SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC v. CLUB ATLETICO DE MADRID, S.A.D. - FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP - GROUP STAGE - ROYAL BROUGHAM PARK, OCCIDENTAL AVENUE, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

“All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.”

– Sun Tzu

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Sounders FC face perhaps their most monumental foe to date, 11x La Liga champions, 10x Copa del Rey winners, 2x Supercopa de Espana winners, 3x UEFA Europa League champions, 1x UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, 3x UEFA Super Cup winners, and 1x Intercontinental Cup champion, Atletico Madrid. Right, soooooo, a lot of winning………at an absurdly high level…………yeah.

What: FIFA Club World Cup, Group Stage, Seattle Sounders FC v. Club Atletico de Madrid, S.A.D.

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

When: 3 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Thursday 19 June 2025 CE.

At Stake: Points in the group stage. Desperately trying to not be comprehensively overrun for the purposes of preserving our dignity and reputation.

Where to Watch: DAZN.

Where to Listen: Again, if there’s any local radio coverage I haven’t heard of it.

There’s not a whole lot to write here. If ever you were going to turn up to support the team, this match, and the next one, are going to write the first real pages of our history on the world stage - no disrespect to Al-Ahly who we faced in Club World Cup in our inaugural effort. That said, there’s lots wrong with this tournament. Our players got stiffed on prize money. ICE has staked out all the matches, which is a different level of horrible. So I get if there’s an internal conflict amongst ours about whether to go to matches, and how safe it is based on if you might be targeted by the current regime. If you feel safe enough to go, and you’re not fussed about putting money in FIFA’s coffers, then definitely go and be loud.

Do we have a chance to get a result? A tiny, tiny chance which would largely depend on Atleti making a howler of an error, and us hanging on for dear life. The thing about football, though, is that there’s no guarantees. So we crack on, preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

We’ve never faced a team this strong in tournament play. Botafogo was a certain level above us. I’d rate Atletico Madrid as several levels above that, and I’d rate PSG as one of the top 10 clubs in the world. At the very least, it’s gonna be a wooly one.

It’s Sounders FC football on the world stage 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!!!”

The Gaffer said in his press conference this afternoon that Morris is a matchday decision.

He is expected to be available as a substitute, although the Manager said it would

require a specific situation for Jordan to enter the match. (photo credit: artofit.org)

The Good News

We have a certain amount of talent in our team, and there is no quit in our Boys in Green.

We have the incentive to want to show that Sounders FC can compete on the world stage and aren’t to be taken lightly. As a motivator, this can’t be discounted.

As we’ve learnt throughout the years, anything is possible at Royal Brougham Park.

The Bad News

Atletico Madrid outspent us on transfers this season by a ratio of 128:1.

Atletico Madrid score more goals than we do (+0.53/match), and average conceding less than a goal per match (0.95 goals conceded/match). They do this whilst playing in La Liga (where they finished in 3rd place behind only Real Madrid and Barcelona), a league with far more difficult opponents than we face in MLS.

Atleti star striker, Julian Alvarez (29 goals in all competitions this season), has an estimated transfer fee of €100M. That’s almost double the combined estimated transfer fees for the entire Sounders FC senior squad (€51.75M).

The Side I Would Select

Let’s be honest with ourselves. It is highly improbable that we’re getting a result in this match. Atleti are a different level above Botafogo. We could run out our youngers to see what sort of future the club is looking at, as we’re not buying impact players, and also saving wear and tear on the Gaffer’s favourites. However, the other side of the coin is equally compelling. The team done well against Botafogo, and would have defeated them with a bit more quality in the final third. It would seem like a punishment to the lads to not let them carry on.

Rationale:

Nouhou has forgotten the first rule of football — keep your head. I get the frustration, and I’m pretty sure that Nouhou and Vargas are too good for MLS and won’t be with us much longer. Watching his teammates crack on as he watches from the bench for a half or so will provide perspective in this matter. So Baker-Whiting, for at least the first half. Maybe the whole match if he plays up. I currently rate Kossa-Rienzi over Alex. That said, I felt Alex had a fine match on Sunday, nearly scoring a goal, and deserves to be in the team on the strength of that performance. This should always be what determines playing time, and at most clubs that’s how it works. I rate Ferreira over Albert at the #10. I’ve got this idea that maybe we should try Albert over Cristian as a #8, although Cristian had a good match Sunday and deserves to continue. I want Rothrock in the team because he plays with such fire and work rate. However, it makes sense to have Albert in the team, even if he’s playing as a forward. It was a mistake to not select de la Vega in the team on Sunday, so I’ve put him where he belongs, in the team at right-forward. Nothing against Danny Musovski, he’s done well for us during Morris’ injury, and he’s a fine striker who hadn’t been given much opportunity. Osaze De Rosario had been scoring goals at a torrid pace for the Sounders Reserves and was rightfully signed to a contract in the senior team. Since then, he hasn’t played much and deserves a closer look than a seven-minute cameo appearance at the end of a match. If the side is lacking precision finishing, it makes no sense to staple a lethal finisher to the bench.

GK     Frei

LB     Baker-Whiting

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Kim*

RB     Alex

LDM    Vargas

RDM   Cristian

LF     Rusnak

CAM   Ferreira

RF     de la Vega

CF     De Rosario

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

It was a good showing against Botafogo on Sunday. I’d expect the same eleven, barring injury or disciplinary concerns.

GK     Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Kim*

RB     Alex

LDM    Vargas
RDM   Cristian

LF     Kent

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Ferreira

CF     Musovski

*In his press conference, the Gaffer said that Kim had a calf issue and is “questionable”. The only other centre-halves that might be available are Hawkins (who is also listed as a matchday decision) and Leo Burney. Gotta wonder how that’s gonna shake out.

Intangibles

Gross economic disparity.

Sounders FC disclosed paid transfer fees for 2025: €1.45M

Atletico Madrid disclosed paid transfer fees for 2024-25: €185M

The unknown.

We’ve never faced a team with this level of resources and quality in a competitive match before. Will we be able to disrupt their tactics enough to compete?

Wear and tear.

Atletico Madrid have played in 56 matches so far this season, including their one CWC match so far. We’ve played a total of 23 matches. Will we have an edge in freshness?

General notes on personnel

Atletico Madrid transfers IN:

Alvarez (Manchester City) €75M

Gallagher (Chelsea) €42M

Le Normand (Real Sociedad) €34.5M

Sorloth (Villarreal) €32M

Musso (Atalanta) €1.5M (loan fee)

Lenglet (Barcelona) loan

Galan (Real Sociedad) end of loan

Simeone (Alaves) end of loan

Atletico Madrid transfers OUT:
Joao Felix (Chelsea) €52M

Aghehowa (Porto) €20M

Morata (AC Milan) €13M

Soyuncu (Fenerbahce) €8.5M

Vermeeren (RB Leipzig) €3M (loan fee)

Mourino (Alaves) €2M

Moldovan (Sassuolo) €250,000 (loan fee)

Savic (Trabzonspor) free

Gabriel Paulista (Besiktas) free

Valera (Valencia) free

Marcos Paulo (Boavista) free

Niguez (Sevilla) loan

Martin (Alaves) loan

Hermoso - released

Depay - released

Mollejo - reserves

Garces - reserves

Serrano - reserves

Vitolo - released

Comparison against common opponents

n/a

Know Thine Enemy

Atletico Madrid as they lined up in their 4:0 Club World Cup defeat against Paris Saint-Germain at the Rose Bowl on 15 June.

GOALKEEPER

Jan Oblak, 32

Slovenia (77/0)

Notable Clubs: Olimpija Ljubljana (34/0), Benfica (16/0), Uniao de Leiria (16/0), Rio Ave (28/0), Atletico Madrid (369/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €20M

Notes: Developed by Locan, Olimpija, and Olimpija Ljubljana. Won a Slovenian Second League title with Olimpija Ljubljana. Won a Primeira Liga title, Taca de Portugal, and Taca da Liga with Benfica. Won a La Liga title, Supercopa de Espana, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Super Cup with Atletico Madrid. Named Primera Liga Best Goalkeeper 2013-14. Named to La Liga Team of the Season 2015-16. Named three times to UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season. Named La Liga Best Goalkeeper 2015-16. Named four times to UEFA La Liga Team of the Season. Named to UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season 2017-18. Named eight times Slovenian Footballer of the Year. Named twice Slovenian Youth Footballer of the Year. Named La Liga Player of the Season 2020-21.

DEFENCE

Javi Galan, 30

Spain

Notable Clubs: Cordoba (77/4), Huesca (81/2), Celta Vigo (74/0), Atletico Madrid (30/0), Real Sociedad (14/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €4M

Notes: Full name: Javier Galan Gil. Developed by San Roque Badajoz, Don Bosco, and Flecha Negra. Won a Spanish Segunda Division title with Huesca.

Clement Lenglet, 30

France (16/1)

Notable Clubs: Nancy (77/2), Sevilla (52/3), Barcelona (105/4), Tottenham Hotspur (26/0), Aston Villa (14/0), Atletico Madrid (23/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €7.5M

Notes: Developed by Montchevreuil, Chantilly, and Nancy. Won a Ligue 2 title with Nancy. Won a La Liga title, two Copa del Reys, and a Supercopa de Espana with Barcelona.

Robin Le Normand, 28

Spain (23/1)

Notable Clubs: Brest (1/0), Real Sociedad (167/4), Atletico Madrid (27/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €40M

Notes: Developed by Brest. Won a Copa del Rey with Real Sociedad. Won a UEFA European Championship and a UEFA Nations League with Spain.

Marcos Llorente, 30

Spain (19/0)

Notable Clubs: Real Madrid (22/0), Alaves (32/0), Atletico Madrid (187/24)

Estimated Transfer Value: €25M

Notes: Full name: Marcos Llorente Moreno. Developed by Las Rozas, Nueva Rocena, Rayo Majadahonda, and Real Madrid. Won a UEFA Champions League and two FIFA Club World Cups with Real Madrid. Won a La Liga title with Atletico Madrid.

MIDFIELD

Samuel Lino, 25

Brazil

Notable Clubs: Gil Vicente (87/23), Atletico Madrid (65/7), Valencia (38/6)

Estimated Transfer Value: €22M

Notes: Developed by Sao Bernardo and Flamengo.

Pablo Barrios, 22

Spain (1/0)

Notable Clubs: Atletico Madrid (76/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €55M

Notes: Full name: Pablo Barrios Rivas. Developed by Moratalaz, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid. Has played for Spain at youth levels (17/0). Won an Olympic Gold Medal (FIFA U-23 World Cup).

Rodrigo De Paul, 31

Argentina (78/2)

Notable Clubs: Racing Club (65/6), Valencia (34/1), Udinese (177/33), Atletico Madrid (134/11)

Estimated Transfer Value: €25M

Notes: Developed by Racing Club. Won a FIFA World Cup, two Copa Americas, and a CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions with Argentina. Twice named to Copa America Team of the Tournament. Named to La Liga Team of the Season 2024-25.

Giuliano Simeone, 22

Argentina (5/1)

Notable Clubs: Atletico Madrid (34/2), Real Zaragoza (36/9), Alaves (14/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €35M

Notes: Full name: Giuliano Simeone Baldini. Developed by River Plate and Atletico Madrid.

FORWARD

Julian Alvarez, 25

Argentina (46/13)

Notable Clubs: River Plate (74/34), Manchester City (67/20), Atletico Madrid (37/17)

Estimated Transfer Value: €100M

Notes: Developed by Atletico Calchin and River Plate. Won an Argentine Primera Division title, a Copa Argentina, Supercopa Argentina, Trofeo de Campeones ,and a Copa Libertadores with River Plate. Won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, a UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup with Manchester City. Won a FIFA World Cup, two Copa Americas, and a CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions with Argentina. Won Golden Boot for Argentine Primera Division 2021 with River Plate (18 goals). Named to La Liga Team of the Season 2024-25.

Antoine Griezmann, 34

France (137/44)

Notable Clubs: Real Sociedad (180/46), Atletico Madrid (315/136), Barcelona (74/22)

Estimated Transfer Value: €18M

Notes: Developed by Entente Charnay et Macon 71, Macon, and Real Sociedad. Won a Spanish Segunda Division with Real Sociedad. Won a Supercopa de Espana, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Super Cup with Atletico Madrid. Won a Copa del Rey with Barcelona. Won a FIFA World Cup and UEFA Nations League with France. Named La Liga Best Player 2015-16. Named four times to La Liga Team of the Season. Named to UEFA La Liga Team of the Season 2015-16. Named twice to UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season. Named to UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season 2017-18. Named UEFA Europa League Player of the Season 2017-18. Named UEFA European Championship Player of the Tournament 2016. Won UEFA European Championship Golden Boot 2016 with France (6 goals). Named to UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament 2016. Named to UEFA Team of the Year 2016. Won a FIFA World Cup Bronze Ball 2018. Won a FIFA World Cup Silver Boot 2018 (4 goals).

Familiar Faces

None.

Squads

Sounders FC from:

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

Atletico Madrid from:

Musso, Oblak, Gomis, Esquivel, Gimenez, Azpilicueta, Molina, Galan, Mandava, Le Normand, Kostis, Bonar, Gallagher, De Paul, Koke, Barrios, Lemar, Lino, Llorente, Riquelme, Witsel, Serrano, Monserrate, Seidu, Belaid, Griezmann, Sorloth, Correa, Martin, Alvarez, Simeone, Nino, Janneh.

Injury List

(Best guess)

Sounders FC -

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

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

Atletico Madrid -

OUT: no information

MATCHDAY DECISION: no information

Discipline

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

Atletico Madrid: Lenglet is suspended and will serve a one-match ban. Le Normand, Simeone, Koke, Correa, and Mandava are out next match if booked.

Fun Fact

Sounders FC Reserves will play their next match on 29 June at LAFC2. The kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. PDT. Our Reserves are currently in 19th place in the MLS Next Pro table on 17 points, 13 points adrift of leaders RB New York II.

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC v. BOTAFOGO DE FUTEBOL E REGATAS - FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP - GROUP STAGE - ROYAL BROUGHAM PARK, OCCIDENTAL AVENUE, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Botafogo make the trip north from Rio de Janeiro for a lopsided matchup against our Boys in Green.

What: Club World Cup Group Stage match, Seattle Sounders FC v. Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas.

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

When: 7:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Sunday 15 June 2025 CE.

At Stake: Avoiding humiliation on a global stage. Oh, also heaps of cash. Heaps of cash are at stake.

Where to Watch: DAZN.

Where to Listen: I have no idea if local radio is covering this tournament.

I don’t even know what to write for this intro. As a writer, words often come naturally to me. I think. Words form in my mind. My fingers clack away at the keys, forming sentences, phrases, and hopefully a bit of engaging narrative using something resembling an actual style. There is so much going on in our country and in the world. Much of it is horrifying in the true definition of the word. This makes it difficult to enjoy the things that make us happy, as on some human level, we may feel varying levels of guilt at enjoying ourselves when so many go without food or shelter, and many others displaced, mass murdered, or both.

The idea of this tournament is not a bad one. Let’s see who the best is at club football in the entire world. However, it ignores gross inequalities between the institutions that organise the sport in different parts of the world. This turns CWC into a gross and squalid display.

In the before times, the club world championship was named after a Japanese auto maker and featured the reigning club champion from UEFA against the reigning champion from CONMEBOL. This iteration of the club world championship understood that competition in Europe and South America is at a vastly higher level than in the rest of the world, both in terms of quality and economic investment. There was an honesty in this format that Club World Cup lacks. The current message is “You’ve been included, haven’t you? So don’t piss and moan about taking a beating.”

End of the day, we earned the right to participate in this squalid display, and all it cost FIFA and its cavalcade of corpo sponsors to get us on board was $9.55 million. So let’s get on with it.

The Sounders’ matches in the group stage are extremely lopsided. Would I like to see us get positive results in this tournament? 100% I would. Are positive results probable? I would categorise the probability of positive results against these three opponents as highly unlikely, at best. I hope I’m wrong, but I just can’t see how we can realistically compete at this level, for a list of reasons that is so long that you could write a book about it.

That said, if you’re a massive Sounders FC supporter, it doesn’t matter what the strength of the opposition is. You turn up, you support, and you do so as loudly as humanly possible.

The Brougham End will give its usual warm welcome to our visitors from Brazil and will quickly demonstrate that playing matches at Royal Brougham Park requires the visiting team to enter the gates of Green Hell. Emerald City will sing, chant, swear, and yell, regardless of what it says on the scoreboard or how much time is left in the match.

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

If FIFA handed me €8M+ for just showing up for work, which is what CONCACAF clubs are getting for just showing up for CWC, that sounds like a pretty good deal in theory. However, what’s the catch? Where did the enormous amount of money come from? Answer: Shhh. I’m pretty sure it came from Access Industries blood money.

The Good News

Find me some good news related to Club World Cup and I’ll be happy to print it. It’s important to remember that it’s not a form of negativity to report objective truths that are negative.

As CONCACAF Champions Cup was a litmus test of how competitive we are within our world zone, Club World Cup will be a litmus test of how competitive we are within global football.

It’s quite possible that Botafogo are used to playing clubs that are interested in playing high-risk football, or as it’s otherwise known: Massive investment in playing attacking football and scoring goals. I love Sounders FC without question, but we do not play this sort of football; our philosophy is far more cynical, and we are forced to adopt cynicism because of the incredibly strict limits MLS imposes on its clubs. In addition, Longacres will only commit x amount of funding toward acquiring new talent, where x is a very, very, very small number when compared with some of the most competitive clubs in the world. I digress. It’s possible that the Sounders FC style of play might seriously impair the flow of play and amount of time and space on the ball that Botafogo are accustomed to.

This is an excellent opportunity to make friends with Brazilian football fans. Not during the match, of course, but it’s a rare opportunity to generate goodwill and learn new things. You should seize that opportunity.

The Bad News

There’s really no positive outcomes no matter what results MLS clubs may achieve in this tournament. If we are overrun, it lends credence to the idea that CONCACAF football clubs are weak opposition. If MLS clubs do well, it says “You too can offer substandard wages to players, and still have massive success”. There’s no way to win.

Botafogo has allowed one more goal than we have this season in all competitions. The compelling difference here is that Botafogo have played 11 more matches than we have, and against, arguably, much more difficult opponents. I believe this to be a critical statistic with regards to making any attempt to predict the outcome of this match.

Looks like ICE is going to “provide security” for the Club World Cup. What that means is, they are looking for an opportunity to deport massive numbers of people, whether they are undocumented immigrants or not.

We are about to play some of the most skilled and decorated clubs from Europe and South America without the Sounders all-time leader in goals scored, Jordan Morris, and without the most experienced and reliable defender, Yeimar Gomez Andrade, who are both out due to injury.

All the scheduled matches for Sounders FC in the tournament have the markings of an impossible uphill climb. Granted, we earned the right to be here, and the club gets $9.55M just for showing up, but the levels of mismatching here are gross.

Botafogo presents unique problems for us in terms of matchups. Brazilian teams tend to have a very high on-the-ball skill level rating at positions #1-11. I’ve looked at some film of these guys. Their football looks effortless. The decision-making is extremely fast. Attack does not solely rely on short-passing combinations or on service from crosses, as a decent chunk of their teams are comfortable and effective improvising whilst on the ball featuring sudden cutbacks and mazy runs whilst dribbling with incredible close control - often at a flat-out sprint. Players making runs expect the ball, and first touch is generally excellent. Players make space for themselves and for their teammates rather than crimping available spaces for teammates. They strike the ball hard, often with pinpoint accuracy. Need them to curl a strike or a free kick? Not a problem. Their passes are incisive, often breaking lines. They don’t even look bothered whilst they do these things.

Seems the prize money was partially put up by “…significant financial investment of broadcast partner DAZN…” as reported by The Sporting News. DAZN is owned by Access Industries. Access donated $1.8M to SuperPACs in 2015 supporting Republican presidential candidates Scott Walker and Lindsey Graham. Access Industries has holdings in natural resources, chemicals, media, telecommunications, venture capital, and real estate. It’s reasonable to conclude that it's pretty likely that the bulk of the prize money for this tournament is blood money.

MLS is going out of its way to stiff players out of a fair share of the CWC prize money, in a move that may be a clear violation of the CBA between MLS and the Player’s Union.

It’s so odd that no one at MLS ever mentions fixture clutter when there are piles of money at stake (Leagues Cup, Club World Cup, CONCACAF Champions Cup). Yet US Open Cup had to be undermined “for the safety of the players”. Wot a fucking joke.

The Side I Would Select

Like I said, it’s hard to match up with teams like Botafogo. We’ll need grit, tenacity, pace, and endurance to counter their skill and pace. I think this is our best selection:

GK     Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Bell

RB     Kossa-Rienzi

LDM    Vargas

RDM   Rusnak

LF     Kent

CAM   Ferreira

RF     de la Vega

CF     De Rosario

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

Apparently Kim is back in full training. I’d expect the team we saw in Vancouver minus Bell and plus Kim.

GK     Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Kim

RB     Alex

LDM    Vargas

RDM   Cristian

LF     Kent

CAM   Rusnak

RF     de la Vega

CF     Ferreira

Intangibles

The green green grass of home?

Royal Brougham Park has had a natural surface laid over the hybrid pitch for the CWC. Will the lads adjust well? Will the pitch play true and be well rooted?

Economic inequalities.

Sounders have spent €1.45M on disclosed transfer fees this season.

Botafogo have spent €99.9M on transfers for the 2024-25 season.

The style council.

Brazilian teams play a style very different from MLS sides. How will this affect the outcome?

Wear and tear.

Botafogo has played 33 matches in total this season in all competitions, compared to Sounders 22 for a difference of 11 matches. Is their squad worn to the nub?

Or fresh as a daisy?

Botafogo has not played a match since 4 June.

Show me the money.

The MLS Players Union is rightfully upset that MLS is ignoring or has modified a provision from the current CBA that states “…players can receive 50% of the prize money up to $1M in undefined tournaments. This includes the Club World Cup, which had not been announced at the time of CBA negotiations…” as reported by onefootball.com. Will it have an effect on players?

General notes on personnel

Botafogo transfers IN:

Thiago Almada (Atlanta United FC) €19.5M

Santiago Rodriguez (New York City FC) €14.3M

Jair Cunha (Santos) €12M

Artur (Zenit St. Petersburg) €10M

Matheus Martins (Udinese) €10M

Rwan Cruz (Ludogorets) €10M

Vitinho (Burnley) €8M

Nathan Fernandes (Gremio) €7.2M

Jeffinho (Olympique Lyon) €5.3M

David Ricardo (Ceara) €1.74M

Leo Linck (Atletico Paranense) €1.7M

Kauan Lindes (Coimbra) €160,000

Alex Telles (Al-Nassr) free

Allan (Al-Wahda) free

Joaquin Correa (Inter Milan) free

Igor Jesus (Shabab Al-Ahli) free

El Arouch (Olympique Lyon) free

Adryelson (Olympique Lyon) loan transfer

Gonzalo Mastriani (Atletico Paranense) loan transfer

Marcal - re-signed

Yarlen - reserves

Serafim - reserves

Rafael Lobato - reserves

Hugo (Vitoria) end of loan

Segovia (RWD Molenbeek) end of loan

Diego Hernandez (Leon) end of loan

Gustavo Sauer (Rizespor) end of loan

Carlos Alberto (RWD Molenbeek) end of loan

Luis Segovia (Clube de Regatas Brasil (AL)) end of loan

Patrick de Paula (Criciuma) end of loan

Kayque (Guarani) end of loan

Luis Oyama (Juventude) end of loan

Philipe Sampaio (RWD Molenbeek) end of loan

Valentin Adamo (Union Espanola) end of loan

Vinicius Lopes (Santa Clara) end of loan

Emerson Urso (Vila Nova) end of loan

Daniel Borges (America MG) end of loan

Breno (Sao Bernardo) end of loan

Chay (Guarani) end of loan

Rai (Boavista RJ) end of loan

Newton (Criciuma) end of loan

Lucas Mezenga (Tondela) end of loan

JP Galvao (Chapecoense) end of loan

Igo Gabriel (Confianca) end of loan

Vitor Marinho (ABC FC (RN)) end of loan

Gabriel Toebe (Avenida) end of loan

Botafogo transfers OUT:

Luiz Henrique (Zenit St. Petersburg) €33M

Junior Santos (Atletico Mineiro) €7.6M

Tiquinho Soares (Santos) €3M

Carlos Alberto (Sport Recife) €2.5M

Oscar Romero (Internacional) free

Tche Tche (Vasco da Gama) free

Luis Segovia (Clube de Regatas Brasil (AL))

Gustavo Sauer (Wuhan Three Towns) free

Eduardo (Cruzeiro) free

Keyque (Spartak Subotica) free

Vinicius Lopes (Santa Clara) free

Emerson Urso (Vila Nova) free

Daniel Borges (Mirassol) free

Breno (Figueirense) free

Roberto Fernandez (Cerro Porteno) free

Chay (Volta Redonda) free

Jacob Montes (RWD Molenbeek) free

Vitor Marinho (Ypiranga) free

Gabriel Toebe (Avenida) free

Lucas Mezenga (Al-Orooba) undisclosed

Jefferson (Portimonense) undisclosed

Thiago Almada (Olympique Lyon) loan

Matheus Nascimento (Los Angeles Galaxy) loan

Hugo (Vitoria) loan

Matias Segovia (Al-Ain) loan

Lucas Halter (Vitoria) loan

Diego Hernandez (Leon) loan

Patrick de Paula (Criciuma) loan

Luis Oyama (Novorizontino)  loan

Philipe Sampaio (Atletico Goianiense) loan

Valentin Adamo (Boston River) loan

Rai (Boavista RJ) loan

El Arouch - released

Damian Suarez - released

Marcal - released

Rafael - retired

Igo Gabriel - reserves

JP Galvao - reserves

Jeffinho (Olympique Lyon) end of loan

Adryelson (Olympique Lyon) end of loan

Lucas Fernandes (Portimonense) end of loan

Pablo (Flamengo) end of loan

Comparison against common opponents

n/a

Know Thine Enemy

Botafogo as they lined up against Ceara in their 3:2 victory at Estadio Nilton Santos on 4 June.

GOALKEEPER

John, 29

Brazil

Notable Clubs: Santos (19/0), Internacional (7/0), Real Valladolid (11/0), Botafogo (51/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €8M

Notes: Full name: John Victor Maciel Furtado. Developed by Sao Paulo and Santos. Won a Copa Libertadores and Brazilian league title with Botafogo. Named to Brazilian League Team of the Year 2024. Named to Copa Libertadores Team of the Tournament 2024.

DEFENCE

Alex Telles, 32

Brazil (12/0)

Notable Clubs: Juventude (28/2), Gremio (42/1), Galatasaray (39/2), Inter Milan (21/0), Porto (129/21), Manchester United (30/1), Sevilla (27/0), Al-Nassr (29/2), Botafogo (22/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €4M

Notes: Full name: Alex Nicolao Telles. Developed by Juventude. Won a Turkish league, two Turkish cups, and a Turkish Super Cup with Galatasaray. Won two Portuguese league titles, a Portuguese Cup, and a Portuguese Super Cup with Porto. Won a UEFA Europa League with Sevilla. Won an Arab Club Champions Cup with Al-Nassr. Won a Brazilian league title and a Copa Libertadores with Botafogo. Named to Brazilian League Team of the Year 2013. Named to Portuguese League Team of The Year three times. Named to Copa Libertadores Team of the Tournament 2024.

David Ricardo, 22

Brazil

Notable Clubs: Fluminense PI (9/0), Ceara (80/4), Botafogo (6/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Full name: David Ricardo Loiola da Silva. Developed by Altos, Fluminense PI, and Ceara.

Jair Cunha, 20

Brazil

Notable Clubs: Santos (24/0), Botafogo (11/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €13M

Notes: Full name: Jair Paula da Cunha Filho. Developed by Santos. Played for Brazil at youth levels (8/0).

Vitinho, 25

Brazil

Notable Clubs: Cruzeiro (1/0), Cercle Brugge (72/2), Burnley (75/4), Botafogo (15/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €6M

Notes: Full name: Victor Alexander da Silva. Won an English Championship league title with Burnley. Won a Copa Libertadores and Brazilian League title with Botafogo.

MIDFIELD

Gregore, 31

Brazil

Notable Clubs: Bahia (126/0), Inter Miami CF (65/0), Botafogo (36/3)

Estimated Transfer Value: €5M

Notes: Full name: Gregore de Magalhaes Silva Favero. Developed by Sport Juiz de Fora, Tupi, Tupynambas, and Joseense. Won a Brazilian league title and Copa Libertadores with Botafogo.

Marlon Freitas, 30

Brazil

Notable Clubs: Fluminense (19/1), Fort Lauderdale Strikers (31/8), STK Samorin (16/3), Criciuma (24/1), Botafogo SP (48/3), Atletico Goianiense (128/12), Botafogo (122/4)

Estimated Transfer Value: €6M

Notes: Full name: Marlon Rodrigues de Freitas. Developed by Fluminense. Won a Copa Libertadores and Brazilian league with Botafogo. Named to Brazilian League Team of the Year 2024. Named to Copa Libertadores Team of the Tournament 2024.

Igor Jesus, 24

Brazil (4/1)

Notable Clubs: Coritiba (56/7), Shabab Al-Ahli (66/34), Botafogo (37/9)

Estimated Transfer Value: €15M

Notes: Full name: Igor Jesus Maciel da Cruz. Developed by Coritiba. Won a United Arab Emirates Pro League title, UAE President’s Cup, UAE League Cup, and two UAE Super Cups with Shabab Al-Ahli. Won a Brazilian League title and Copa Libertadores with Botafogo.

FORWARD

Santiago Rodriguez, 25

Uruguay

Notable Clubs: Nacional (38/11), Montevideo City Torque (3/1), New York City FC (116/24), Botafogo (6/0), 

Estimated Transfer Value: €4.5M

Notes: Full name: Santiago Mariano Rodriguez Molina. Won two Uruguayan league titles and a Supercopa Uruguaya with Nacional. Won a Compeones Cup and MLS Cup with New York City FC. 

Gonzalo Mastriani, 32

Uruguay

Notable Clubs: Cerro (40/14), Gorica (9/1), Rentistas (23/5), Tampico Madero (12/1), Sud America (26/4), Boston River (29/7), Guayaquil City (54/24), Barcelona SC (44/14),  America Mineiro (39/18), Athletico Paranaense (21/4), Botafogo (7/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.5M

Notes: Full name: Gonzalo Mathias Mastriani Borges. Developed by Sauce and Cerro. Won a Golden Boot in the 2022-23 Copa Sudamericana, scoring nine goals for America Mineiro. Won a Slovenian Cup with Gorica.

Artur, 27

Brazil

Notable Clubs: Palmeiras (43/5), Bahia (39/8), RB Bragantino (145/29), Zenit St. Petersburg (22/4), Botafogo (10/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €8M

Notes: Full name: Artur Victor Guimaraes. Developed by Ceara and Palmeiras. Won three Brazilian League titles with Palmeiras. Won a Russian League title, Russian Cup, and Russian Super Cup with Zenit St. Petersburg.

Familiar Faces

None.

Squads

I’m pretty certain that up to date match information is only being provided by FIFA to access media outlets. FIFA does this to ensure limited criticism, as they have the threat of revoking press credentials if they don’t like what you write. It’s kind of how the American government’s relationship with the media is. Anyway, there’s basically zero info about injuries or that kind of thing for journalists that don’t have accreditation. If there are inaccuracies in this article, it’s because I didn’t have access to current information. Super fun.

Sounders FC from:

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

Botafogo from:

Raul, John, Leo Linck, Loor, Vitinho, Mateo Ponte, Telles, Bastos, Barboza, Marcal, Kaio, Jair Cunha, David Ricardo, Cuiabano, Danilo, Patrick De Paula, Montoro, Savarino, Marlon Freitas, Kaue, Rodriguez, Allan, Gregore, Newton, Kauan Lindes, Artur, Rwan Cruz, Matheus Martins, Nathan, Kayke, Correa, Mastriani, Jeffinho, Arthur Cabral, Igor Jesus.

Injury List

(best guess)

Sounders FC -

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

MATCHDAY DECISION: Hawkins (quadriceps).

Botafogo -

OUT: no information

MATCHDAY DECISION: no information

Discipline

No players suspended.

Fun Fact

On 11 June, Sounders FC U-18 player Leonardo Flores made his Sounders FC Reserves debut against Salt Lake Reserves at Sandy, Utah. Nice one, Leo!