Sounders FC Results in all competitions
7th MLS 16-9-9 +16 57 points
All competitions 22-12-13 +20
US Open Cup Semi-Finals
Leagues Cup Quarter-Finals
MLS Cup Semi-Finals
Cascadia Cup 3-way tie, Portland won on tie-breakers
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It’s been a year to remember, but what does the future hold?
Results of my February Predictions
MLS LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
Prediction: 3rd-10th place
Result: 7th place
US OPEN CUP
Prediction: Elimination in our first two matches
Result: We were eliminated in our fourth match, the Semi-Final stage
LEAGUES CUP
Prediction: Eliminated at the end of the group stage
Result: Eliminated at the Quarter-Final stage
MLS CUP
Prediction: Eliminated in either the first-round or the Quarter-Finals
Result: Eliminated in the Semi-Finals
OVERVIEW
I did predict we would win no trophies. I had hoped to be wrong, but I wasn’t. However, I did underestimate how far we would advance in the US Open Cup and Leagues Cup which pleasantly surprised me.
Sounders FC Home and Away
Home MLS 8-7-2
Away MLS 8-2-7
All competitions home 12-9-5
All competitions away 10-3-8
Sounders FC Goal Scoring
(all competitions)
SEA 7th MLS 70 goals/47 matches 1.49 goals/match
Sounders FC Defending
(all competitions)
SEA 1st MLS 50 goals conceded/47 matches 1.06 goals conceded/match
Offseason transactions
(accurate through 20 December 2024)
Midfielder Jackson Khoury signed an MLS Next Pro contract with the Sounders FC Reserves (9 DEC 2024).
Midfielder Leo Burney has signed a contract with the Sounders FC senior squad (12 DEC 2024). Burney last played for Ballard FC (USL2).
Defender Travian Sousa has signed a contract with the Sounders FC senior squad (12 DEC 2024). Sousa played 61 times for the Sounders FC Reserves.
Sounders FC acquires €287,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM) and €47,900 in 2026 GAM from the New York Red Donkeys in exchange for two 2025 International Roster Slots on 20 December 2024. (per Sounders FC Communications)
Sounders FC Players left unprotected in MLS Expansion Draft
Bell, Nathan, Rodrigues, Joao Paulo, Rusnak, Musovski, Ruidiaz.
No Sounders players were selected by San Diego in the Expansion Draft.
Sounders FC Players out of contract
MIDFIELD
Joao Paulo, Rusnak
FORWARD
Ruidiaz
Sounders FC Players under contract for 2025
GOALKEEPERS
Castro, Frei, Thomas
DEFENCE
Alex, Bell, Gomez Andrade, Hawkins, Nouhou, Baker, Ragen,
MIDFIELD
Atencio, Baker-Whiting, Leyva, Cristian, Vargas,
FORWARD
de la Vega, Leo Chu, Minoungou, Morris, Musovski, Rodrigues, Rothrock
Sounders FC Players released/option declined
DEFENCE
Nathan
MIDFIELD
Kitahara
FORWARD
Tevez
Sounders Reserves players out of contract
DEFENCE
Aguilar, Bowen, Miglietti, O’Malley
Sounders Reserves players under contract for 2025
GOALKEEPERS
Helleren
DEFENCE
Katsaros, Kossa-Rienzi, Lopez
MIDFIELD
Aquino, Brunell, Gomez, Herrera, Khoury
FORWARD
De Rosario, Tsukanome
Sounders FC Reserves players released (and/or option declined)
DEFENCE
Pedro Rodrigues
MIDFIELD
Fahling
Competition Summary - MLS League Championship
RESULT - 7th PLACE - 16-9-9 RECORD
Positives: The Sounders had a very good season indeed, especially considering their brutal 1-3-5 start. Sounders would go 15-6-4 the rest of the way, would finish with 51 goals scored (good enough for 7th in the league), and would lead the league in defence, conceding only 35 goals.
Negatives: The brutal start to the season, not being able to defeat 29th placed San Jose in two matches, and a rather ordinary 4-3-4 record against the league’s top 10 teams. In addition, our record against Kansas City, Chicago, and San Jose, the bottom three teams in the league table, was only 2-1-2. Although Jordan Morris led the club with 13 league goals, his finishing was at times inconsistent. Albert Rusnak did quite well in the #10 role, scoring 10 goals and assisting on 16, but perhaps did not bring the same intangibles to the table as Nico Lodeiro did before his move to Orlando City. 13 Sounders played 1000 minutes or more. Ragen, Cristian Roldan, and Morris played the better part of 3000 minutes. Injuries limited Argentinian starlet Pedro de la Vega (purchased from Lanus for €6.4M) to only 16 games, only nine of which he was in the team at kick-off, and he finished with one goal and one assist. Andrew Thomas, Dylan Teves, Braudilio Rodrigues, Stuart Hawkins, Jacob Castro, and Cody Baker played in zero league matches. Sounders played 47 matches in all competitions this year. The rotation must be expanded in league matches to keep first-choice players fresh for when it truly matters. Schmetzer has been better about including young players, but needs to do it more often, especially in weeks where the club is playing three matches or more. Example: Danny Leyva is a United States youth international. He only got in the team twice in 2024, and only made 12 appearances the entire season. Why? Baker-Whiting, Baker, Bell, and Musovski were also under-utilised. There were so many fixtures in 2024. Why weren’t they in the team more?
Conclusion: We were generally effective against mid-table teams, but much less consistent against the top 10 and bottom of the league teams. We played well enough for a top 10 finish, and that’s a good result. However, we never were in contention to win the league, which is regrettable.
Competition Summary - US Open Cup
RESULT - ELIMINATED IN THE SEMI-FINALS
Positives: Since Brian Schmetzer became Manager, this was our strongest run in the US Open Cup. Right from our opening match against Louisville City, there were first-team players in the team, rather than using the tournament as a youth development lab as we had been doing previously. This was very encouraging, as a top complaint of mine has been that we don’t field strong enough teams in this tournament. By the time we reached the Quarter-Finals, the lineup was pretty much the strongest we could field. This was a good run, and was only marred by our Semi-Final elimination, caused by conceding a late penalty kick in a 0:1 loss to Los Angeles FC. Performances in the USOC by some of our young Reserve Team players, such as Paul Rothrock, Georgi Minoungou, Stuart Hawkins, and Braudilio Rodrigues, got them signed to senior contracts.
Negatives: No Sounders player scored more than one goal in the tournament. We are still playing US Open Cup ties at Starfire. This is not a good thing, as it makes us look like a semi-professional or non-league outfit, and underscores the low opinion MLS and, arguably, our ownership and management has of this prestigious and historic tournament.
Conclusion: A good run, and a heartbreaker ending against LAFC in a Semi-Final that could’ve gone either way.
Competition Summary - MLS Cup
RESULT - ELIMINATED IN THE SEMI-FINALS
Positives: Grit, determination, and will. Excellent in defence. Morris’ extra-time stunner against LAFC in the Quarter-Finals, earning us a victory over the Figueroa Street outfit for the first time in 2024. Advancing to the Semi-Finals in a cup tournament is a fine achievement.
Negatives: Almost everything else. Sounders scored only three goals in four MLS Cup matches, with one of them being an own-goal by LAFC’s Maxime Chanot. It’s just not enough. Sounders reached the Quarter-Final stage with zero victories in their Round of 16 best-of-three tie with Houston, needing penalties to “decide” both matches and advance. The Semi-Final match at LA Galaxy was decided by a moment of quality. A slide-rule through ball by Catalonian international Riqui Puig (who previously had played 42 times for Barcelona), found Dejan Joveljic who had made an oblique diagonal run and saw Joveljic (who previously played for Red Star Belgrade, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Anderlecht) finish decisively from close-range. That moment of quality demonstrated the difference between the two sides, in a match where both teams had only five chances at goal.
Conclusion: If Sounders FC want to consistently beat the top teams in MLS, or from anywhere, we need more quality in the team. We need quality throughout the squad, and then those squad players need to provide cover for the injured or fatigued.
Competition Summary - Leagues Cup
RESULT - ELIMINATED IN THE QUARTER-FINALS
Positives: Sounders scored 12 goals in five matches, which is an excellent rate of 2.4 goals/match. Morris scored three goals, with homegrown rising star Paul Rothrock scoring two. We defeated LA Galaxy, whom we had not defeated yet in 2024, by a decisive 3:1 margin. We defeated Pumas UNAM 4:0. Pumas are currently (as of 17 December 2024) in fourth place in Liga MXs Torneo Apertura with a record of 9-4-4, and are one of the better Mexican clubs. Reaching the Quarter-Finals, particularly in this tournament, where Liga MX clubs also play in it, is a strong achievement.
Negatives: Dropping a 1:3 result against Necaxa. Getting blown out of the water 0:3 by LAFC in the Quarter-Finals. LAFC would score all three of their goals in the first 53 minutes of the match. The third LAFC goal, scored by Gabonese international Denis Bouanga (who previously played 97 times scoring 26 goals for Saint-Etienne), was assisted by his goalkeeper, former French international first-choice Hugo Lloris (who previously played 145 times for France, 361 times for Tottenham, and 146 times for Lyon). In addition to Bouanga were Ilie Sanchez (developed by Barcelona), Polish international Mateusz Bogusz (developed by Ruch Chorzow — 14-times Polish Champions and three-time Polish Cup Champions — and got his first two senior caps for Poland in 2024), Columbian international midfielder Eduard Atuesta (developed by Independiente Medellin, and played for both Independiente Medellin and Palmeiras), and Colombian defender Jesus David Murillo (developed by and played for Independiente Medellin) demonstrate some of the quality that was in the LAFC lineup that day. We did not have answers for the questions posed by their quality players. Shots on goal were 1:7 in favour of LAFC in this match.
Conclusion: A fine run, and heartbreak at the end of a tournament many of us never wanted.
Competition Summary - Cascadia Cup
RESULT - THREE-WAY-TIE - PORTLAND DECLARED CHAMPION ON TIE-BREAKERS
Positives: The Sounders showed grit, commitment and resolve. Our lads worked hard. They always do.
Negatives: Ramy Touchan and Victor Rivas refereeing in our first two matches against Vancouver, of which the quality of officiating could most charitably be described as controversial, likely cost the Sounders a chance to win back old George. We were only able to win one of three against Portland, and one of three against Vancouver. We scored seven goals in six matches and that’s just not enough (1.17 goals/match).
Conclusion: we struggled to get results against Vancouver (14th place in MLS), and Portland (15th place in MLS), who were both mid-table teams in 2024. Was the difference between us and Vancouver and Portland quality? Tactics? Fatigue?
Overview
The Sounders have never finished as high as they have in all competitions in one season under Brian Schmetzer’s management. This is a noteworthy achievement. That said, we are a team that sometimes upsets giants, and sometimes are defeated or stale-mated by the dregs of MLS.
We qualified for CONCACAF and for the FIFA World Club Cup. I don’t know if we’re competing in US Open Cup in 2025, or whether the Sounders FC Reserves will contest it, which would be both inappropriate and dismissive of the US Open Cup’s great tradition and legacy. Leagues Cup is just…here, because money. So we will be forced to contest that trophy as well as MLS will not come to their senses and recognise a bad idea when they see one.
We need to add youth and skill to the squad. This youth and skill will have to either come from our Academy and Reserves, by purchasing players, or a hybrid of the two. The club needs to pick a direction on this and go with it. We need to more effectively use our depth to spell players during weeks that contain three or four matches. We need to keep first-choice players fresh for cup ties, and sometimes let our youngers earn their corn in league matches. Not as substitutes for the last seven minutes of the match, but in the team.
Sounders are still, at this writing, in negotiations with both Albert Rusnak, our #10, second-best goal scorer, top assist man, and one of our best passers, and Joao Paulo Mior, our most experienced holding midfielder, and one of our best passers. Should they both leave Longacres, with no replacements signed for them, the internal options for replacement might be Josh Atencio for Rusnak, and Cristian for Joao Paulo, seeing Cristian permanently return to holding midfield.
The core of our squad is getting older. Frei is 37, Joao Paulo is 32, Yeimar Gomez Andrade is 31, Rusnak and Morris are 29. Who will replace these players? Who will deputise for them during the worst of the upcoming fixture clutter? We will be contesting the MLS league championship, US Open Cup, Leagues Cup, FIFA World Club Cup, and CONCACAF Cup. We had better use more of the squad in the team in league matches, or our older players will likely break down.
Results classified by opponent
SAN JOSE
SJ 3:2 SEA
SEA 2:2 SJ
(against SJ: SEA 0-1-1 -1)
ST. LOUIS
STL 1:2 SEA
SEA 2:0 STL
(against STL: SEA 2-0-0 +3)
KANSAS CITY
SKC 2:1 SEA
SEA 2:0 SKC
(against SKC: SEA 1-0-1 +1)
LOS ANGELES FC
LAFC 2:1 SEA
SEA 0:3 LAFC
SEA 0:3 LAFC LC
SEA 0:1 LAFC USOC
LAFC 1:2 SEA MLSC
(against LAFC: SEA 1-0-4 -7)
VANCOUVER
SEA 0:2 VAN
SEA 1:1 VAN
VAN 0:3 SEA
(against VAN: SEA 1-1-1 +1)
AUSTIN
SEA 0:0 ATX
ATX 0:1 SEA
(against ATX: SEA 1-1-0 +1)
SALT LAKE
RSL 2:0 SEA
SEA 1:1 RSL
(against RSL: SEA 0-1-1 -2)
MINNESOTA
SEA 2:0 MIN
MIN 2:3 SEA
SEA 2:0 MIN LC
(against MIN: SEA 3-0-0 +5)
HOUSTON
HOU 2:2 SEA
SEA 1:0 HOU
SEA 0:0 HOU MLSC (5:4p)
HOU 1:1 SEA MLSC (6:7p)
(against HOU: SEA 1-3-0 +1)
DALLAS
DAL 0:0 SEA
SEA 3:2 DAL
(against DAL: SEA 1-1-0 +1)
CHICAGO
SEA 2:1 CHI
(against CHI: SEA 1-0-0 +1)
COLORADO
SEA 1:1 COL
COL 0:1 SEA
(against COL: SEA 1-1-0 +1)
PORTLAND
POR 1:2 SEA
POR 1:0 SEA
SEA 1:1 POR
(against POR: SEA 1-1-1 0)
LOS ANGELES GALAXY
LAG 1:0 SEA
SEA 0:0 LAG
SEA 3:1 LAG LC
LAG 1:0 SEA MLSC
(against LAG: SEA 1-1-2 0)
PHILADELPHIA
PHI 2:3 SEA
(against PHI: SEA 1-0-0 +1)
MONTREAL
SEA 5:0 MTL
(against MTL: SEA 1-0-0 +5)
DC UNITED
DC 2:1 SEA
(against DC: SEA 0-0-1 -1)
NEW ENGLAND
SEA 2:0 NE
(against NE: SEA 1-0-0 +2)
COLUMBUS
CLB 0:4 SEA*
(against CLB: SEA 1-0-0 +4) *CLB had a field player as goalkeeper for most of match
NON-LEAGUE OPPONENTS
LOUISVILLE CITY
SEA 2:2 LOU USOC (5:4p)
(against LOU: SEA 0-1-0 0)
PHOENIX
SEA 2:1 PHX USOC
(against PHX: SEA 1-0-0 +1)
SACRAMENTO
SAC 1:2 SEA USOC
(against SAC: SEA 1-0-0 +1)
NECAXA
SEA 1:3 NCX LC
(against NCX: SEA 0-0-1 -2)
PUMAS UNAM
SEA 4:0 PUM LC
(against PUM: SEA 1-0-0 +4)
Sounders FC Goal Scoring and Assists
(moral of the story: learn to create and plug in tables using software meant for tabulation)
MLS USOC LC MLSC A* GOALS
Morris 13 1 3 1 5 18
Rusnak 10 0 1 0 16 11
Ruidiaz 8 0 0 0 2 8
Rothrock 5 1 2 0 2 8
Ragen 3 0 1 0 1 4
Vargas 2 0 1 0 7 3
Alex Roldan 1 1 1 0 1 3
Cristian Roldan 1 0 0 1 5 2
Musovski 1 1 0 0 1 2
Gomez Andrade 1 0 1 0 0 2
Leo Chu 1 0 0 0 2 1
Atencio 0 1 0 0 1 1
Minoungou 1 0 0 0 1 1
Bell 1 0 0 0 0 1
de la Vega 1 0 0 0 0 1
Teves 1 0 0 0 0 1
Kossa-Rienzi 0 1 0 0 0 1
*league assists only
Sounders FC Reserves Results in all competitions
8th MLS NEXT PRO 13-5-10 +6 46 points
MLS NEXT PRO Cup Quarter-Finals
Sounders FC Reserves Goal Scoring and Assists
MLSNXT USOC LC MLSNXC A* GOALS
Aquino 10 0 0 1 2 11
Bettache 7 0 0 0 2 7
Miglietti 5 0 0 2 0 7
De Rosario 6 0 0 0 0 6
Tsukanome 5 0 0 0 2 5
Gomez 4 0 0 1 1 5
Brunell 3 0 0 1 4 4
Teves 4 0 0 0 1 4
Rothrock 1 1 2 0 0 4**
Minoungou 2 0 0 0 3 2
Rodrigues 2 0 0 0 1 2
Lopez 2 0 0 0 0 2
Fahling 1 0 0 0 4 1
Hassan 1 0 0 0 1 1
Hawkins 1 0 0 0 0 1
Katsaros 1 0 0 0 0 1
Leyva 1 0 0 0 1 1
Sousa 1 0 0 0 4 1
* league assists only
** includes cup goals scored with the senior team
