SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC v. PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN FC - FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP - GROUP STAGE - ROYAL BROUGHAM PARK, OCCIDENTAL AVENUE, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Monday, our guests are 2024-25 UEFA, Ligue 1, French Cup and French Super Cup champions, Paris Saint-Germain. So, you know…there’s that.

If you’re having trouble focusing on football this day…you are not alone. Saints preserve us all, Saint Brigid hear my prayer.

What: FIFA Club World Cup Group Stage, Seattle Sounders FC v. Paris Saint-Germain.

Where: Royal Brougham Park, Occidental Avenue, Seattle, Washington.

When: 12:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Monday 23 June 2025 CE.

At Stake: Holding our own and not being the patsy that FIFA and the rest of the world likely think that we are. There is a mathematical possibility of going through, but I think we’d need to beat this lot by three goals and also for Botafogo to defeat Atleti. I’ll let you lot calculate the odds of that happening. Oh, and it’s $7.5M more to Longacres if we manage this highly improbable feat.

Where to Watch: DAZN.

Where to Listen: If there’s local radio coverage, I don’t know about it.

Sounders have produced solid performances against superior foes. I thought we’d be lucky to keep the score to less than 0:4 against Botafogo. The lads responded by narrowly being defeated 1:2 in a match we well could’ve won with better finishing. I thought we’d be lucky to keep the score less than 0:4 against Atletico Madrid, and we were able to cut their lead from 0:2 to 1:2, before finally succumbing 1:3.

So I’m a bit torn about what my expectations are for this match. Paris Saint-Germain seem like a very different kettle of fish than our previous two opponents. They won everything they competed in. Four trophies in one season. We haven’t won fuck-all in three and a half seasons. That said, Botafogo managed a 1:0 smash and grab against them on 19 June. To which I promptly said “Oi! Stop goin’ through our washing, Botafogo!” because the 1:0 smash and grab is from our necessarily cynical playbook.

At the end of that exhaustive reckoning, my expectations are quite simple. Play well enough that the rest of the world respects us. To me that entails conceding less than four goals, and doing as we did in the previous matches - making the big-money scions of world club football sweat the result against a team (that would be us) that has less than a 100th of their budget.

That is all.

Get ye down to the ground if ye can manage it, and if it feels safe to go. If not head to a trusted pub or keep ye hame, and gather your mates around the telly.

It’s Sounders football on the world stage, under the afternoon sun at Royal Brougham Park. GO ON YOU SOUNDERS!!! GET IN!!!

Before kick-off, please join me in the auld toast: “TO THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS FOOTBALL CLUB…AND VICTORY!!!”

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

Although, to be fair, Lao Tzu didn’t have to put up with the shitfuckery of MLS and FIFA.

The Good News

We’ve done quite well in this tournament, considering our budget constraints and the quality of our opposition. At this point, we’ve grown to expect a fighting effort that sees us in with a shout. Why should it be different on Monday?

It is possible for Jordan Morris to come on as a substitute. However, he will sensibly be kept out rather than chance a relapse of his injuries unless he is absolutely needed.

Regardless of the result on Monday, I’d like to thank all the players in the Sounders squad, and the coaching and football operations staff. Club World Cup has been a bonny ride thus far, and we managed better than many thought possible.

The Bad News

What did PSG not win this season? They won UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France (they actually contested the tournament that their FA organised, rather than having their reserves shoulder that responsibility, as we did), and the  Trophee des Champions (which pits the Ligue 1 Champion and Coupe de France winner from last season against each other).

PSG average the better part of three goals per match (2.6 goals/match), and concede an average of less than a goal per match (0.93 goals conceded/match) in all competitions.

Aggregate estimated transfer value of the entire PSG squad is €1.06B. Aggregate estimated transfer value of the entire Sounders FC squad is €51.57M.

Dropping a 1:0 to Botafogo a few days ago has likely stung the Parisians’ pride. They’re likely to take it out on our lot.

PSG need a victory against us in order to have a shot at going through to the knockout stage. As Atletico Madrid can force a three-way tie on six points, should PSG defeat us, by defeating Botafogo. Thus, PSG will want the comfort of scoring several more goals to ensure their qualification for the next round. In short, they’re going to want to beat us by as many goals as they can manage so they don’t have to sweat the result of Atleti v. Botafogo at the Rose Bowl.

The Side I Would Select

Gaffer’s got decent results against our betters. I’ll go along with his choices, but I still think De Rosario should get a shot at at least 45 minutes of football to see if he can hit one. Nouhou has learnt his hard lesson about keepin’ his head. Let’s see him back in the team, though we should mark that Baker-Whiting did very well in his stead against Atleti.

GK     Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Bell

RB     Alex

LDM    Vargas

RDM   Cristian

LF     Rothrock

CAM   Rusnak

RF     de la Vega

CF     De Rosario

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

Barring injury or players suddenly dropping out of favour, I’d expect the same line-up as against Atleti, with the possible exception of Nouhou being back in the team at left-back.

GK     Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Bell

RB     Alex

LDM    Vargas

RDM   Cristian

LF     Rothrock

CAM   Rusnak

RF     de la Vega

CF     Musovski

Intangibles

Economic inequalities:

SEA amount spent on transfers: €1.45M

PSG amount spent on transfers: €240M

Wear and tear?

PSG have played 60 matches already this season, including their group stage matches in CWC. Are they worn to the bone?

General notes on personnel

PSG transfers IN:

Kvaratskhelia (Napoli) €70M

Joao Neves (Benfica) €59.92M

Doue (Rennes) €50M

Pacho (Eintracht Frankfurt) €40M

Safonov (Krasnodar) €20M

Zague - reserves

Simons (RB Leipzig) end of loan

Ekitike (Eintracht Frankfurt) end of loan

Gabriel Moscardo (Corinthians) end of loan

Gharbi (Lausanne) end of loan

Renato Sanches (AS Roma) end of loan

Bernat (Benfica) end of loan

Ndour (Braga) end of loan

Kari (Lorient) end of loan

Housni (Al-Sadd) end of loan

Michut (Adana Demirspor) end of loan

Dagba (Auxerre) end of loan

Lemina (Wolverhampton) end of loan

Lavallee (Dunkerque) end of loan

PSG transfers OUT:

Simons (RB Leipzig) €50M

Ugarte (Manchester United) €50M

Ekitike (Eintracht Frankfurt) €16.5M

Danilo Pereira (Al-Ittihad) €5M

Ndour (Fiorentina) €5M

Muani (Juventus) €3.6M loan fee

Mbappe (Real Madrid) free

Gharbi (Braga) free

Bernat (Villarreal) free

Michut (Adana Demirspor) free

Dagba (Beerschot) free

Lemina (Annecy) free

Asensio (Aston Villa) loan

Soler (West Ham United) loan

Skriniar (Fenerbahce) loan

Gabriel Moscardo (Reims) loan

Mukiele (Leverkusen) loan

Renato Sanches (Benfica) loan

Housni (Le Havre) loan

Lavallee (Aubagne) loan

Kurzawa - released

Navas - released

Rico - released

Letellier - released

Comparison against common opponents

SEA 1:3 ATM CWC

PSG 4:0 ATM CWC

(against ATM: SEA 0-0-1 -2, PSG 1-0-0 +4) decisive edge PSG

SEA 1:2 BOT         CWC

PSG 0:1 BOT CWC

(against BOT: SEA 0-0-1 -1, PSG 0-0-1 -1) even

Know Thine Enemy

PSG as they lined up in their 0:1 defeat against Botafogo at the Rose Bowl, on 19 June.

GOALKEEPER

Gianluigi Donnarumma, 26

Italy (74/0)

Notable Clubs: AC Milan (215/0), Paris Saint-Germain (104/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €40M

Notes: Developed by ASD Club Napoli and AC Milan. Won Supercoppa Italia with AC Milan. Won 4x Ligue 1 titles, 2x Coupe de France, 3x Trophee des Champions, and a UEFA Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain. Won a UEFA European Championship with Italy. Named UEFA European Championship Player of the Tournament and Team of the Tournament 2020. Named to FIFPro World 11 2021. Named Serie A Best Goalkeeper 2020-21. Named 2x Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year. Named 2x Serie A Team of the Year. Named to UEFA Champions League Team of the Season 2024-25.

DEFENCE

Lucas Hernandez, 29

France (39/0)

Notable Clubs: Atletico Madrid (67/1), Bayern Munich (74/0), Paris Saint-Germain (43/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €25M

Notes: Developed by Rayo Majadahonda and Atletico Madrid. Won a UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup with Atletico Madrid. Won 4x Bundesliga championships, a DFB Pokal, 2x DFL Supercup, and a FIFA World Club Cup with Bayern Munich. Won 2x Ligue 1 titles, 2x Coupe de France, 2x Trophee des Champions, and a UEFA Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain. Won a FIFA World Cup and a UEFA Nations League with France.

Lucas Beraldo, 21

Brazil (4/0)

Notable Clubs: Sao Paulo (36/1), Paris Saint-Germain (38/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €25M

Notes: Developed by Uniao Barbarense, XV de Piracicaba, and Sao Paulo. Won a Copa do Brasil with Sao Paulo. Won 2x Ligue 1 titles, 2x Coupe de France, 2x Trophee des Champions, and a UEFA Champions League.

Willian Pacho, 23

Ecuador (26/2)

Notable Clubs: Independiente del Valle (26/0), Royal Antwerp (42/0), Eintracht Frankfurt (33/0), Paris Saint-Germain (28/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €65M

Notes: Developed by Huracan de Quininde and Independiente del Valle. Won an Ecuadorian Serie A title and a U-20 Copa Libertadores with Independiente del Valle. Won a Belgian Pro League title and Belgian Cup with Royal Antwerp. Won a Ligue 1 title, Coupe de France, Trophee des Champions, and a UEFA Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain.

Achraf Hakimi, 26

Morocco (85/11)

Notable Clubs: Real Madrid (9/2), Borussia Dortmund (54/7), Inter Milan (37/7), Paris Saint-Germain (110/17)

Estimated Transfer Value: €80M

Notes: Full name: Achraf Hakimi Mouh. Developed by Colonia Ofigevi and Real Madrid. Won a Supercopa de Espana, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and a FIFA Club World Cup with Real Madrid. Won a DFL Supercup with Borussia Dortmund. Won an Italian Serie A title with Inter Milan. Won 4x Ligue 1 titles, 2x Coupe de France, 3x Trophee des Champions, and a UEFA Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain. Named 2x African Youth Player of the Year. Named to Bundesliga Team of the Year 2019-20. Named to UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI 2019. Named to UEFA Champions League Team of the Season 2024-25. Named 3x to CAF Team of the year. Named to African Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament 2021. Named to Serie A Team of the Year 2020-21. Named to FIFPro World 11 2022. Awarded the Prix Marc-Vivien Foe 2024-25.

MIDFIELD

Warren Zaire-Emery, 19

France (7/1)

Notable Clubs: Paris Saint-Germain (81/5)

Estimated Transfer Value: €55M

Notes: Developed by Aubervilliers and Paris Saint-Germain. Played for France at youth levels (27/2). Won 3x Ligue 1 titles, 2x Coupe de France, 2x Trophee des Champions, and a UEFA Champions League. Won a UEFA European U-17 Championship with France. Named Ligue 1 Player of the Year 2023-24.

Vitinha, 25

Portugal (29/0)

Notable Clubs: Porto (38/2), Wolverhampton (19/0), Paris Saint-Germain (93/14)

Estimated Transfer Value: €80M

Notes: Full name: Vitor Machado Ferreira. Won 2x Premeira Liga, and 2x Taca de Portugal. Won 3x Ligue 1 titles, 2x Coupe de France, 3x Trophee des Champions, and a UEFA Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain. Won a UEFA Nations League with Portugal. Named Premeira Liga Young Player of the Year 2021-22. Named to Primeira Liga Team of the Year 2021-22. Named 2x UEFA Champions League Team of the Season.

Senny Mayulu, 19

France

Notable Clubs: Paris Saint-Germain (28/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €15M

Notes: Developed by Saint-Denis US, AF Epinay-sur-Seine, and Paris Saint-Germain. Played for France at youth levels (21/3). Won a Championnat National U19 with Paris Saint-Germain U-19s. Won 2x Ligue 1 titles, 2x Coupe de France, a Trophee des Champions, and a UEFA Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain. Won a Lafarge Foot Avenir with France U-18s.

FORWARD

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, 24

Georgia (41/18)

Notable Clubs: Dinamo Tbilisi (4/1), Rustavi (18/3), Lokomotiv Moscow (7/1), Rubin Kazan (69/9), Dinamo Batumi (11/8), Napoli (85/28), Paris Saint-Germain (14/4)

Estimated Transfer Value: €90M

Notes: Developed by Dinamo Tbilisi. Won a Russian Cup with Lokomotiv Moscow. Won 2x Serie A titles with Napoli. Won a UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1 title, and a Coupe de France with Paris Saint-Germain. Named 2x Russian Premier League Young Player of the Season. Named Russian Premier League Left Winger of the Season 2020-21. Named 4x Georgian Footballer of the Year. Named UEFA Champions League Young Player of the Season 2022-23. Named Serie A Most Valuable Player 2022-23. Named to Serie A Team of the Season 2022-23. Serie A Goal of the Season 2022-23. Serie A Goal of the Year 2023. Named to Serie A Team of the Year 2022-23.

Goncalo Ramos, 24

Portugal (16/9)

Notable Clubs: Benfica (64/30), Paris Saint-Germain (51/21)

Estimated Transfer Value: €40M

Notes: Developed by Olhanense, Loule, and Benfica. Won a Primeira Liga for Benfica. Won 2x Ligue 1, 2x Coupe de France, 2x Trophee des Champions, and a UEFA Champions League. Won a UEFA Nations League with Portugal. Named to Primeira Liga Team of the Year 2022-23.

Desire Doue, 20

France (3/0)

Notable Clubs: Rennes (57/7), Paris Saint-Germain (31/6)

Estimated Transfer Value: €90M

Notes: Developed by Rennes. Won a Ligue 1 titie, a Coup de France, a Trophee des Champions, and a UEFA Champions League. Won UEFA U-17 Championship with France U-17s. Named Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year 2024-25. Named UEFA Champions League Young Player of the Season 2024-25. Named to UEFA Champions League Team of the Season 2024-25.

Familiar Faces

None.

Squads

Sounders FC from:

Frei, Thomas, Castro, Baker, Baker-Whiting, Bell, Burney, Kossa-Rienzi, Hawkins, Nouhou, Ragen, Alex, Sousa, Joao Paulo, Leyva, Cristian, Rusnak, Vargas, de la Vega, De Rosario, Ferreira, Kent, Morris, Minoungou, Musovski, Rothrock.

PSG from:

Donnarumma, Safonov, Lavallee, Tenas, Hakimi, Kimpembe, Lucas Beraldo, Marquinhos, Hernandez, Nuno Mendes, Zague, Kamara, El Hannach, Pacho, Ruiz, Vitinha, Lee, Gabriel Moscardo, Mayulu, Zaire-Emery, Joao Neves, Kvaratskhelia, Goncalo Ramos, Dembele, Doue, Barcola, Mbaye.

Injury List

(Best guess)

Sounders FC -

OUT: Kim (calf), Gomez Andrade (hamstring/calf), Arriola (knee).

MATCHDAY DECISION: Morris (hamstring), Hawkins (quadriceps).

PSG -

OUT: no information

MATCHDAY DECISION: no information

Discipline

Sounders FC: No players suspended. Nouhou, Ragen, Rothrock out next match if booked.

PSG: No players suspended. Fabian and Marquinhos out next match if booked.

Fun Fact

Sounders FC and United States youth international centre-half, Stuart Hawkins has just earned his High School degree. Well done, Stewie!!!