made calls to all his former coaches and trusted soccer colleagues.

"We get calls from agents every day, and we are rarely interested," Sounders general manager Adrian Hanauer said. "There's always skepticism. We get so many résumés and hear from some many players. With Welton, he had a good resumé."

Hanauer hopes Welton adds more goals to those credentials. The club is counting on it.

Welton bio

Full name: Welton Araujo Melo

Hometown: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Experience: 10th pro season.

Honors: Twice was Major League Soccer All-Star.

2003: Fredrikstad FK, a Norwegian first-division club. Did not play in 2002.

Statistics:

Yr.	U.S. Team	Lea.	G	A	P
1996	New England	MLS	3	6	12
1997	Los Angeles	MLS	11	3	25
1998	Los Angeles	MLS	17	11	45
1999	Los Angeles	MLS	0	1	1
	Miami	MLS	8	6	22
2000	Miami	MLS	4	7	15
2001	Pittsburgh	A	6	8	20

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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