[MLS TRANSACTIONS] A fourth member of the Honduran Olympic team that has reached the quarterfinals at London 2012 will be playing in MLS. Midfielder Mario Martinez has joined the Seattle Sounders on loan from Real Espana.
 
Real Salt Lake traded the No. 1 discovery priority on Martinez to Seattle in exchange for a conditional draft choice.
 
"He's a young player who we've been tracking for a while now," said Sounders coach Sigi Schmid. "He has a very good left foot and a good shot from distance. Martinez can play wide and can also play underneath the front runners. He is pretty technical and a player who we think has a big upside."

This is the second Olympics for the 23-year-old Martinez after participating in the 2008 Beijing Games.

Honduras, which also features Roger Espinoza (Sporting KC), Andy Najar (D.C. United) and Jerry Bengtson (New England), qualified for the quarterfinals after drawing with Morocco and Japan and beating Spain.
 
"I would like to thank our head scout, Kurt Schmid, and Mario's agent, Horatio Patanian, who worked very hard to get this deal over the finish line," said Sounders general manager Adrian Hanauer. "We are very excited to have Mario join our team, following the Olympics."

Martinez, who has 17 appearances for the Catrachos' senior national team and spent time with clubs in Norway and Belgium, is the second midfielder the Sounders have signed since trading Alvaro Fernandez to the Chicago Fire.
 
They added German midfielder Christian Tiffert as a DP.