Raúl Ruidíaz deservedly gets his own entry in the Ratings Recap. A legendary player, Raúl played striker for seven years for the Sounders and was impactful immediately. In his first year, 2018, he earned the third highest rating ever for a Sounders player after a season. He led Seattle for the next five years in goals each season, scoring early and often in every competition. The joy he showed while playing was mirrored by his love for the community and his teammates, especially the youngsters. A revered mentor to the players in the academy pipeline, Raúl could be found carpooling, training, and celebrating his biggest goals with some of the youngest Sounders, while providing leadership and support. Running to the kids in the stands wasn’t just a meme, it was a reflection of his intense support of the team culture that he lived and breathed for years. This boiled over into frustration at times, especially as his playing time and effectiveness dwindled, but he also channeled his competitiveness to unrivaled Sounders success. When Seattle needed him the most, Ruidíaz stepped up and delivered some of the biggest goals in franchise history in the biggest games in franchise history. He leaves as the Sounders’ all-time leading scorer, with 86 goals.
#21 Raúl Ruidíaz – 5.31 in 32 appearances
Community Rating: 5.57
MLS Regular Season: 5.417 in 24 appearances
MLS Playoffs: 5.00 in 4 appearances
US Open Cup: 5.00 in 2 appearances
Leagues Cup: 5.00 in 2 appearances
High = 8 Low = 4
Thirty-two appearances from a DP striker usually means your team is playing well and that player is producing. Neither of those were true in 2024, for most of the season. Early 2024 was a challenge for both Raúl and the team, but his personal struggles never turned around. Ruidíaz led the team in scoring to start the year, after scoring six goals in the first 10 matches of the season. As the year went on, he continued to fade like in 2023, as he became a fundamentally different player. Instead of being a constant threat in the box, a ghost who had a step on the defense and could finish from anywhere in the penalty area, Raúl lurked at the back of the box hoping for the ball to come to him. He didn’t attack the defense with his runs or on the dribble, instead drifting away from the play and taking speculative long shots from well outside the penalty area. Perhaps most indicative of his struggles is the startling fact that Raúl scored his last goal of the year in June, and he didn’t score or assist in his last 14 appearances.
Realio
Realio
Highlights: In the ugly first 10 matches of the season, Raúl was the only person consistently on the statsheet. Raúl scored the lone Sounders goal in an early draw with Colorado, and he scored twice against both Montreal and Philadelphia, the only two wins for the Sounders in their first ten matches of the year. Raúl had the first two against Montreal to set the tone, and the ultimate game-winning penalty as Seattle held on against Philly. Although four of these early goals were from the spot, he was able to step up and convert every time. Raúl may have used the last magic in his boots for a game-winning goal away against Portland in May: “Unlike others on the roster, Raúl has the ability to will a goal out of almost nothing … On the road against Seattle’s biggest rival, there was Ruidíaz attempting and converting a ridiculous bit of skilled finishing, first-timing a left footed shot from outside the box with such fervor that it got up and down in classic Ruidíaz fashion.” This sort of magic play from almost no buildup reminded us (and the Timbers) just how little space Raúl needs to create a goal from nearly any angle. Although he fell out of the Sounders’ starting lineup and struggled to end the year, when Seattle needed him to step up and score from the spot in the playoffs, he did so twice against Houston in shootouts, calmly finishing clean in each leg of the playoff series.
Lowlights: Father time is unbeatable, and Ruidíaz was clearly frustrated at himself, teammates, and the staff at various moments in 2024, like when he stomped off the field after a win against Dallas, prompting disciplinary action that forced him to miss the next match versus the Chicago Fire. This internal fervor was rarely seen on the field, however, as Raúl had ineffective or nonexistent movement and forced or low-value shots, sometimes with sadly pathetic results. Raúl’s miscues often killed chances for his team, which were at a premium all year. His speed, movement and connection with teammates had a precipitous drop off this season, as he became a one-dimensional striker who stood around the top of the box and took speculative long shots. Gone were the darting near-post runs of previous seasons, the creative ghosting in the box that found Raúl terrorizing opponents while scoring from every angle. Instead, the 2024 version looked slow as he struggled to force shots which often ended in the stands.
“Raúl came in and was non-existent. In the 68th minute, Georgi Minoungou beat three guys and found him on a perfect cutback pass and Ruidíaz scuffed it. This was better than in the 77th when he came back to midfield to get the ball, then kicked it into the crowd.”
“Whether it's poor holdup, kicking free kicks into ECS, or forcing hard shots, Raúl is a net negative and his inability or unwillingness to make runs was hard to watch.”
“He isn’t attacking the goal, isn’t connecting with teammates, and is barely taking up space at this point.”
These comments were consistent throughout most of the season, as Raúl didn’t perform anywhere close to expectations.
Outlook: This is the end of his career in Seattle. Raúl’s production fell off in the last two seasons: after being one of the top players ever for Seattle (fourth all time after 2022, with 6.77 cumulative average), he fell to seventh at the end of 2023, earning 5.52. After 2024, he sadly ended as the 17th highest all-time rated Sounder. He ends his Sounders career having been rated 168 times, averaging 6.34 cumulatively over those matches and earning 21 MOTM awards. He scored 86 goals as a Sounder, good for .49 goals per match played.
Neither 2023 nor 2024 defines who Raúl was to this team over the past seven seasons. Instead, he will be remembered for scoring some of the biggest goals in Seattle history. He played against Portland twice in the playoffs, earning MOTM both times, including a perfect 10 rating and averaging 8.5 against Seattle’s rivals. Ruidíaz was MOTM and earned another 10 rating against LAFC in the 2019 Western Conference Final en route to an MLS Cup victory where he sealed the game with a goal late in front of his home crowd. Another MOTM and 9 rating in the 2022 Champions League Final helped give Seattle their biggest trophy to date as he scored twice and helped the Sounders rule the region in a fashion never seen before or since by an MLS team. This is the player we’ll remember, the Flea who arrived in Seattle and dominated every opponent, showed up when it counted, and left as Seattle’s all-time leading scorer. The Sounder who immediately announced himself in his first practice, scoring audacious goals with a power not seen on this team and converting overhead kicks with ease. The player who created big goals from nothing, but also scored with remarkable consistency no matter the moment, using any available body part. His support of the youth and culture will have a lasting positive impact, and Seattle is able to pull off improbable seasons like 2024 exactly because that culture of winning is so ingrained and embraced from the top of the roster to the bottom. The player I’ll remember has that smile we all love, and he’s running to the corner, kissing the crest. Thank you, Raúl.
