SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC v. CHICAGO FIRE

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Chicago leave the windy city behind this weekend and will face our beloved Sounders FC here, in The Evergreen, on Saturday afternoon.

What: MLS league match, Seattle Sounders FC v. Chicago Fire.

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

When: 1:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Saturday 29 August 2026 CE.

At Stake: After our draw at John Street last week, Sounders have dropped to 21st place in the league table on 25 points, 24 points adrift of leaders Nashville. In the regional table for MLS Cup qualification, Sounders are three points adrift of arch-rival Portland Timbers on 28 points, who currently hold the ninth and last qualifying berth. Therefore, a win could put us right back in the mix, if Portland (v.ATX), Colorado, and Salt Lake fail to earn any points. Unfortunately, the other two clubs within striking distance, Colorado (28 points) and the Salt Lake (28 points), are playing each other this Sat. However, this analysis fails to pose the overarching question: Can we improve enough to even be competitive in MLS Cup? If we can’t manage that, then all we’re playing for is pride. It also has to be said that our -5 goal difference isn’t helping matters.

Where to Watch: Apple TV. You could choose to hear the Apple commentators Max Bretos and Brian Dunseth, neither of whom have anything to do with the city of Seattle where the fixture is actually being played, or use the alternate audio option in the Apple TV control layer to listen to the KJR simulcast, as I will do.

Where to Listen: KJR 950 AM and El Rey 1360 AM.

With the recent signing of Dejan Joveljic, there is a bit of hope going forward that we may begin to achieve better results…or at least that our club might be heading in the correct direction and, hopefully, a more positive trajectory.

A draw against the Cincinnati is a decent start, but we’ve lost so much ground that we’ve fallen out of the qualifying places for MLS Cup. That’s hard to do, because 18 of our 30 clubs qualify for it. This brings the Sounders’ absolute desperation to earn points in the league into the clearest, sharpest focus.

Unfortunately for us, we’re going to have to try and take those points from Chicago. That’s going to be difficult to do because of their June signing of Polish international striker Robert Lewandowski. We signed a dependable striker in the prime of his playing years in Joveljic. Chicago signed a fucking legend. Lewandowski is the most capped player in the history of Poland (167 caps/89 goals) and has scored more goals than any player to wear the shirt in his country’s history. Although he’s 38 years old, Lewandowski is in Stefan Frei-level of good shape and is an absolute tank who has scored a stupidly huge amount of goals wherever he has played.

As a person who grew up in a town that has a large Polish population, with a part of our town named Polishtown USA, Lewandowski going to Chicago is huge. If I’m not mistaken, Chicago has the highest concentration of citizens who have either emigrated from Poland or who are ethnically Polish by derivation. It’s a massive deal, not only felt in Chicago, but also at the Birchwood (a local tavern) and at Polish Hall in my hometown. I can only imagine the impact at the Polish Home Association in Seattle. It’s kind of how I would feel if we signed Bournemouth and Scotland winger Ben Gannon-Doak…If Gannon-Doak had scored hundreds of massive goals and had a wheelbarrow full of big-time trophies at hame.

Chicago were eliminated by Monterrey in the Leagues Cup Quarter-Final in their most recent match by a score of 2:1. When we last faced Monterrey three years ago, we had a 2:0 lead on six minutes and then Monterrey pumped us for four unanswered goals. That fixture sealed our fate in the 2023 Leagues Cup. So there’s that to consider.

On top of the obstacles mentioned above, we’re currently struggling to score goals. We are second from bottom in goals scored in the league. The last time we scored more than one goal in a match was in our 3:0 victory over Queretaro, a club who has a squad about half the strength (or less) than most teams we face in MLS. In the league, you’d have to go back to 13 May and our 3:2 victory over the San Jose. Needless to say, the Sounders’ attack has become a bit of a fixer-upper. So, we’ll see what happens.

As supporters and fans though, all we can do is keep the faith with the lads in the squad. Our Boys in Green are good lads who work hard and deserve our support. If you have the time and means, get ye to the ground and link up with ours. Not necessarily in that order. I mean, you’re gonna need a couple pints in ye and possibly a wee dram to fully prepare for the match. Get together in the Brougham End and make a racket such as never before heard on planet Earth. Welcome the Chicago to Green Hell on behalf of all of us that love the Sounders FC so much. For the rest of us its second verse same as the first, tuning in to the match at pubs and dwellings for stories and tellings, houses and flats for pints and cats, and sometimes boats and ships for pie and chips.

It’s Sounders football, under the Saturday 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!!!”

Sounders are betting that the €5.15M purchase of Serbian striker Dejan Joveljic from Kansas City will improve our fortunes on the pitch.

The Good News

The Joveljic signing will help us to some degree. He was certainly a good enough striker to sink us in the 2024 MLS Cup Semi-Final. I think we all remember the late winner he hit in the 85th minute of that match for LA Galaxy. That said, we need to determine if this is a good faith gesture by management/ownership and a precursor to more high-level signings, or a cynical appeasement to the supporters and fans.

We’ve got Cristian, Morris, and Dotson back to full fitness, and Arriola is close. This is a good thing as we’re starting to get the heart of the squad back.

Although we’re still scratching for goals, our defence is still tied for 5th best in the league and has settled down after poor performances against Portland and the Austin.

So many youngers have gotten a run-out in the team during this period where we have had so many out injured. This experience will pay dividends in the future. Given a chance, these will develop into solid professionals.

The Bad News

Joveljic’s debut will be against Chicago and their all-world Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, acquired from Barcelona on a free transfer. That’s a tough first run-out, I should say.

So let me get this straight: We pay €5.15 for Joveljic’s transfer fee. Chicago get Lewandowski, Lod (a Finland international), and Franco (played 61 matches for Estoril, and 49 for Porto in the Primeira Liga) all on free transfers? We had bloody well do better on the scouting front and General Manager front.

Don’t quite know what’s put us in this mess besides injuries and putting all our eggs in one 14-player basket. I am fairly certain the bulk of our problems don’t come from a lack of talent, but from an inability or unwillingness to play fundamentally good football. This could be because of the players, although I don’t think that’s the case. Could be that our coaching staff is not training the lads to harness the power of the one-two. Or, not training them to always make a run to attack space directly after you’ve made a pass. If it’s a lack of talent, then we need to shore up our scouting and better identify elite-level young prospects that will make a direct impact in the team for a couple years before they flee overseas to make real money.

I looked up the MLS salary cap. The amount is roughly €5.5M ($6.425M) per squad. It’s a fucking joke, and a bad one at that. Why would a top footballer sign with an MLS club, unless they were offered a Designated Player contract for decent wages? Rather than having a punitively tiny cap on wages, the league should bite the bullet and increase the salary cap to €60M (roughly $70M) and then eliminate all the weirdo, utterly opaque, lawyerly cap exceptions and player classifications (DP, Young DP, Under-22, etc.) to ‘pay down’ the cap with weirdo slush funds like General Allocation Money and Targeted Allocation Money. Minimum salary for a senior squad player is roughly €98,000 ($113,400), and minimum salary for reserve slot squad players is roughly €76,000 ($88,025). Or, you know, if MLS prefers, we can keep losing to teams from Mexico and the rest of the world and wonder why our players flee to Europe (or literally any other league in the world) at first opportunity to make a proper wage.

The Side I Would Select

With Morris, Cristian, and Dotson coming off injury list, there are more options. That said, I agree with the Gaffer that those players shouldna play big minutes their first match back and will likely have relatively short appearances as a substitute should they enter the match. This would be a very bad time to have a player just off injury list relapse. Arriola may be available should he pass a late fitness test. We’re going to need some experience in the back and in midfield to help deal with Lewandowski.

GK     Thomas

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Sailor

RCH    Kim

RB     Kossa-Rienzi

LDM    Brunell

RDM   Alex

LF     Rothrock

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Gomez

CF     Joveljic

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

This is my best guess, and also the team I would run out, but you never know.

GK     Thomas

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Sailor

RCH    Kim

RB     Kossa-Rienzi

LDM   Brunell

RDM   Alex

LF     Rothrock

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Gomez

CF     Joveljic

Intangibles

The Referee for Saturday afternoon’s match will be Ismail Elfath.

SEA record with Elfath as Ref: 9-7-13

CHI record with Elfath as Ref: 4-2-7

SEA squad aggregate estimated transfer value: €50.63M

CHI squad aggregate estimated transfer value: €49.55M

SEA 2026 season transfer fees paid: €5.15M

CHI 2026 season transfer fees paid: €7.15M

General notes on personnel

Sounders FC transfers IN:

Joveljic (Sporting Kansas City) €5.15M

Chicago transfers IN:

Saletros (AIK Stockholm) €2.7M

Franco (Porto) €650,000

Mbokazi (Orlando Pirates) €2.5M

Shokalook - reserves

Lod (Minnesota United FC) free

Cohen (Atlanta United FC) free

Dithejane (TS Galaxy FC) €1.3M

Lewandowski (Barcelona) free

Chicago transfers OUT:

Barlow (FC Cincinnati) free

Dowd (FC Cincinnati) free

Gasper - retired

Kouame (Cadiz) end of loan

Gutierrez (Guadalajara) €4.25M

Koutsias (Lugano) free

Reynolds (Sporting Kansas City) free

Acosta (Pogon Szczecin) free

Williams (Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC) loan

Glasgow (Monterey Bay FC) loan

Cuypers (CF Monterrey) €6.6M

Comparison against common opponents

STL 0:1 SEA

SEA 4:1 STL

CHI 1:2 STL USOC

(against STL: SEA 2-0-0 +4, CHI 0-0-1 -1) decisive edge SEA

HOU 0:1 SEA

HOU 2:1 CHI

(against HOU: SEA 1-0-0 +1, CHI 0-0-1 -1) decisive edge SEA

SKC 1:1 SEA

CHI 5:0 SKC

(against SKC: SEA 0-1-0 0, CHI 1-0-0 +5) decisive edge CHI

SEA 1:5 POR

POR 2:1 SEA

CHI 2:1 POR

(against POR: SEA 0-0-2 -5, CHI 1-0-0 +1) decisive edge CHI

PHI 1:0 SEA

PHI 1:2 CHI

(against PHI: SEA 0-0-1 -1, CHI 1-0-0 +1) decisive edge CHI

CIN 1:1 SEA

CIN 3:3 CHI

CHI 2:3 CIN

(against CIN: SEA 0-1-0 0, CHI 0-1-1 -1) marginal edge SEA

Know Thine Enemy

Chicago as they lined up in their 1:2 Leagues Cup Quarter-Final defeat against Monterrey at Bridgeview on 25 August.

GOALKEEPER

Chris Brady, 22

United States (1/0)

Notable Clubs: Chicago Fire (112/0), Forward Madison (9/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Developed by Chicago Fire. Played for United States (15/0) at youth levels. Won a CONCACAF U-20 Championship. Named to CONCACAF U-20 Championship Best XI. Won CONCACAF U-20 Championship Golden Glove.

DEFENCE

Andrew Gutman, 29

United States

Notable Clubs: FC Cincinnati (29/0), Atlanta United FC (43/7), New York RB (22/2), Colorado Rapids (12/1), Chicago Fire (60/5)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.5M

Notes: Developed by Hinsdale Red Devils and Chicago Fire. Played his university football for Indiana (90/20).

Jack Elliott, 30

England

Notable Clubs: Philadelphia Union (223/10), Bethlehem Steel FC (2/0), Chicago Fire (51/3)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Developed by Fulham. Played his university football for West Virginia (68/6). Won an MLS league championship with Philadelphia Union.

Joel Waterman, 30

Canada (17/0)

Notable Clubs: Cavalry FC (21/1), CF Montreal (130/4), Chicago Fire (21/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2M

Notes: Developed by Aldergrove Youth SC, Langley United, and Surrey United SC. Played his university football for Trinity Western (56/9). Won 2x Canadian Premier League titles. Won a Canadian Championship with CF Montreal.

Jonathan Dean, 29

United States

Notable Clubs: Birmingham Legion (81/4), Chicago Fire (91/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €800,000

Notes: Developed by Stratford Academy and Georgia United. Played his university football for Wofford (17/1) and Central Florida (50/1). Named to USL Championship All-League Second Team.

MIDFIELD

Sergio Oregel, 21

United States

Notable Clubs: Chicago Fire (32/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1M

Notes: Developed by Chicago Fire. Played for United States (20/4) at youth levels.

Dje D’Avilla, 23

Cote d’Ivoire

Notable Clubs: Uniao de Leiria (45/0), Academica (12/0), Chicago Fire (40/3)

Estimated Transfer Value: €4M

Notes: Full name: Tah Ange Innocent D’Avilla Dje. Also played for Stella Club, LSAT, and Al-Hillal, but no statistics available.

Anton Saletros, 30

Sweden (19/1)

Notable Clubs: AIK Stockholm (172/12), Ujpest (5/0), Rostov (6/0), Sarpsborg 08 (73/9), Caen (15/1), Chicago Fire (18/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Developed by Enskede IK and AIK Stockholm. Won an Allsvenskan title with AIK Stockholm.

FORWARD

Puso Dithejane, 22

South Africa

Notable Clubs: TS Galaxy (52/7), Chicago Fire (14/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1M

Notes: Developed by Transnet School of Excellence and Kaizer Chiefs.

Robert Lewandowski, 38

Poland (167/89)

Notable Clubs: Lech Poznan (58/32), Borussia Dortmund (131/74), Bayern Munich (253/238), Barcelona (134/83), Chicago Fire (6/3)

Estimated Transfer Value: €7M

Notes: Developed by Partyzant Leszno and MKS Varsovia Warsaw. Won an Ekstraklasa title, Polish Cup, and Polish Super Cup with Lech Poznan. Won 2x Bundesliga championship, a German Cup, and a German Supercup with Borussia Dortmund. Won 8x Bundesliga championships, 3x German Cup, 5x German Supercup, a UEFA Champions League, a UEFA Super Cup, and a FIFA Club World Cup with Bayern Munich. Won 3x La Liga title, a Copa del Rey, and 3x Supercopa de Espana with Barcelona. Lewandowski’s individual honours and records would take another full page to list, although you may view them here if you’d like.

Philip Zinckernagel, 31

Denmark

Notable Clubs: HB Koge (56/5), Helsingor (29/5), Sonderjyske (44/4), Bodo/Glimt (93/34), Watford (20/1), Nottingham Forest (42/6), Olympiacos (1/0), Standard Liege (27/10), Club Brugge (29/7), Chicago Fire (51/20)

Estimated Transfer Value: €4M

Notes: Developed by KB, Copenhagen, and Nordsjaelland. Won 2x Eliteserien with Bodo/Glimt. Won an EFL Championship promotion play-offs with Nottingham Forest. Won a Belgian Pro League title with Club Brugge. Named Eliteserien Player of the Year 2020. Eliteserien Top assist provider 2020.

Familiar Faces

Chicago defender Sam Rogers is a Seattle native and was a scholar at Sounders FC Academy for four years. Rogers played for the Sounders FC Reserves (64/3) from 2017-2020.

Squads

Sounders FC from:

Frei, Thomas, Hawkins, Kim, Kossa-Rienzi, Lopez, Nouhou, Alex, Sailor, Brunell, Dotson, Gomez, Cristian, Rusnak, Arriola, De Rosario, Joveljic, Morris, Musovski, Rothrock.

Note: Be aware that although Cristian, Morris, Arriola, and Dotson are available for selection, they have only recently been pronounced fit enough to play. The Gaffer doesn’t like to have players in the team that just got off injury list. Look for those four to play roles as substitutes or on a strict minutes cap for the purposes of assessing their return to fitness.

Chicago from:

Brady, Bamba, Gal, Cohen, Barroso, Elliott, Rogers, Radojevic, Gutman, Waterman, Dean, Saletros, Haile-Selassie, Lod, Pineda, Borso, Poreba, Oregel, Turdean, D’Avilla, Williams, Lewandowski, Zinckernagel, Dithejane, Shokalook, Boltz.

Note: Chicago forward Chris Mueller is unavailable for selection. Mueller is not injured, and a reason for his unavailability was not given.

Injury List

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Sounders FC -

OUT: Ragen (knee), Ferreira (hamstring), De la Vega (quadriceps), Gomez Andrade (calf), Petkovic (knee).

MATCHDAY DECISION: Arriola (calf).

Chicago -

OUT: Franco (lower body, we’ll say chafed bollocks), Mbokazi (lower body, we’ll say haemorrhoids)

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

Discipline

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Sounders FC: Kingston is suspended for accumulated bookings.

Chicago: No players suspended. Saletros and Waterman out next match if booked.

Fun Fact

Former Sounders FC forward Sam Adeniran scored a brace for Austrian club LASK and helped them overcome a 4:0 deficit in their Champions League 3rd Round qualifying cup-tie to eliminate Celtic FC of Scotland 5:4 in extra-time. Adeniran would have hit a hat-trick had he converted his penalty kick. Soooo, why did we move Sam on again? Seems like he scored everywhere but with us.