Seattle Sounders MLS Cup 2016: Where are they now?
By Matt Coles
ST – Nelson Valdez – Cerro Porteño (Primera División, PAR)
Paraguayan forward Nelson Valdez spent most of the 2016 regular season coming off the bench, only amassing 900 minutes during the campaign. However, he became an integral part of their playoff run, starting five of the Sounders’ six games, including the final on December 10.
His professional career started back in 2000 with Tembetary in the Paraguayan league system. The forward then moved to Germany, signing for Werder Bremen. He was part of the double-winning side in 2003-04 as Bremen won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal. During his time in Germany, Valdez also made his international debut and has gone on to play over 75 times for Paraguay, scoring 11 times.
He then made the move to Borussia Dortmund, playing over 125 times for the club in his four-year spell. After a season with Hercules, Valdez made the move to Rubin Kazan, where he won both the Russian Cup and Russian Super Cup in 2012. He then had spells with Valencia and Al Jazira, before playing for Olympiacos, where he won the Greek Superleague in 2014. Valdez then signed for Seattle ahead of the 2015 campaign.
In his two years in MLS, the forward totalled over 40 appearances for the club and was a vital part of their 2016 MLS Cup-winning squad. After leaving the States, Valdez returned to his native Paraguay, signing for Cerro Porteño, where he helped the team to lift the 2017 Clausura in the Primera División.