It appears the Seattle Sounders have made their first move toward filling their hole at right back, signing Swedish defender Adam Johansson, according to this article in the Gothenburg Post. Erik Friberg first alluded to the signing with a tweet in which he said: "Congratulations Sounders for your new Sweeede... it will be perfect!!!"

Johansson is a currently out-of-contract, 28-year-old Swedish right back, who has made nine national team appearances since debuting against the United States in 2009. Johansson most recently played at IFK Goteborg, one of Sweden's top teams, but was apparently being wooed by teams in Belgium, Denmark and Norway before agreeing to a three-year deal with the Sounders. A knee injury in 2009, appears to have stunted his ascension to Swedish national team regular.

Johansson had this to say in the article (via Google Translate): "It's really fantastic. I knew very little about the American league, but I talked to several people familiar with before I decided and finally felt like this as the right choice."

This would seem to end the Sounders' search for a James Riley replacement and almost certainly ends their pursuit of Costa Rica's Heiner Mora. While Mora has plenty of experience at right back, he had played all over the field. Johansson is a much more pure full back, and he has played almost exclusively on the right side.

The signing would fill the last gaping hole on the roster and would give the Sounders 27 players under contract (assuming Cordell Cato has also been signed and Marc Burch will be signed). The Sounders could open the season with as many as four more players, but could also open with as few as 28. Assuming they keep at least one of their draft picks from the Jan. 12 SuperDraft, that leaves precious little room on the roster for additional signings.