One thing is clear following the discourse surrounding Craig Waibel’s press conference on Wednesday: Emotions are running high as the Seattle Sounders get ready to start open preseason training camp.
I’ll admit that we played role in that. While I won’t apologize for anything in the “Craig is cooking” column, I’ll agree that we may have turned up the temperature a bit more than we intended. That said, I found the column well researched and thought it contained compelling arguments, even if I didn’t agree with literally every line.
I also think it’s important to allow our writers to use their voice and believe it’s a large part of what people appreciate about this website, that we can have some fun and communicate in ways you might not see in more mainstream outlets. (I’ll also note that a lot of people seemed to agree with it, as we had one of our best subscription days in the site’s history.) It’s in that same vein that I’ve encouraged our colleagues at Lobbing Scorchers to maintain a certain irreverence when discussing the Sounders and the rest of the league.
At the same time, I also wanted to make clear that we’ve definitely heard and understand the base level of frustration that many of you have expressed with the team this offseason.
While I think much of it has been almost hopelessly hyperbolic — I’ve seen some fans suggest these moves prove Waibel is the worst GM in the league — I have also found plenty of valid criticisms and I even share some of those.
Without trying to speak for anyone else, I’ll just say that I understand the underlying sentiment that people were expecting a splashy signing this offseason and were underwhelmed once it became obvious that Jesús Ferreira was going to be the biggest addition. Similarly, I understand why folks aren’t thrilled at the idea of Jordan Morris becoming a DP or aren’t exactly blown away by the decision to re-sign Albert Rusnák at that level. That’s even true for some people who might like Ferreira’s signing on its own and even understand that Morris and Rusnák deserve their paydays.
I get it, it’s the whole package that is frustrating. I was also fully expecting a bigger signing and don’t intend to hand-wave real concerns.
While the Sounders could easily end up with four or even five players who are performing like Designated Players this year, it’s hard to imagine any of them rising to the level of MVP contender. For a fanbase that’s had players like Nicolás Lodeiro, Raúl Ruidíaz, Clint Dempsey, Obafemi Martins — all contenders for the best players at their positions, if not best players in the league at various points in their careers — it feels like a bitter pill to swallow.
Yet, I also feel compelled to share that I’m genuinely optimistic about this roster build. It lacks some high-end talent — and I know that was the knock against the Sounders last year — but it’s also going to be considerably deeper in the attack than it was last year. Let’s remember that Rusnák and Morris were the only two players on the team with more than 10 combined goals and assists last year. Raúl Ruidíaz was the Sounders’ second leading scorer, with four of his eight goals coming from the penalty spot and just one goal coming in the second half of the season. If not for the late emergence of Paul Rothrock, they wouldn’t have even had a third player with as many as five non-penalty goals.
If the Sounders get the Paul Arriola trade across the line, they’ll have added two more players who — even during relatively down years — were able to surpass 10 goals+assists last season.
I’m especially excited about Ferreira. This is a player who at this time last year was probably something close to untouchable on the internal MLS market. He had just turned 23 and was coming out of a two-year stretch in which he had 45 goals and 18 assists for club and country. He was playing at a high enough level that Spartak Moscow was willing to pay a reported fee of $13 million to bring him to Russia.
At his best, he’s a player who can score in a variety of ways and from almost anywhere on the pitch. He’s actually a lot like prime Ruidíaz in that way, albeit maybe a bit more inclined to play-make in the right side half-spaces and not as disciplined to stay high. By most accounts, his drop off in 2024 was due mostly to an injury he couldn’t quite kick. Assuming he’s healthy, the Sounders could end up with one of the top players under 25 in MLS.
What’s really remarkable about this move and the Arriola trade is that both players were apparently willing to take pay cuts to make it happen. While neither of them were exactly coming off banner years in 2024, they are also at an age where players tend to be unwilling to accept less money to do the same job.
But both seem to have been motivated to make the moves happen because they were eager to join a club that has a reputation for winning and a good locker room culture. I’m not going to go as far as to say that the way the Sounders treated Morris and Rusnák — or Ruidíaz for that matter — was directly responsible for creating an environment Ferreira and Arriola would want to join, but I do think it’s at least related. When Waibel tells Ferreira, for instance, that he’ll get paid like a DP if he performs like one, he’s got evidence to back up his promise.
At the very least, it seems like it helped that Ferreira and Arriola both have relationships with current Sounders, who likely put in a very good word.
“Paul is one of my good friends,” Morris said during MLS Media Day on Thursday. “I’ve been talking to him through this process. I’ve known him a long time. I’m excited about bringing him in as well.
“When it first started, he texted and said ‘I just want to win, I want to do whatever I can to help to help the team win.’ To bring a guy in like that with a team attitude is super helpful.”
I tend to think chemistry can be overrated. When Sounders majority owner Adrian Hanauer told me last year that he though the team’s collective spirit might be able to overcome some of the talent deficit they’ll face in the Club World Cup, I somewhat blew it off. But I don’t dismiss the importance entirely, either.
It would be naive to suggest Waibel has assembled the most talented roster possible, but it is a team we can expect to play for one another. In a season that could feature upward of 50 competitive matches, they’re going to need players who like being around each other and understand how to cope when their first-choice group isn’t available.
I won’t say the Sounders are favorites to win any of the trophies they’re playing for this year, but I do believe they’ll be competitive. I think that’s a pretty good place to start.
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Catching up on Sounder at Heart
Here's what you missed on the site this week.
Sounders
Pre-season training camp officially opens on Monday.
- Jesús Ferreira relishing fresh start
- Kim Kee-Hee drawing interest from Sounders, report says
- João Paulo re-signs with Sounders
- Albert Rusnák will remain as a Designated Player
- Jordan Morris triggers raise that will make him a DP, too
- Nos Audietis: Ferreira has all the tools to be a superstar
- Realio’s Ratings: Spots 16-24.
- It’s beyond time to rethink the utility of Camp Cupcake
- Lobbing Scorchers: Did Sounders back themselves into a corner?
Reign
- Reign sign UNC forward Maddie Dahlien and Rutgers defender Emily Mason
- Dickey and Williams called into January USWNT camp, although Williams later withdrew due to hamstring soreness. Jordyn Bugg, Ainsley McCammon, Dahlien and Mason will take part in a USWNT Futures camp running concurrently with the senior camp.
Defiance
- Goalkeeper Mo Shour has signed a professional contract.
Looking back at the news
Everything else you need to know
This has been a very busy week in the world of MLS moves. MLSsoccer.com gave some highlights with a notable shoutout to Sounder at Heart.
Remember the NASL? No, not the one the Sounders used to play in, the one that died several years ago? Well, their lawsuit is still going and could provide some unprecedented scrutiny on U.S. Soccer.
As wildfires continue to ravage the Los Angeles area, the USWNT has moved their January camp to Florida and the list of soccer players who have lost homes is getting depressingly long. If you’d like to help, our friends at Happy Foot, Sad Foot are organizing a GoFundMe.
MLS had to issue an apology after publishing a story that identified the wrong Japanese player Atlanta United had just signed.
The Athletic’s staff is trying to join the NYT union, but their bid was rejected.
MLS Next — where MLS academies compete — has created a new competition tier.
Emma Hayes’ tenure as USWNT coach got off to an amazing start. Here’s what it might be going.
Among the 10 players Matt Doyle thinks could define the 2025 season is Sounders defensive midfielder Cristian Roldan, who is expected to be their starting 6 this year.
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