The day Emanuel Cecchini became a Sounder, he headed directly from SeaTac International Airport to the Starfire Sports training facility, where he reviewed and signed his contract. From there, he underwent a pair of physicals, one orthopedic and the other a general medical exam, in downtown Seattle and in Bellevue. A staffer provided a brief tour of the area, a broad overview of where he might like to live, and then, finally, he was allowed to crash in his team-provided hotel room.



That was only day one. The days and weeks ahead would involve filing for an American work visa, then for a social security number. He would need to switch over from his international drivers’ license in order to avoid onerous insurance fees, open a bank account and actually get paid.



Only then could he begin to consider finding permanent housing and swap out the rental car the team booked for his own vehicle. This is without even mentioning the challenge of integrating into a new team...