Seattle Sounders FC announced the signing of Tacoma Defiance midfielder Reed Baker-Whiting as a Homegrown Player on Wednesday. Baker-Whiting, 16, has long been viewed as one of the top talents coming through Sounders Academy’s revamped player development pipeline. During the 2020 MLS season, the Seattle native began training regularly with the First Team, playing alongside the likes of Nicolás Lodeiro, Cristian Roldan and Raúl Ruidíaz, on a daily basis. “Puts a smile on my face,” said Sounders FC Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “The kid has earned it, he deserves it. He was a smaller kid, and when fans first see him they will see a tall, lanky kid. He has good size. In his first game for Defiance he covered like 13 kilometers in the game, he has good range. We’ve been tracking him since we brought him into First Team training last year. He stayed with us through MLS Cup, and he’s done well enough to earn a contract.”