TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
After Will Bruin was lost for the season with a torn ACL, the Seattle Sounders knew they had a hole to fill behind Raul Ruidiaz in their striker depth chart. On Friday, they filled that hole with the signing of Justin Dhillon.
Dhillon has been starring with the Tacoma Defiance, the Sounders' USL Championship affiliate, this season as he has six goals in 14 appearances. After signing with Tacoma Defiance on March 15, Dhillon has started 10 of his 14 appearances and leads the club with six goals this season, including a five-match scoring streak from May 12-June 8. The 24-year-old made history on May 18 by scoring just nine seconds into a 1-1 draw with Reno 1868 FC, marking the fastest goal in USL Championship history.
"Justin adds to our growing list of players who have been signed directly to our USL club and made the jump to MLS, joining Jordy Delem and Nouhou," said Sounders FC GM & president of soccer Garth Lagerwey in a statement. "Justin is a player who has proven himself at the USL level, and we're looking forward to seeing what he can do with the First Team."
Dhillon started seven of 18 appearances for LA Galaxy II in 2018 and scored three goals. He played in 21 games (13 starts) as a rookie for Los Dos in 2017, recording six goals and two assists. Prior to joining LA Galaxy II, Dhillon appeared in 73 games in four seasons at Cal Poly University and recorded 15 goals and 12 assists. As a senior in 2016, he started all 17 games for the Mustangs and posted seven goals and two assists.
He now joins Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez and Ruidiaz as one of three strikers on the Sounders roster.
