Coming off two consecutive seasons where the Seattle Sounders led MLS with the fewest goals allowed, the emphasis all preseason has been on improving an offense that has mostly been pretty middling over that same stretch. Following their final two preseason matches on Wednesday, it would seem the Sounders have accomplished that goal.
The Sounders scored five more goals – albeit allowing five goals as well – in the two matches combined, tying Swedish clubs IFK Norrköping 3-3 and Hammarby FC 2-2. All five goals were scored by different players with Paul Rothrock, João Paulo and Travian Sousa scoring in the first game and Jesús Ferreira and Alex Roldan scoring in the second. In total, the Sounders outscored their opponents 12-8 in about 405 minutes across 4.5 matches, with 10 different players getting a goal while in Spain.
“We just have to make sure we fix the defending mistakes,” Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said. “It’s a work in progress. We were pleased with the last two games. They were very competitive.”
Lineups
Game 1: Andrew Thomas, Kalani Kossa-Rienzi+, Josh Atencio, Stuart Hawkins, Jonathan Bell, Danny Leyva, João Paulo, Pedro de la Vega (Sebastian Gomez+ 82’), Snyder Brunell+ (Ryan Baer^ 82’), Paul Rothrock (Travian Sousa 33’), Danny Musovksi (Osaze De Rosario+ 75’)
Game 2: Stefan Frei, Alex Roldan, Yeimar Gómez Andrade, Jackson Ragen, Nouhou, Obed Vargas, Cristian Roldan, Jesús Ferreira (Cody Baker 46’), Albert Rusnák (Georgi Minoungou 33’), Paul Arriola, Jordan Morris
+ Tacoma Defiance player; ^ Unsigned SuperDraft selection
Highlights
Goals from first game… Rothrock from Musovski
— Sounder at Heart (@sounderatheart.com) February 5, 2025 at 9:55 AM
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Here’s jp’s goal from Kossa-Rienzi
— Sounder at Heart (@sounderatheart.com) February 5, 2025 at 9:57 AM
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Josh Atencio had some struggles but this pass to Sousa shows some of his sky-high potential.
— Sounder at Heart (@sounderatheart.com) February 5, 2025 at 9:58 AM
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You love to see it. Jordan —> Jesús
— Sounder at Heart (@sounderatheart.com) February 5, 2025 at 7:48 AM
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Georgi finds Alex Roldan in the box.
— Sounder at Heart (@sounderatheart.com) February 5, 2025 at 7:52 AM
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Key takeaways
High-flying offense: The two final games were sort of a microcosm of the trip as a whole. The offense looked quite explosive in both games and probably should have scored a few more goals if not for some bad luck and lack of sharpness in the box. Among the consistent themes we saw in these games and in the earlier ones was the Sounders’ ability to create chances in transition, both through direct play and high turnovers. Rothrock and Ferreira both scored their goals shortly after turnovers, while Sousa’s goal came off a long diagonal pass from Josh Atencio that put him into space. Obed Vargas also had a glorious chance that came off a turnover, while Paul Arriola and Jordan Morris each had good looks out of transition against Hammarby. It wasn’t exactly a clinical performance, but there were enough chances that they didn’t need to be.
A little soft defensively: The Sounders played most of the time in three-centerback formations. At times, it looked like a 3-4-2-1, at others it was more of a 3-4-3 and you could probably argue they used a 3-5-2 as well. As good as they were offensively, there are clearly some kinks to iron out defensively. Atencio, in particular, made some bad reads in the first game that probably cost the Sounders a goal or two. In the second game, Cody Baker and Nouhou seemed to have all sorts of issues communicating, with both goals coming from their side. The good news is that the midfield looked strong and the press looked active. Considering this is effectively the same group that has been the best in the league the last two years, it’s fair to assume they’ll figure this out.
Who’s the best XI?: There was at least one interesting wrinkle in today’s games. Despite being arguably the top offensive player over the first two games, Pedro de la Vega was with the more reserve-heavy team while Ferreira was with the starters. It’s entirely possible that was simply to allow Ferreira more minutes with the first-teamers, but it does underscore the appearance that Schmetzer may be a bit spoiled for choice. Add in the impressive play of players João Paulo, Georgi Minoungou and Kalani Kossa-Rienzi – who isn’t even signed to a first-team contract yet – and you can imagine a world where Schmetzer feels like he can rotate lineups with less concern over sacrificing results. Of course, with Albert Rusnák going off around the 35th minute with what was deemed “tightness” in his right quad and Reed Baker-Whiting suffering a likely more serious hamstring injury in the prior game, you can also see why the depth is needed.
What’s next?
The Sounders head back to Seattle today and then have three days off before their final preparations. They’ll face Louisville City in a friendly on Wednesday and then travel to Guatemala for their Concacaf Champions Cup opener against Antigua a week after that.
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