The Seattle Sounders have become one of the better teams in MLS at developing talent. Their current roster has 10 players who came through their academy, three who they drafted and three more who were first signed by Tacoma Defiance. Those 16 players represent nearly two-thirds of the current roster and it’s not hard to imagine two more being added relatively soon.
Heading into 2025, there are several players at various levels of the Sounders organization who I think could break out in one way or another. Here are some of my top candidates.
Players already on MLS contracts
Georgi Minoungou: For a player with just five goals and 12 assists in about 4,000 professional minutes, there’s a lot of excitement around the 22-year-old. But he’s definitely a player for whom the eyes do a better job telling the story than the numbers. The thrill of watching Minoungou with the ball at his feet is not knowing what he might do, which is possibly part of the problem. As good as Minoungou is at beating defenders off the dribble, he’s not yet turned that into many goal contributions. That could be changing, though. Each time he plays with the Sounders, he seems to create a little more danger and his teammates anticipate his movements a little more effectively. If he puts it all together, he could be a genuine star.
Stuart Hawkins: Still just 18, this is Hawkins’ third season as a member of the Sounders and he still hasn’t made his MLS debut. That’s not for a lack of quality play. Based on American Soccer Analysis’ data, Hawkins is one of the top passing centerbacks in MLS Next Pro, while also being top 10 among CBs for G+. The big question surrounding him is his size – or more specifically, his strength. Although he’s put on quite a bit of weight since he first signed, Hawkins is still pretty skinny and there’s some concern about how he might match up with some of the bigger bodied No. 9s. Of course, we’ll only find out if we actually see him play, and he held his own against USL Championship opponents in the Open Cup last year and in preseason this year. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Sounders elect to send him on loan, but there’s definitely a chance he’ll at least earn some reserve minutes in MLS this year.
