Sounders make two first-team signings

The Seattle Sounders have made their first official signings of the 2025 offseason, adding Travian Sousa and Leo Burney on Wednesday. Sousa is primarily a left back and spent the previous three seasons with Tacoma Defiance. Burney, a centerback who previously played for the Sounders Academy, will be classified as a Homegrown Player after spending four years at Penn.

“While both players took a unique route to this point, each are a testament to the development system we have in place here,” Sounders GM Craig Waibel said in a press release. “Both Travian and Leo add a skillset that I’m confident will bolster our roster as we head into the new season.”

Sousa’s addition does not come as a huge surprise. The Sounders have often spoken highly of his left foot and athleticism. Last year, he had a goal and five assists, which probably undersells his contributions. Sousa has played as a left-sided centerback, a left back, a left wing back and as a left winger with Defiance.

Burney is a bit more of an under-the-radar signing. Although he was a well considered player during his academy days, he’s the first defender to sign a Sounders Homegrown contract after playing all four years in college. His resume is impressive, though. Burney twice won the Ivy League’s Defender of the Year (2022 and ’24) and was First Team All-Ivy League all four seasons, while scoring 11 goals with five assists during his college career. He also played the three seasons at Ballard FC, where the Sounders were able to get a closer look.

The Sounders apparently rated Burney as one of the top two or three centerbacks who would have been available in the upcoming SuperDraft. They were unwilling to take the same chance of losing him that they took on Jackson Ragen, who played four years in college but only ended up with the Sounders after getting drafted by the Chicago Fire and playing a season with Tacoma Defiance.