LOS ANGELES — Nicolas Lodeiro loves the Seattle Sounders, but he won’t hide his love for Boca Juniors, either.
The 29-year-old, speaking to reporters at MLS Media Day on Saturday in Los Angeles, openly professed his desire to return to Boca, as rumors have rumbled this offseason that he could be on his way back to the Argentine giants.
“Without a doubt, if the rumors were true, I would leave,” Lodeiro said. "One would really want to go to Boca, especially since it's such a big club."
Even with Lodeiro’s interest, Sounder at Heart reported on Saturday that Boca have not submitted a bid to Seattle for the Uruguayan, and they do not appear to have room on their roster for him.
Lodeiro played for Boca from 2015-16, just prior to his move to Seattle. He won a domestic double in Argentina before joining the Sounders in the summer of 2016, culminating in an MLS Cup triumph that year.
He was asked to explain why he wants to return to Boca, as Seattle fans may not understand the allure of one of South American’s biggest clubs.
Lodeiro celebrates scoring a goal for Boca Juniors in a 2016 Copa Libertadores match at Paraguayan side Cerro Porteño | Reuters
"Today I'm committed to the Sounders. This is the truth," he said. "There are only rumors. But I think that if it were the truth or I had to go, they [the Sounders] would understand because we're talking about a very big club like Boca ... So I think it'd be understandable if I were to go."
And which team is the biggest in MLS? “Seattle Sounders,” he responded.
Lodeiro complimented the Sounders fanbase as tops in the league.
“No other supporters compare to Seattle Sounders’. We have seen that Atlanta has drawn a lot of fans, but they don’t compare to Seattle Sounders. Other supporters want to imitate Seattle Sounders’. We can see that, there are a lot of similarities.”
But when asked how Sounders fans compare to Boca’s famous fanbase, known as La Doce, Lodeiro said it couldn’t be done.
“[Sounders and Boca] are both very good fanbases, but they are very different in terms of history and culture. Boca fans, La Doce, they have no comparison in the world,” he said.
