SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC v. COLORADO RAPIDS

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Winter gnashes into us with the last of its teeth, knowing that it must soon give way to Spring. Although this is associated with many things, for us the relevancy is that the MLS league championship begins on Sunday night. The visitors: Colorado Rapids. Kick-off at Royal Brougham Park at a quarter-past six. Let the chips fall where they may.

What: MLS league match, Seattle Sounders FC v. Colorado Rapids.

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

When: 6:15 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Sunday 22 February 2026 CE.

At Stake: An attempt to get off the mark proper, as we’ve not won an opening match in the league since 2023.

Where to Watch: Apple TV & Fox Sports 1.

Where to Listen: KJR 93.3 FM, El Rey 1360 AM, & Sirius XM FC 157.

I’ve been settin’ here 20 minutes now, trying to think of how to best begin. For me, it’s my 10th year covering Sounders FC as an indie journo. For Sounders FC, it is a time of transition. Don’t get me wrong, there’s always quality in the squad, and as a lot they’re proper resolute. All that granted, something feels different about this year. It gnaws at me, like a deep-seated regret, or that feeling that you’ve misplaced something important that you just cannae track down. Maybe it’s just the grim backdrop of watching shit turn pear-shaped all around us. Maybe it’s watching our beloved football club repeatedly piss away young talent, whilst clutching our venerated, ageing core like a family heirloom. I cannae put my finger on it, all I’ve got are maybes and May bees don’t fly in February.

All that said, we will attempt to put those feelings aside for a moment, and draw comfort from watching our Boys in Green run out onto the pitch of Royal Brougham Park. We listen to what sounds like whale song and boom-boom-clap our way into another league campaign.

The coaching staff will have the lot prepared well-enough. There were more encouraging results than setbacks in pre-season, at Faro-Loule, Marbella, and at Longacres. Our boys will do what they always do. Approach the match with professionalism, honour, pride, effort, skill, commitment, and resolve. Win, lose, or draw, they never disappoint in this respect. Sometimes, that’s all the edge you need to earn victory. It may be wet. It may be cold. But that’s just hame here, in The Evergreen.

It’s Sounders football under the Sunday night lights of 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 door opens. Beyond the threshold lies the 2026 MLS season. After you, mates. (Photo Credit: xolotl.org)

The Good News

Pre-season record of 4-0-2 is pretty spiffy for just comin’ out of the gate. Decisive victories against mid-table Allsvenskan sides Hammarby and Brommapojkarna, and also against 2nd Division Louisville City, twice, means that we could be on to something.

Our strikers are hammering in goals. De Rosario has hit four goals, Ferreira three, with additions by Kossa-Rienzi, Rusnak, Gomez, Rothrock, Minoungou, Petkovic, and Kingston. Good to see some of our youngers on the score sheet.

Goalkeeper, Andrew Thomas is being given his chance as the heir apparent to Stefan Frei. After Thomas’ sparkling performance in the Leagues Cup last season, it is an opportunity well-deserved.

History favours the Sounders when Colorado are the visitors. Sounders have a 14-3-2 record when the Rapids come to town. The Sounders all-time record against Colorado is 23-7-8.

Rapids were less than impressive in their three pre-season matches (1-0-2), conceding goals at a rate of 2.67/match. For context, their opposition were Nashville, Columbus, and Orlando.

The Bad News

Notably absent on the pre-season score sheets were Morris and Musovski. That is concerning.

Our two pre-season losses were at the hands of the third-best team in Denmark, Brondby, and a mid-table Ukrainian club, Metalist. We were shut-out in both of those matches.

Four players are on injury list before even starting the campaign, including three of our five centre-halves (Hawkins, Kim, and Sailor) and our young starlet left-forward (de la Vega). That means we’ve got two centre-halves fit to play, the number you begin a match with, and no one to back them up. Time for an emergency call-up for Antino Lopez from the Reserves?

Over the past two years we’ve sold Danny Leyva, Obed Vargas, Reed Baker-Whiting, and Josh Atencio (Josh will likely line up against us on Sunday night). What do these players have in common. They are all under 25 years-old, and all are or were United States youth internationals. These players, with the notable exception of Vargas, struggled to get in the team whilst with the Sounders. They’re good enough to be selected to play for their country, but not good enough to play for their own club?
I cannot understand how this is the case.

The club has never truly replaced Clint Dempsey, Obafemi Martins, Raul Ruidiaz, Nicolas Lodeiro, Victor Rodriguez, Fredy Montero, and now Obed Vargas. Why is this? Why is it always our strategy to send away young talent, particularly when we are in a league that makes it excruciatingly difficult to retain high-level talent?

Colorado’s new Manager, Matt Wells used to coach for Tottenham U-18s, Fulham, Bournemouth, and Club Brugge. He earned his UEFA B license at age 20. He’s young (37), and hungry. We had better be prepared.

Rapids have added a lot of youth, and as a squad are significantly younger than we are with only a few exceptions. They’re willing to live with the mistakes as the price for developing young talent. Keep your eyes peeled in the last 30 minutes of Sunday night’s fixture. You’ll likely see the difference.

One of Colorado’s new additions, Paxten Aaronson, is all class. Transfermarkt places his estimated transfer value at €7M.  He’s young (22), can play the #10 role or on the left side, and last played for Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga.

The Side I Would Select

First match of the year. Gotta go strong. I’d go with this lot, assuming the shape is 4-2-3-1.

Rationale:

Utterly weird for Stef to not be in the team, unless he has a lingering minor injury or something. So I’d have him in for opening night, but monitor his workload, especially in stretches where there’s three matches in eight days or some such. I like Brunell to hold with Cristian. He’s young, skilful, and also a United States youth international. He needs the developmental minutes, and knows the role well. I like the idea of Petkovic, the new boy on loan from Charlotte, but he’s an unknown quantity for me. Dotson can hold, but I prefer him out wide at left-forward. I like Morris on the left, with Musovski at centre-forward. Why Musovski? Because he scores goals, is good as provider at the centre-forward position, and makes (arguably) better off the ball runs. This also gives Rothrock the ability to come on late, with fresh legs to hit a late winner or equaliser.

GK     Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Gomez Andrade

RB     Alex

LDM   Brunell

RDM   Cristian

LF     Morris

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Ferreira

CF     Musovski

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

This whole offseason, since Vargas and Leyva were sold, I was wondering who was going to line up next to Cristian to hold. To be honest, I have no idea, with my best guess being Dotson. This group is probably a safe bet.

GK     Thomas

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Gomez Andrade

RB     Alex

LDM    Dotson

RDM   Cristian

LF     Rothrock

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Ferreira

CF     Morris

Intangibles

The Referee for Sunday night’s match will be Malik Badawi.

Sounders FC record with Badawi as Ref: 1-2-2

Colorado record with Badawi as Ref: 2-1-1

Sounders FC off-season transfer fees paid: €0

Colorado off-season transfer fees paid: €12.6M

Sounders post-Obed. What’s that going to look like?

We haven’t won our first match in the league since 2023. On the bright side, that 2023 victory was against Colorado, at Royal Brougham Park.

The Brougham Faithful. You will hear us.

I’ll be there, thanks to my good mates, KB and JH. Never sleep on the Sounders FC when I’m at the ground. West Sound Armada: FROM THE SEA TO THE FIGHT!

General notes on personnel

Sounders FC transfers OUT:

Baker-Whiting (Nashville SC) €675,000 + financial considerations

Colorado transfers IN:

Cobb (Atlanta United) €450,000

Sealy (CF Montreal) €1.6M

Ojediran (RC Lens) €3M

Phillip - draft

Wathuta - reserves

Miguel Navarro (Club Atletico Talleres) loan

Colorado transfers OUT:

Amadou (Helsingborgs IF) free

Sam Bassett - released

Edwards (Oakland Roots) free

Harris (Sporting Kansas City) free

Jones - released

Larraz (Vancouver Whitecaps) free

Maxso (Kalba FC) free

Santos (St. Louis City) free

Cole Bassett (Portland Timbers) €2.25M

Beaudry (Loudoun United) loan

Comparison against common opponents

n/a

Know Thine Enemy

Colorado as they lined up in their 1:4 pre-season victory over Orlando City, at an unspecified football ground somewhere in Florida.

GOALKEEPER

Zack Steffen, 30

United States (30/0)

Notable Clubs: Columbus Crew (76/0), Pittsburgh Riverhounds (9/0), Manchester City (2/0), Fortuna Dusseldorf (17/0), Middlesbrough (42/0), Colorado Rapids (56/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.8M

Notes: Developed by West Chester United, FC Delco, and Philadelphia Union. Played his university football for Maryland (48/0). Won two English Premier League titles and one English League Cup with Manchester City. Won a CONCACAF Nations League with United States. Named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year 2018. Named to MLS Best XI 2018. Named 2024 Leagues Cup Best Goalkeeper.

DEFENCE

Keegan Rosenberry, 32

United States

Notable Clubs: Reading United (14/1), Philadelphia Union (80/3), Colorado Rapids (188/8)

Estimated Transfer Value: €800,000

Notes: Developed by Spirit United, Penn Fusion, and Philadelphia Union. Played his university football for Georgetown (90/4). Won the 2016 MLS Fair Play Award.

Noah Cobb, 20

United States

Notable Clubs: Atlanta United FC (35/0), Colorado Rapids (4/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1M

Notes: Developed by Chattanooga FC and Atlanta United FC. Has played at youth levels for United States (15/1).

Lucas Herrington, 18

Australia

Notable Clubs: Brisbane Roar (28/2), Colorado Rapids (0/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: x

Notes: Developed by Taringa Rovers, Toowong FC, Brisbane City FC, and Brisbane Roar. Has played for Australia U-20s (15/0). Won AFC U-20 Asian Cup.

Jackson Travis, 21

United States 

Notable Clubs: Colorado Rapids (18/0), Birmingham Legion (8/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €350,000

Notes: Developed by Colorado Rapids.

Miguel Navarro, 26

Venezuela (23/0)

Notable Clubs: Zulia (19/0), Deportivo La Guaira (42/1), Chicago Fire (97/0), Colorado Rapids (0/0), Talleres (55/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2M

Notes: Developed by Zulia. Won a Supercopa Internacional with Talleres.

MIDFIELD

Josh Atencio, 24

United States (1/0)

Notable Clubs: Seattle Sounders FC (91/1), Colorado Rapids (27/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Developed by Seattle Sounders FC. Has played for the United States at youth levels (13/0). 

Hamzat Ojediran, 22

Nigeria

Notable Clubs: KF Egnatia (11/0), Debreceni VSC (32/3), RC Lens (17/1), Colorado Rapids (0/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1M

Notes: Developed by E&A Academy. Played for Nigeria U-17s (4/0). Won an Albanian Cup with KF Egnatia.

Paxten Aaronsen, 22

United States (4/0)

Notable Clubs: Philadelphia Union (37/4), Eintracht Frankfurt (14/0), Vitesse (14/4), Utrecht (33/8), Colorado Rapids (7/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €7M

Notes: Developed by Philadelphia Union. Won a CONCACAF U-20 Championship. Named to CONCACAF U-20 Championship Best XI. won CONCACAF U-20 Championship Golden Ball and Golden Boot (7 goals).

FORWARD

Darren Yapi, 21

United States

Notable Clubs: Colorado Rapids (91/10)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Developed by Colorado Rapids. Has played for United States at youth levels (11/0).

Dante Sealy, 22

Trinidad & Tobago (6/4)

Notable Clubs: FC Dallas (38/2), CF Montreal (30/9), Colorado Rapids (0/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1M

Notes: Developed by FC Dallas. Played for United States (14/4) at youth levels.

Familiar Faces

Colorado midfielder Josh Atencio played for Seattle Sounders FC (91/1) from 2020-2024.

Squads

Sounders FC from:

Frei, Thomas, Baker, Gomez Andrade, Kossa-Rienzi, Nouhou, Ragen, Alex, Brunell, Cristian, Dotson, Petkovic, Rusnak, Arriola, De Rosario, Ferreira, Minoungou, Morris, Musovski, Rothrock, Tsukanome.

Colorado from:

Steffen, Hansen, Rosenberry, Vines, Cannon, Holding, Murphy, Herrington, Cobb, Travis, Ojediran, Aaronson, Manyoma, Atencio, Frederick, Harris, Ronan, Ku-DiPietro, Miguel Navarro, Sealy, Rafael Navarro, Jamison, Stewart-Baynes, Wathuta, Yapi, Phillip.

Injury List

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Sounders FC -

OUT: de la Vega (knee), Hawkins (quadriceps), Kim (calf), Sailor (knee).

MATCHDAY DECISION: none

Colorado -

OUT: Fadal (abdomen).

MATCHDAY DECISION: none

Discipline

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

No players suspended from either squad.

Fun Fact

Although he may have been drafted and played for Minnesota United (149/17) since 2019, newly-signed Sounder, Hassani Dotson is a Washington native, born in Federal Way. Welcome hame, Hassani!