Seattle Sounders FC, on Friday,  signed the 19-year-old Gambian midfielder Sanna Nyassi on a permanent contract , Observer Sports can reveal.

The former Gambia Ports Authority ace is the third player the United States club have under contract for their debut  season in the 2009 Major League Soccer - the premier tier of US football.

Nyassi is currently being loaned out to the Seattle Sounders of the USL First Division and will play with the lower-level team for the remainder of the 2008 season. “Sanna is a very technical player, strikes the ball well with both feet, and he has lightning quickness,” Sounders FC general manager Adrian Hanauer was quoted saying shortly after sealing the deal.

“He has enormous potential and if he works extremely hard, he could have a very long and successful career in MLS.”

Nyassi played for Gambia Under-20 National team during the 2007 FIFA Under-20 Championships held in Canada, and his twin brother, Sainey Nyassi, has been a starter for the New England Revolution this season.