2025 Seattle Sounders FC season

The 2025 season is the upcoming 17th season for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top flight of professional club soccer in the United States. It will be the 42nd season for a professional team bearing the Sounders name, which had originated in 1974 with the first incarnation of the franchise. The team will remain under the management of Brian Schmetzer in his ninth full MLS season as head coach of the Sounders.

Seattle Sounders FC
2025 season
General managerCraig Waibel
Head coachBrian Schmetzer
StadiumLumen Field
Major League SoccerTBD
MLS Cup PlayoffsTBD
U.S. Open CupTBD
CONCACAF Champions CupTBD
FIFA Club World CupTBD
Leagues CupTBD
Cascadia CupTBD
← 2024
2026 →

The Sounders will play a minimum of 42 total matches in MLS competitions, domestic cups, and two international tournaments organized by FIFA and CONCACAF.[1] They qualified for the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup based on their 2024 regular season finish and will enter in the first round.[1] The team will also play in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which they qualified for as winners of the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League. The group stage matches will be played at their home stadium, Lumen Field in Seattle.[2]

Background

edit

The Sounders finished the 2024 season as runners-up in the Western Conference Final of the MLS Cup Playoffs, semifinalists in the U.S. Open Cup, and quarterfinalists in the Leagues Cup.[3] The team had an overall record of 22 wins, 13 losses, and 12 draws in 47 competitive matches they played in 2024.[4] They spent the first half of the regular season with a losing record until an adjustment to the formation that gave the team the best record in MLS heading into the playoffs. The Sounders also conceded fewer goals than any other MLS team during the regular season.[5][6] The team relied heavily on homegrown players and did not sign new players during the summer transfer window.[6]

Summary

edit

On December 4, 2024, the Sounders exercised contract options on six players and declined options on three others. Among the departures was Raúl Ruidíaz, the top goalscorer in the team's MLS era, who played seven seasons with the club.[1][7] The Sounders are scheduled to open the season in February with the first round of 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup in a home-and-away series against Guatemalan club Antigua GFC.[1] The MLS regular season begins at the end of the month and will include a break for part of the FIFA Club World Cup in June.[8] The Sounders will host their three group stage matches in the Club World Cup at Lumen Field; their opponents are Brazilian club Botafogo, Atlético Madrid of Spain, and Paris Saint-Germain of France.[4]

Competitions

edit

Major League Soccer

edit

Standings

edit

MLS Western Conference table (2025)
Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
10 San Diego FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 San Jose Earthquakes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12 Seattle Sounders FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
13 St. Louis City SC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
14 Sporting Kansas City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: February 22, 2025. Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
Overall MLS standings table
Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
24 San Diego FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
25 San Jose Earthquakes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
26 Seattle Sounders FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
27 St. Louis City SC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
28 Sporting Kansas City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: February 22, 2025. Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)

Regular season

edit

The MLS regular season schedule was released on December 19, 2024.[9] The Sounders will play 34 matches—17 at home and 17 away—primarily against the 14 other teams in the Western Conference; the team will also play six opponents from the Eastern Conference. The regular season will include a break for the FIFA Club World Cup and CONCACAF Gold Cup in June but continue through the Leagues Cup in August, unlike previous seasons.[10][11]

February 22 1 Seattle Sounders FC v Charlotte FC Seattle, Washington
7:30 pm PST Stadium: Lumen Field
March 1 2 Real Salt Lake v Seattle Sounders FC Sandy, Utah
1:30 pm PST Stadium: America First Field
March 8 3 Seattle Sounders FC v Los Angeles FC Seattle, Washington
1:30 pm PST Stadium: Lumen Field
March 15 4 St. Louis City SC v Seattle Sounders FC St. Louis, Missouri
5:30 pm PDT Stadium: Energizer Park
March 22 5 Seattle Sounders FC v Houston Dynamo FC Seattle, Washington
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
March 29 6 (HC) San Jose Earthquakes v Seattle Sounders FC San Jose, California
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: PayPal Park
April 5 7 San Diego FC v Seattle Sounders FC San Diego, California
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: Snapdragon Stadium
April 12 8 FC Dallas v Seattle Sounders FC Frisco, Texas
5:30 pm PDT Stadium: Toyota Stadium
April 19 9 Seattle Sounders FC v Nashville SC Seattle, Washington
4:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
April 26 10 Colorado Rapids v Seattle Sounders FC Commerce City, Colorado
6:30 pm PDT Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park
May 3 11 Seattle Sounders FC v St. Louis City SC Seattle, Washington
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
May 10 12 Houston Dynamo FC v Seattle Sounders FC Houston, Texas
5:30 pm PDT Stadium: Shell Energy Stadium
May 14 13 Los Angeles FC v Seattle Sounders FC Los Angeles, California
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: BMO Stadium
May 17 14 (CC) Portland Timbers v Seattle Sounders FC Portland, Oregon
6:30 pm PDT Stadium: Providence Park
May 24 15 Seattle Sounders FC v FC Dallas Seattle, Washington
12:00 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
May 28 16 Seattle Sounders FC v San Diego FC Seattle, Washington
5:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
June 1 17 Seattle Sounders FC v Minnesota United FC Seattle, Washington
3:00 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
June 8 18 (CC) Vancouver Whitecaps FC v Seattle Sounders FC Vancouver, British Columbia
6:00 pm PDT Stadium: BC Place
June 28 19 Seattle Sounders FC v Austin FC Seattle, Washington
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
July 6 20 Seattle Sounders FC v Columbus Crew Seattle, Washington
2:00 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
July 12 21 Sporting Kansas City v Seattle Sounders FC Kansas City, Kansas
5:30 pm PDT Stadium: Children's Mercy Park
July 16 22 Seattle Sounders FC v Colorado Rapids Seattle, Washington
6:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
July 19 23 (HC) Seattle Sounders FC v San Jose Earthquakes Seattle, Washington
5:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
July 26 24 Atlanta United FC v Seattle Sounders FC Atlanta, Georgia
4:30 pm PDT Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadiun
August 10 25 LA Galaxy v Seattle Sounders FC Carson, California
7:00 pm PDT Stadium: Dignity Health Sports Park
August 16 26 Minnesota United FC v Seattle Sounders FC Saint Paul, Minnesota
5:30 pm PDT Stadium: Allianz Field
August 24 27 Seattle Sounders FC v Sporting Kansas City Seattle, Washington
6:00 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
August 30 28 Seattle Sounders FC v Real Salt Lake Seattle, Washington
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
September 13 29 Seattle Sounders FC v LA Galaxy Seattle, Washington
5:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
September 16 30 Inter Miami CF v Seattle Sounders FC Fort Lauderdale, Florida
4:30 pm PDT Stadium: Chase Stadium
September 20 31 Austin FC v Seattle Sounders FC Austin, Texas
5:30 pm PDT Stadium: Q2 Stadium
September 27 32 (CC) Seattle Sounders FC v Vancouver Whitecaps FC Seattle, Washington
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
October 4 33 (CC) Seattle Sounders FC v Portland Timbers Seattle, Washington
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
October 18 34 New York City FC v Seattle Sounders FC New York City, New York
3:00 pm PDT Stadium: TBA

CONCACAF Champions Cup

edit

The Sounders will play in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the regional club championship for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, for the eighth season since entering MLS. The team qualified for the tournament based on the 2024 MLS Supporters' Shield standings using a seed vacated by the LA Galaxy after they won MLS Cup 2024.[12] The Sounders were placed into Pot 1 as one of the top eight clubs in the CONCACAF Club Rankings for the round one draw.[13]

Round one

edit
February 19 First leg Antigua   v   Seattle Sounders FC Antigua, Guatemala
5:00 pm PST Stadium: Estadio Pensativo
February 26 Second leg Seattle Sounders FC   v   Antigua Seattle, Washington, United States
7:30 pm PST Stadium: Lumen Field

FIFA Club World Cup

edit

The Sounders will play in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the first edition of the expanded worldwide club competition, having qualified as winners of the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League. They will host their group stage matches at Lumen Field in Seattle.[2]

Group stage (Group B)

edit

The draw for the group stage was held on December 5, 2024. Seattle Sounders FC was in pot 4 but automatically assigned to Group B for scheduling purposes.[14]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification   PAR   ATM   BOT   SEA
1   Paris Saint-Germain 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2   Atlético Madrid 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3   Botafogo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4   Seattle Sounders FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: June 15, 2025. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Transfers

edit

For transfers in, dates listed are when Seattle Sounders FC officially signed the player to the roster. Transactions where only the rights to the players are acquired are not listed. For transfers out, dates listed are when Seattle Sounders FC officially removed the players from its roster, not when they signed with another club. If a player later signed with another club, his new club will be noted, but the date listed here remains the one when he was officially removed from the Seattle Sounders FC roster.

Incoming transfers for Seattle Sounders FC
Player No. Pos. Previous team Notes Date
  Leo Burney (USA) DF   University of Pennsylvania (USA) Homegrown Player December 11, 2024[15]
  Travian Sousa (USA) DF   Tacoma Defiance (USA) December 11, 2024[15]
Outgoing transfers for Seattle Sounders FC
Player No. Pos. New team Notes Date
  Sota Kitahara (USA) 77 MF Option declined[16] December 4, 2024
  Nathan (BRA) 4 DF Option declined[16] December 4, 2024
  João Paulo (BRA) 6 MF Out of contract[16] December 4, 2024
  Raúl Ruidíaz (PER) 9 FW Out of contract[16] December 4, 2024
  Albert Rusnák (SVK) 11 MF Out of contract[16] December 4, 2024
  Dylan Teves (USA) 99 FW Option declined[16] December 4, 2024

Draft picks

edit

Draft picks were not automatically signed to the team roster. Only those who are signed to a contract were listed as transfers in. Only trades involving draft picks and executed after the start of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft are listed in the notes.

2025 MLS SuperDraft picks for Seattle Sounders FC[17]
Player Nationality Round Pick Pos. Previous team Notes
Ryan Baer   United States 1st 28 MF   West Virginia Mountineers (USA)
Demian Alvarez   United States 2nd 58 DF   Seattle Redhawks (USA)
Trace Terry   United States 3rd 76 FW   Bowling Green Falcons (USA)

Other transactions

edit
  • On December 12, 2024, Seattle Sounders FC sold two international roster slots to San Diego FC for $250,000 in 2025 general allocation money.[18]
  • On December 20, 2024, Seattle Sounders FC sold two international roster slots to the New York Red Bulls for $300,000 in 2025 general allocation money and $50,000 in 2026 general allocation money.[19]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d Booth, Tim (December 10, 2024). "Sounders facing complicated offseason ahead of crucial 2025 slate". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Booth, Tim (October 15, 2024). "Lumen Field will host games for FIFA Club World Cup in 2025". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  3. ^ Evans, Jayda (November 30, 2024). "Sounders 'ran out of juice' in 1-0 loss to LA Galaxy, fall a game shy of MLS Cup". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Evans, Jayda (December 7, 2024). "Sounders' Club World Cup schedule released; Seattle qualifies for CONCACAF Champions Cup". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  5. ^ Doyle, Matthew (December 2, 2024). "Seattle Sounders: What we learned in 2024 & what comes next". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Calkins, Matt (November 29, 2024). "What would another MLS Cup mean to Brian Schmetzer's underrated legacy?". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  7. ^ Evans, Jayda (December 4, 2024). "Sounders part ways with club scoring leader as offseason work begins". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  8. ^ Tenorio, Paul; Maurer, Pablo (December 6, 2024). "Major League Soccer to pause games during 2026 World Cup". The Athletic. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  9. ^ "MLS unveils 2025 Regular Season schedule". MLSsoccer.com. December 19, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  10. ^ Evans, Jayda (December 19, 2024). "Here's what is on Sounders schedule for 2025". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  11. ^ "2025 MLS schedule: Most important dates & key info". MLSsoccer.com. December 19, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  12. ^ Oshan, Jeremiah (December 7, 2024). "Galaxy win puts Sounders in Concacaf Champions Cup". Sounder at Heart. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  13. ^ "2025 Concacaf Champions Cup Official Draw Pots and Procedures" (Press release). CONCACAF. December 9, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  14. ^ "FIFA 2025 Club World Cup draw: How to watch & everything to know". MLSsoccer.com. December 3, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Sounders FC Signs Defenders Travian Sousa and Leo Burney" (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c d e f "Sounders FC Announces Roster Decisions to Conclude 2024 Season" (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  17. ^ "Sounders FC Selects Midfielders Ryan Baer, Defender Demian Alvarez and Forward Trace Terry in MLS SuperDraft 2025" (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. December 20, 2024. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  18. ^ Finley, Ryan (December 12, 2024). "San Diego FC acquires defender from New York Red Bulls, continues building roster for inaugural season". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  19. ^ "Sounders FC Receives $350,000 in General Allocation Money" (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. December 20, 2024. Retrieved December 21, 2024.