Perhaps the single defining feature of the Seattle Sounders’ entire MLS existence has been their remarkable consistency. Just once in the last 15 seasons have they finished outside of the Top 4 in the Western Conference — in 2022, the year they also won Concacaf Champions League — and they’ve only averaged fewer than 1.50 points per game in a season twice.
As high as the Sounders have set their floor, though, their ceiling isn’t always as high as it seems like it should be. Among the eight major trophies they’ve won during that time is just one Supporters’ Shield, which came more than a decade ago in 2014. That also happens to be the only time they’ve finished the regular season atop the Western Conference, finishing second a remarkable seven times.
Based on the Sounders’ offseason activity, it feels like this year has a pretty good chance of following a similar script. The Sounders are currently planning to return 89% of their minutes from last year, the second most in all of MLS.
The Sounders’ biggest acquisitions of 2025 were designed to compliment the current roster, not remake it. Among Jesús Ferreira, Paul Arriola and Kim Kee-Hee, the Sounders got three veterans who have proven track records in MLS and who already know the locker room well. They also brought back Albert Rusnák and Jordan Morris as Designated Players and re-signed João Paulo at a significant discount.
These aren’t splashy moves, but in a season where the Sounders could end up playing more than 50 games across all competitions, having a high degree of continuity and predictability makes a ton of sense. The pundits are nearly universal in their belief that the Sounders should be contenders, not just in MLS but in every North American competition they enter.
Here’s what you need to know to be ready for the season:
When do we start?
The first competitive match is on Wednesday in Concacaf Champions Cup, a road match against Guatemala’s Antigua GFC. The Sounders follow that up with their MLS season opener the following Saturday at home against Charlotte FC.
What do we know about Antigua?
They’re currently second in the Guatemalan league through the first eight games of the season after finishing second in the previous tournament. They punched their ticket to CCC — the second time they’ve ever qualified — by getting to the Central American Cup semifinals, beating Costa Rican power Saprissa along the way. Their roster is predominantly made up of Guatemalans, but beyond that it’s hard to say much about specific players as statistical data is a bit hard to come by.
- All MLS matches available to stream on MLS Season Pass (subscribe here)
- Select matches are also on various Fox and Univision channels
- KJR (950 AM/93.3 FM) will be doing radio broadcasts again
- Sync your calendar
Who did the Sounders lose this offseason?
For the second straight season, the Sounders had to bid farewell to a genuine club legend. This time, it was Raúl Ruidíaz whose contract expired.
Most people saw that one coming. Josh Atencio’s trade – which just happened on Saturday – basically came out of the blue. Atencio has been one of the team’s top prospects ever since he first joined the Academy as a 14-year-old in 2016 and the team had been in the process of turning him into a centerback, where they said they saw elite potential. But just a few days before the season opener, he was sent to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for at least $1.3 million in GAM – which is already one of the most expensive trades in MLS history.
Aside from them, the most notable departure was Léo Chú, who was part of the trade that brought Ferreira from FC Dallas. Also leaving were veteran centerback Nathan, Braudilio Rodrigues and Homegrown Players Dylan Teves and Sota Kitahara.
If Ruidíaz is out, that means he must have been replaced by a Designated Player, right?
Kinda. Unbeknownst to many of us, Morris had triggered an option that makes him a DP for the remainder of his contract through 2027. The Sounders also re-signed Rusnák as a DP. With Pedro de la Vega already occupying the third spot, the Sounders were unable to bring in a new DP.
They did, however, acquire a DP-caliber player after working out a deal with Dallas to get Ferreira, who had previously been a DP before agreeing to a new contract with the Sounders that brought him below that threshold.
How good is Ferreira?
A couple of years ago, he was named the top young player in MLS. He was coming off a season in which he had 18 goals and six assists in league play, had five more for the United States and made the World Cup squad. He followed that up by scoring 22 goals for club and country in 2023. But after a transfer to Russia fell through at the start of 2024, he struggled to stay healthy and slumped to five goals last year.
Still, he’s the youngest player to reach the 50-goal mark in MLS and just turned 24 a few months ago.
Jeremiah Oshan
Any chance you can do some of that ‘show don’t tell’ stuff?
Absolutely. How’s 20 minutes worth of highlights?!?
Did they sign anyone else?
The other biggish move was to bring in Ferreira’s former Dallas teammate Paul Arriola, who the Sounders picked up at a pretty deep discount. A former DP himself, the Sounders gave up a first-round draft pick and up to $300,000 in provisional GAM while also signing him to a contract extension that cuts his cap hit roughly in half. Through preseason he’s been playing with the starters as a left wingback.
Did you say ‘wingback’? Are we changing formations?
Yes, but I’m not sure it’s as pronounced of a change as it may seem. It’s true that the Sounders have so far been lining up in a 3-4-2-1/3-5-2 formation, but they’ve also stressed that the core principles of their buildout are only being tweaked. The wingbacks have a bit more license to stay high than last year’s fullbacks and Obed Vargas will likely join the attack a bit more aggressively. We may see a bit more transition play, but the personnel isn’t all that different from what we’d see in a 4-2-3-1.
Jeremiah Oshan
I’m doing a little math in my head … how does this all fit together?
It’s true, with everyone healthy I’m not sure this formation has obvious spots for everyone I’d expect to be starters. All four of Morris, Rusnák, Ferreira and de la Vega all seem to be at their best playing inside or in the half-spaces and these formations don’t really set up to allow that. They could switch to more of a 4-2-3-1 – and that could definitely happen – but with as many as eight games in the first five weeks which will require a fair amount of rotation, I think the coaches are willing to wait to solve that dilemma.
Can you visualize that?
Sure. Here’s an example of how the Sounders could line up for the Antigua match and the Charlotte match:
Are we expecting more signings?
Even before the Atencio trade, Sounders GM Craig Waibel had indicated they were planning to sign a foreign U22. Atencio’s trade opens up about $850,000 of new salary cap maneuverability in 2025, which can be used in a variety of ways. Some of that could be used to re-sign some of the players who are going into contract years – like Paul Rothrock and Reed Baker-Whiting – but it also at least opens up the possibility that they’ll be able to add another player from outside the organization. I don’t think any of these moves are exactly imminent, but for a team that was very tight against the cap the flexibility is certainly positive. Maybe they’ll even make a summer signing for the first time since 2021!
How did preseason go?
About as good as you could ask. The Sounders played about 585 minutes and outscored their opponents 19-7. Considering their big emphasis was being more dangerous offensively, that has to be seen as a positive sign.
Any standouts?
I was really impressed by Pedro de la Vega. Coming off a season in which he struggled to stay healthy and had just one goal and one assist, this was a chance to make an impression on coaches who might have started to become a little skeptical of his abilities. He responded with four goals and an assist in four games, and has looked particularly motivated to show that last year was an outlier. Maybe his most impressive performance came in the preseason finale when he had two goals and was dribbling defenders just about every time he got the ball. Preseason performances don’t count for much, but it’s all very encouraging.
Did any trialists make a case for first-team contracts?
There seems to be some buzz building around 17-year-old midfielder Snyder Brunell and former draft pick Kalani Kossa-Rienzi. Both players were really good with the Defiance last year and got by far the most playing time of anyone on the fringes of the roster. Brunell is probably a little farther away from being a MLS contributor, but his potential is sky-high as a two-way midfielder. Kossa-Rienzi is someone who could probably be the top backup at right wingback tomorrow if he was signed. He’s super athletic and still only 22.
Jeremiah Oshan
Any other young players we should be watching?
Georgi Minoungou is also just 22 and has looked fantastic in preseason. Stuart Hawkins may still be a year away from meaningful MLS minutes but may have played himself into more of a backup role. Let’s also not forget about Reed Baker-Whiting, who has elite potential if he can stay healthy. If you’re interested in some longer term potential, keep an eye on 15-year-old Omar Hassan. He signed with the Tacoma Defiance earlier this year and should get some opportunities against professional opponents.
Tim Ostlund-Foss
Were there any injuries?
The most significant injury seems to be Baker-Whiting, who suffered a hamstring injury that has kept him from training the last week and could keep him out for at least several more weeks. Rusnák also suffered a muscle injury that has been deemed a “tweak” that kept him out of the final preseason game. But he’s now returned to training and traveled with the team to Guatemala. He seems to be back.
How’s everyone feeling about this?
There are definitely some vocally frustrated folks and I’m sure you’ll see some of them in the comment section below. But like I said earlier, the pundits all seem to rate the Sounders’ offseason really highly. Most seem to expect the Sounders to compete for silverware and their offseason had been graded well, too. And the truth is, most Sounders fans seem to agree. We did a survey that got nearly 1,500 responses and the majority of respondents were pretty optimistic.
