Former Seattle Sounders midfielder Freddie Ljungberg has thanked the fans of the club for making his departure to Chicago Fire easier than he imagined.

The former Arsenal and Sweden star left the Sounders for the Fire on Friday but he leaves Qwest Field with plenty of good memories and pride in what he achieved.

"There are a lot of messages I would like to say," he said on Fox Sports Northwest'sMLS show. "The way this city as embraced me and the way fans have acted towards me has been touching. Especially in the last couple of weeks, whatever has been said here or there, with how people have approached me and supported me in every way possible I think has been amazing.

"I had a lot of fun. It was something totally different for me joining a new franchise. It was a bit of a leap of faith and then to have the season we did, winning stuff the first year and break some records. I think that was amazing to get this franchise up and running. It's something I take a lot of pride in."