By almost any metric, the Seattle Sounders were reasonably successful in 2024. They claimed 57 points in the regular season, advanced to the Leagues Cup quarterfinals, the U.S. Open Cup semifinals and to the Western Conference final. They were one goal away from hosting MLS Cup.
Yet, I understand why head coach Brian Schmetzer said it wasn’t a successful season. The reality is that the Sounders don’t measure success the same way most teams do. It might not be “trophy or bust”, but just competing for trophies is the baseline expectation. As close as the Sounders came, they didn’t actually play in any cup finals.
All of which is to say, the Sounders are close to being a really good team but aren’t quite there yet.
Over the course of the offseason, we’ll be doing plenty of stories about ways the Sounders can improve. Consider this the first in that series, where I lay out some of the basic elements of the foundation as well as provide my perception of what needs to be fixed.
What we learned
Morris and Rusnák can lead the offense, but need help
Following a solid close to last year, the Sounders played it a little safe and basically turned over the keys to the offense to Jordan Morris and Albert Rusnák. After a slow start, they mostly delivered. Between them, the Sounders got 29 goals and 26 assists across all competitions. The vast majority of that production came after midseason and largely coincided with the team’s turn in fortunes. But we also saw the limitations in the playoffs, where they had just one goal and no assists between them.
I don’t think it’s fair to put that entirely on their shoulders, but it does underscore the need to find more productive offensive players. Until Paul Rothrock emerged as a solid scoring option on the left wing, the Sounders got almost no production from wide areas. I don’t think the Sounders need to overhaul anything, but they can’t go into 2025 with Rothrock as their only other proven scoring threat.
Whether that means moving Morris to the wing in order to sign a big-time No. 9 or signing a potential game-breaking winger, the Sounders absolutely need to add offensive talent.
The defense remains elite
For the second straight year, the Sounders allowed the fewest goals in MLS. Once again, the advanced metrics suggested that was no fluke. Between Jackson Ragen and Yeimar Gomez Andrade, the Sounders had the best centerback duo and there’s not much reason to think there’s going to be a dropoff. Ragen just turned 26 and seems to be positioning himself for an outside chance of making the United States World Cup team. Yeimar is going to turn 33 next year and has been dealing with some injury issues but also seems to be managing those just fine.
Behind them, Stefan Frei had another solid season and just turned in one of his best all-time performances to secure the win over LAFC. I don’t think there’s any reason to expect much different next year, especially if Andrew Thomas is able to give him some rest when schedule congestion ramps up.
Cristian Roldan is the No. 6 of the future
After years of insisting Roldan’s best position was on the right wing, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer finally gave him an extended look at the No. 6. Roldan did not disappoint.
Roldan’s move to defensive midfielder was one of a handful of changes that helped spark the Sounders impressive closing kick as he showcased an impressive passing range and ability to sniff out opposing attacks.
Prior to the summer transfer window, there were some open questions about what the Sounders were going to do at this spot going into next year. I don’t think that’s a concern anymore.
Obed Vargas is a star
I think we can now put to rest the idea that Vargas can be a star and just admit that he is one. No one was more consistent and dynamic during the Sounders’ run to the Western Conference finals as Vargas repeatedly dribbled out of pressure, broke lines with his passing and and even popped up in dangerous spots on the offensive end, while also completely owning the midfield. It was his ball into the box that caused the own-goal against LAFC and he was a blocked shot away from giving the Sounders a lead against the Galaxy, following an absolutely gorgeous touch to take him into the box. That Riqui Puig was effectively a non-factor until his 85th minute assist was also due in no small part to Vargas’ work.
My suspicion is that the Sounders will get plenty of offers for Vargas this offseason, but will likely rebuff them on the belief that the Club World Cup will be the ultimate showcase. Beyond that, the only hope is that the Sounders can convince the team who buys him to let him finish out the year here. Either way, it won’t be long until we see Vargas playing on the world’s biggest stages.
It’s OK to get excited about Paul and Georgi
As recently as six months ago, Paul Rothrock and Georgi Minoungou were names only the most diehard Sounders fans would know. While both had enjoyed some success, neither seemed to be players poised for breakouts with the first team. Now? They’re both players who have at least secured a role with the team going forward.
Rothrock was the big breakout player of the year, I’d say. He had 8 goals and 4 assists in about 2,000 minutes across all competitions. You can always find minutes for players who produce like that. His creativity and movement in and around the box are still a bit underrated, and I’m a believer that this is only the beginning.
Minoungou hasn’t yet put up that kind of production, but it’s not hard to see his potential. When the ball is at Minoungou’s feet, he’s absolutely electric. Among players with at least 300 MLS minutes, only Sporting KC’s Stephen Afrifa averaged more successful dribbles and no one averaged more carries into the penalty area per 90 minutes than Minoungou. The Sounders’ playoff opponents weren’t any better at stopping Minoungou, as he basically maintained those numbers.
The most encouraging thing about Minoungou is that you can see the improvement in his decision-making already. He’s less likely to dribble himself into dead ends and at least recognizes where he needs to put the ball. I’m not ready to rely on his production, but he’ll continue to get chances.
Brian Schmetzer STILL knows what he’s doing
I’m under no illusion that all the Schmetzer criticisms will go away — and I’ll admit I have some too — but after coming as close to getting fired as he ever has following that disastrous start, let’s also admit that he put on a masterclass. It wasn’t just that the Sounders’ results got better, it’s that he handled multiple flash points to keep a team that was ready to snap together.
You may remember early discord in the locker room, reports of an argument that caused both Nouhou and Raúl Ruidíaz to be disciplined or how a couple of months later there were anonymous players claiming a lack of locker room cohesion. Yet, by the end of the season everyone sure seemed to be pulling in the same direction.
For all the talk of the game passing Schmetzer by, he seems perfectly happy to tweak tactics or alter his subbing patterns if the need arises. He earned his extension, that’s for sure.
Big questions to answer
Can Pedro de la Vega make good on his promise?
There some is no shortage of promising youngsters who came to MLS with tons of potential and never made good for one reason or another. But there are just as many who took at least a year to get adjusted.
It’s quite unclear which of those paths Pedro de la Vega will follow. There were times where it was easy enough to understand why the Sounders were so interested in making him the big signing last offseason. But there were plenty of others where he looked a bit lost.
I think we can reasonably chalk up a lot of that to injuries, which cost him about half the season, kept him from starting consecutive games until July and didn’t allow him to play even 80 minutes until the playoffs.
The good news is that he looks a lot stronger and fitter, and has hopefully has put his injury concerns behind him. The bad news is that even when he was starting to play well, he didn't look nearly goal-dangerous enough. He’ll come into 2025 with more to prove than arguably any other Sounders player, ever.
