Ship’s Log, Feb. 24: Georgi’s ascent

Ari Liljenwall -

There’s no turning back. Seattle Sounders season is here, and I’m also here to take the reins on this Monday column from the great Dave Clark.

My debut couldn’t be arriving at a much more exciting time. Concacaf Champions Cup is underway, and the Sounders are ahead 3-1 after Leg 1 of their Round One series. Saturday’s 2-2 draw vs. Charlotte FC might have had a disappointing ending, but it still offered a glimpse of the type of team this can be if they can play up to their potential.

There are a lot of storylines to highlight as a jam-packed 2025 gets underway, but I’ll go with one of my favorites since it was one that also got noted by a national pundit: The rise of Georgi Minoungou, who’s fast becoming a fan favorite early on in his MLS career.

The Ivorian’s standout preseason has carried over to Seattle’s first two competitive matches. He’s logged an assist in each, including Saturday’s gorgeous dime against Charlotte that set Jordan Morris up for the first of his two goals on the night.

I thought his brief cameo in Antigua was even better. We’ll see if Georgi can sustain the positive start over a full season and generally sharpen up his end product, but for the moment he’s looking primed for a big year.

That’s a big part of why as much of a vibe-killer as Saturday’s ending against Charlotte might have been, I still came out of it feeling pretty good about this team’s chances of being a legitimate, upper-tier attacking team in the Western Conference this season, especially when you take into account the continued integration of Jesus Ferreira, Paul Arriola and a healthy Pedro de la Vega. 

Perhaps Jackson Ragen and Yeimar Gomez Andrade suddenly morphed into a pair of mistake-prone, own-goal-scoring center backs, but I would be pretty surprised if that ends up being the case. For now, ensuring advancement in CCC is priority No. 1 before the marathon continues with an always-tough trip to Real Salt Lake.

Catching up on Sounder at Heart

Here's what you missed on the site this week.

Sounders

Next match: Wednesday, Feb. 26 vs. Antigua | Concacaf Champions Cup Round One Leg 2  | 7:30 pm PT | ViX/FS2

Reign

Next match: Saturday, March 15 vs. Gotham FC |  7 pm PT | iON television

Defiance 

Next match: Friday, March 7 at LA Galaxy II | 7 pm PT | Apple TV

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