On paper, the Seattle Sounders’ roster appears to be about as complete as it has ever been at this point in the preseason. Not only do the Sounders have a solid group of starters, they even appear to have the kind of depth that will allow them rotate aggressively without sacrificing much quality.
But that doesn’t mean Sounders GM Craig Waibel is entirely satisfied.
“We’ve challenged the group to get better and we have a really nice unit,” Waibel said during an interview on the Sounders’ YouTube channel. “It’s a fickle lead but I think this group is built for longevity, durability and consistency.
“Sky’s the limit and we’re not done adding. We’ve still got the room to do it this year and we’ll keep presenting problems for the staff to make decisions.”
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Most likely, Waibel was referring to the team’s ability to sign a U22 Initiative player. Two of their three U22 spots remain open after Léo Chú was sent to FC Dallas as part of the Jesús Ferreira trade. The Sounders also have one open international spot following their decision to part ways with Braudilio Rodrigues.
Depending on the age of the U22 player, they hit the salary cap at either $150,000 or $200,000 regardless of how much the Sounders spend on acquisition costs.
Newly revealed MLS roster rules explain how the Sounders still have room to make that signing and maybe even a bit more. Thanks to their qualification for the 2025 Club World Cup, MLS has given the Sounders – and Inter Miami – an additional $750,000 in General Allocation Money, as well as the ability to pull forward $1.25M of GAM that would have to be repaid over the next two seasons.
5) Oh hey, a rule that clearly benefits Inter Miami (and I guess SEA). After dubiously "earning" a Club WC spot, Inter Miami will now receive $750k additional GAM and can pull forward another $1.25m in GAM........that won’t be paid back until after Messi’s contract expires.
— Chris Ivey (@chrisivey.bsky.social) February 5, 2025 at 7:04 AM
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Although that $750,000 of GAM was already baked into the totals MLS released earlier this year, Sounder at Heart’s analysis suggests the Sounders should have about $300,000 of salary-cap space remaining. That would be plenty to add a U22 and depending on how they decided to budget things, potentially even add a veteran if that becomes necessary.
