COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (Tuesday, August 6, 2013) – The Colorado Rapids announced today that the club has signed Uruguayan forward Vicente Sánchez, a veteran of both the Mexican First Division and the Uruguayan National Team. The 33-year-old attacking player joins the club as an International Player, and will be eligible pending receipt of his P-1 work visa and International Transfer Certificate. Per league and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Vicente is an experienced, professional player who can help this team both on the field and in the locker room,” said Rapids Head Coach Oscar Pareja. “He has performed at a high level in some of the top leagues in the world, even at his most recent club in Uruguay. We’re happy to welcome him into the group.”

“Adding a player like Vicente is great for this club, since he can both help the team score goals and add leadership which will benefit our young players,” said Rapids Technical Director Paul Bravo. “His goalscoring in Mexico and South America speaks for itself and we’re excited that he’s joined our club.”

“I’ve been wanting to come over for some time,” Sanchez said. “(Oscar Pareja) told me about his project with the youth it interested me. As much as other teams were calling me, I didn’t have any doubts in coming here. I’m very happy to be here, and I’m hopeful that everything works out well for me, for the club, for the coach, and for everyone.”

Sánchez rose to prominence during his seven years with Toluca of the Mexican First Division from 2001-2007, when he played 242 matches for the club and scored 85 goals, helping them to a pair of championships (Apertura 2002 and Apertura 2005). He then moved to Schalke of the German Bundesliga from 2008-10, playing 50 matches and scoring three goals, and helping the team to second place in 2010. He returned to Mexico with Club América from 2010-2012, scoring 11 times in 49 appearances. Most recently, he was with Nacional in his native Uruguay, helping the team into the Copa Libertadores knockout phase.

With the Uruguayan National Team, Sánchez has made 31 appearances since his debut in 2001, and he scored goals in both the 2004 and 2007 editions of the Copa América. He has five goals total for his country. The forward has played both centrally and as a winger, featuring mostly as an attacking player on the left side for Nacional.

The Rapids travel to Los Angeles this week to take on Chivas USA on Sunday, August 11 at 9 p.m. MT, with a live broadcast on Altitude featuring play-by-play from Richard Fleming and color commentary from Marcelo Balboa. Coverage starts with the pregame show at 8:30 p.m. The Rapids return to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday, August 17 at 7:30 p.m. MT to take on the Vancouver Whitecaps; for more information, visit www.ColoradoRapids.com or call 303-825-GOAL.