By 10 AM on Sunday morning – about 12 hours after their season had ended – the Seattle Sounders had already submitted their list of contract decisions to the league office. We discovered what they decided on Wednesday.
But that list will only tell us so much. Just because a player’s option was exercised doesn’t mean they’ll actually be back next year. Similarly, the team announced they are still talking to free agents Albert Rusnák and João Paulo.
Now that we’re officially into the offseason, I thought it would make sense to go through the roster and give my thoughts on the 24 players who are still at least marginally in their plans.
Cornerstones
Jordan Morris (signed through 2027): Entering this season with the expectation he would be the No. 9, it didn’t quite start off that way. But after finding his form about two months into the season, Morris turned in his most productive season ever, with 18 goals and 7 assists across all competitions. The last big question about his position was “can he score in big games?” which he did by finding the extra time winner against LAFC. I saw enough to be convinced he should be the starting 9, but time will tell if the front office sees it the same way.
Cristian Roldan (signed through 2027): This was supposed to be the year Roldan settled into one position. Ironically, it may have been a different one than the Sounders envisioned. After struggling to settle in through the first half of the season, Roldan was eventually moved to the defensive midfield, where he flourished. I think the Sounders have their starting No. 6 for the foreseeable future.
Jackson Ragen (signed through ’27 with an option for ’28): If 2023 was the year Ragen emerged as a viable starter, this was the year he became an elite centerback. There were some rocky moments in the first half of the season, but down the stretch I’m not sure there was anyone better. The Sounders were smart to get his extension done before the end of the season.
Obed Vargas (signed through ’25 with an option for ’26): It’s funny to consider that Vargas wasn’t even expected to be a starter this year. But an injury to João Paulo opened the door and Vargas never let it close. He improved rapidly throughout the season and by the end of it may have been the Sounders’ best player. Still just 19 and already capped by Mexico’s senior national team, the expectation is that he’ll eventually move for a sizable transfer fee. I suspect he’ll at least be around through the summer, so enjoy him while he’s here. I assume the Sounders will give him a U22 contract in the meantime, which should better help their negotiating position. But even after he leaves, he should have a lasting impact as the transfer fee he fetches could help usher in the next era.
Albert Rusnák (free agent): There were understandable questions about Rusnák’s ability to be the primary playmaker and I think he pretty much answered those. Across all competitions, he finished with 11 goals and 19 assists, the second most in franchise history. I understand that a fair amount of that production came on set pieces, but those goals count too! Despite all this production, there’s a common refrain that the Sounders should bring him back on a TAM-able contract. I get it, but the reality is that he’s earned a DP deal and can almost certainly get one somewhere. To replace Rusnák’s production, the Sounders would surely need to spend at least $5 million just on acquisition costs. My compromise solution is to offer him a deal that guarantees him a DP contract for the first two years with a third team-option year and maybe fourth player-option year that could make his salary TAM-able.
Emerging talents
Paul Rothrock (option exercised for ’25) : No one, and I mean no one, would have predicted this as recently as early June, but here we are. Rothrock finished the season with 8 goals and 4 assists in about 2,000 minutes across all competitions. I don’t think he should be a guaranteed starter, but he’s proven himself plenty useful and deserves a chance to at least compete for more minutes. I assume the Sounders will get him a new contract this offseason, likely something in the $200k-$300k region.
Georgi Minoungou (signed through ’28 with an option for ’29): His raw talent has always been obvious enough, but this was the year that Minoungou showed what he does well can translate. And what Minoungou does well is beat defenders on the dribble. Among players with at least 300 minutes, only Stephen Afrifa beat his defender more off the dribble than Minoungou, and no one dribbled into the penalty area more often per 90 minutes. What’s even more encouraging is that he basically maintained those numbers in more than 250 playoff minutes. If he can ever start finding the final ball, he might be unstoppable.
Reed Baker-Whiting (option exercised for ’25): After seemingly breaking out in 2023, expectations were high for Baker-Whiting this year. Unfortunately, injuries robbed him of half the season and he never got regular time as a starter. But don’t call it a lost season. He still logged more than 1,000 minutes and showcased some solid flexibility. Right now his best position seems to be as a wingback or as a more defensive minded winger. My hope is he can lock down one of the fullback spots next season. Among the Sounders’ first orders of offseason business should be getting Baker-Whiting signed to a new deal. I suspect he’ll spend at least another season here before potentially moving overseas.
Josh Atencio (signed through ’27 with an option for ’28): I’m a little hesitant to put Atencio here because this is like the fourth year where we figured he was about to break out. Once again, a mixture of bad luck and injuries kept Atencio from establishing himself as a starter, but he continues to perform when given the chance. Let’s remember that he’s still just 22, which as recently as five years ago was when MLS players were just starting their careers. Atencio, meanwhile, has nearly 9,000 professional minutes under his belt. I still really like his potential: Just look at this scouting report!
Andrew Thomas (signed through ’27 with options for ’28 and ’29): A surprise First Kick starter after an injury to Stefan Frei, Thomas has clearly emerged as the heir apparent at goalkeeper. Thomas ended up logging about 1,300 first-team minutes, which included eight MLS appearances and nine more in Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup. While his passing is still a little raw, he’s proven himself a great shot stopper and a vocal leader. I think he’s probably another year away from assuming the starting role, but don’t be surprised if there’s even more rotation next year.
Stuart Hawkins (signed through ’26 with options for ’27 and ’28): Aside from two starts in the U.S. Open Cup, Hawkins did not get any first-team minutes this year. Don’t let that confuse the situation, though – Hawkins remains a high-level prospect with a very bright future. He’s consistently getting calls into youth national teams and he’s now logged more than 4,700 professional minutes as an 18-year-old. It’s possible the Sounders will decide he needs another year of seasoning before becoming a first-team regular, but that feels more like an when, not if situation.
Solid veterans
Stefan Frei (signed through ’25): At 38 years old, Frei is showing precious few signs of aging. In the playoffs, he outperformed the post-shot xG by 2.7 goals. That included a performance for the ages against LAFC, when he almost single-handedly kept the Sounders in the game. One key this year, I suspect, was the ability to give him ample rest. Look for Frei to remain the starter for at least another year but for Thomas to get even more minutes.
Yeimar Gomez-Andrade (signed through ’25 with an option for ’26): It seems a little strange to put a Best XI player in this section, but the truth is that Yeimar will be 33 next year and I’m not sure how much longer he’ll be elite, as there are some persistent niggling injuries that seem to crop up from time to time. I’d be willing to bet that he’ll continue to be a top-level talent for at least another year, but there’s no reason the Sounders need to rush into redoing his contract that still has another option year.
Alex Roldan (signed through ’26 with an option for ’27): There was a time when Alex Roldan was a legitimate two-way threat. Those days may be behind us as Roldan’s attacking metrics took a bit of a nosedive this year. The good news is that he seems to have gotten better defensively. It was somewhat overshadowed by the way Nouhou shut down Gabriel Pec, but Roldan handled Joseph Paintsill just fine on the other wing and didn’t give Denís Bouanga any room either. He also showed he can drop in as a defensive midfielder when needed. I think he’ll get some competition for the starting spot, though, either internally or from a new signing.
Nouhou (signed through ’25 with an option for ’26): There’s not much new to say about Nouhou other than he continues to shine whenever he’s asked to match up with an opposing winger. Even after missing the previous game with an apparently serious illness, Nouhou still managed to completely shut down Gabriel Pec. His limitations are well documented at this point, though, and between him and Roldan there’s probably some room for an upgrade. I won’t be surprised if the Sounders explore a trade for one of them.
Jon Bell (option exercised for ’25): When the Sounders picked up Bell in the Re-Entry Draft, it barely warranted a note. It turned out to be a pretty clever move. Bell didn’t log a ton of minutes, but he never looked remotely out of place while playing as both a left-sided centerback and left back. He looked especially good when called into emergency action against LAFC in the playoffs. There’s a chance he gets exposed in the Expansion Draft and I wouldn’t be totally shocked if he gets picked. But if he makes it through that, the Sounders should love having him around as a depth piece.
João Paulo (free agent): At his best, João Paulo was arguably the top two-way midfielder in MLS. Unfortunately, we’re now three years removed from those heady days and while he is capable of still showing those flashes, we should not pretend as if he’s capable of consistently performing at that level now. His stats say he’s still a very good passer, but a pretty average defender. That’s not without value, but it’s also not worth paying too much for. He’s not a starter on this team and frankly shouldn’t be blocking Atencio, either.
