The Sounders have officially announced the rumored pickup of Columbian central defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado.

Terms were not announced, and Hurtado’s signing isn't final until his international paperwork is complete.

Before the signing was announced, we asked coach Sigi Schmid how the march to his final roster is coming along.

“In regards to the total roster they’re still some positions open and decisions we have to make," he said. "It’s unfortunate it’s a professional sport and those decisions come a little later or sooner. Again it’s all about the players’ performance. I think we are probably about 75-80% of the way there, but there is still 20-25% we still need to do.”

Full information on the newest Sounder is available at SoundersFC.com.

Here's part of the announcement release from the Sounders:

Hurtado, 24, completed a trial with Italy’s AC Milan last month. He saw action in a January 22 exhibition between Milan and Germany’s Hannover, playing the second half along with Kaka, Andriy Shevchenko and Filippo Inzaghi.

Hurtado played the 2008 season for Deportivo Cali, where he was a teammate of Fredy Montero, a Sounders FC forward. In 2007, Hurtado played for Real Cartagena of the Colombian first division. He has played a total of 121 matches at the first and second division levels in Colombia since 2004.

“Jhon has good speed, he’s a good man-to-man marker, a good tackler and uses his speed to close people down,” said Sounders FC technical director Chris Henderson. “We had a chance to see him play 2-3 times, plus some video. We’re excited to have him join our team.”

Hurtado will meet the team in Argentina on February 25.

The Sounders FC opens its inaugural MLS season on March 19, hosting the New York Red Bulls in a nationally televised game at the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field.

Transaction: Seattle Sounders (MLS) – Signed D Jhon Kennedy Hurtado
Position: Defender
Height: 6-0
Weight: 183
Birthdate: 5/16/1984
Hometown: Palmira, Colombia
Last club: Deportivo Cali

Cox speaks about training camp with Major League Soccer's - Real Salt Lake

Shot of Raphael Cox at the MLS Combine. Photo courtesy of RealSaltLake.com

The latest Tacoma Tide draftee to the MLS is Raphael Cox. A member of the Tide over the last two summers, Cox was drafted to Real Salt Lake in the 4th Round of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. Now almost a month into preseason, Raph talks about how things are going for his team, and for himself.

CLICK HERE for the TacomaFC.com exlusive Q & A with Raphael Cox.

Seattle Sounders FC is working on its home pitch at Qwest Field for the first time, and you will be happy to know that it is absolutely impossible to tell that they share the surface with the Seattle Seahawks. There is no trace of football lines. No trace of Seahawks logo.

In short, it’s beautiful.

"The field and surface was good it looks nice with only soccer lines on it," coach Sigi Schmid said. "I know (Seahawks coach) Jim Mora might not be to happy about that right now, but we will get the football lines back on there for him.”

“It is important for us to get comfortable. We want to have a number of training sessions here before we play our first game. We want to make sure when we step out here for our first game it is our sixth or seventh time out here. We want to be a lot more familiar with the field than New York [Red Bulls]. We want the players to be familiar with the directions of the field, how it feels standing wide when nobody is out there, what the visual cues you see on the field. I think the more you play the more comfortable you become."

I also spoke to some of the players and Sounders executives about their new home today, and I'll turn that into a story for the Thursday paper.