The 2023 season was the 40th season of Seattle Sounders FC, a professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was their 15th year in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top flight of American soccer, and the 40th season played by a professional team bearing the Sounders name, which originated in 1974 with the first incarnation of the franchise. The team was under the management of Brian Schmetzer in his seventh full MLS season as head coach of the Sounders.
Seattle had won the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League and qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup, which was played in early February. Following a preseason camp in Spain, the team traveled to Morocco and played Egypt's Al Ahly in the second round, where they lost 1–0. The Sounders returned to the United States and played in the MLS regular season from February to October; they finished second in the Western Conference and qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2021 season. In the playoffs, the Sounders eliminated FC Dallas in a best-of-three series but lost to defending champions Los Angeles FC in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Early in the 2022 season, the Sounders won the CONCACAF Champions League by defeating UNAM of Liga MX. They became the first Major League Soccer team to win the CONCACAF Champions League and third to win an international CONCACAF competition.[2] The season ended with the team missing the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in the league, snapping a 13-year streak—among the longest in professional North American sports at the time.[3][4] Four Sounders players were called up to international teams for the 2022 FIFA World Cup: forward Jordan Morris and midfielder Cristian Roldan for the United States; defender Nouhou for Cameroon; and defender Xavier Arreaga for Ecuador.[5]
The 2023 season was the first with jersey sponsor Providence Health & Services.[6] The choice of Providence as sponsor was criticized by fans and several organizations, including the Emerald City Supporters and the Sounders FC Alliance Council, due to the healthcare system's policies on abortion and transgender care, as well as its treatment of low-income patients.[7] It was also the first under a broadcast contract with Apple TV+, which offered all league matches through its MLS Season Pass streaming platform. The club's television play-by-play commentator, Keith Costigan, joined Apple's national broadcast team while other members moved to the retained radio broadcast or other roles.[8] A limited number of MLS matches were also broadcast on U.S. television by Fox Sports, including six that featured the Sounders.[9]
The Sounders opened their training camp at Starfire Sports in Tukwila on January 4, 2023, with a full roster of healthy outfield players following the return of João Paulo and Obed Vargas from their 2022 injuries.[16] The team played several intra-squad scrimmages during their Seattle training camp due to difficulty finding MLS and USL Championship teams with open schedules.[17][18] The Sounders moved to Marbella, Spain, in late January as part of preparations for the FIFA Club World Cup hosted in Morocco the following month.[19] There, the club was split into separate teams for scrimmages on January 28 against two European teams: a scoreless draw with Wolfsberger AC of Austria and a 3–2 loss to Swedish side Hammarby IF.[20][21]
Seattle entered the Club World Cup in the second round and lost 1–0 to Egypt's Al Ahly, conceding a deflected goal in the 88th minute.[22] They were the first MLS team to play in the Club World Cup and earned $1 million in prize money as a participant.[23] The team were eliminated from the tournament, but a month later qualified for the expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup as one of four CONCACAF entrants—all recent Champions League winners.[24] Following their return from Morocco, the Sounders played a closed-door scrimmage against Louisville City FC of the USL Championship and won 2–1 with a set of rotated lineups.[25] Several players remained in limited training through the end of February due to injuries and fatigue, including Vargas and striker Raúl Ruidíaz.[26]
February and March
Jordan Morris(pictured in 2019) became the first Sounders player to score four goals in an MLS match
The Sounders opened their MLS regular season campaign on February 26 at home against the Colorado Rapids. The team earned a 4–0 win—Cristian Roldan scored the opening goal of the season and was followed by Jordan Morris' pair of headers. Héber also scored in his MLS debut for the club.[27] Morris and Héber scored a goal each in the following week's 2–0 victory over Real Salt Lake at home.[28] Héber later suffered a hamstring injury during training and was replaced in the starting lineup by Fredy Montero, who had returned to the Sounders on a renewed one-year contract. Seattle's first away match of the season ended in a 1–0 loss to FC Cincinnati despite the home side earning a red card. A late equalizing goal by Yeimar Gómez Andrade was called off by the video assistant referee due to a foul in the build-up.[29]
The team earned their third home shutout in a scoreless draw with reigning MLS Cup 2022 champions Los Angeles FC. Ruidíaz returned to the starting lineup, but was substituted early due to injury concerns.[30] The Sounders played against Sporting Kansas City with several positional changes due to the absence of six players who had been called up to international teams. Jordan Morris became the first Sounders player to score four goals—all assisted by Léo Chú—in the club's 4–1 victory, their first on the road since July 2022.[31][32] Morris was moved from the wing to the center forward position to compensate for the loss of Ruidíaz and Héber, but their recovery left the Sounders with more offensive options. In an interview, manager Brian Schmetzer stated that "Sounders fans should be happy because we've got a really freakin' good team."[33]
April
Morris scored his fifth consecutive goal for the club in a 2–1 win over the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. The goal was assisted by Chú, who also scored from outside the 18-yard box in the first half.[34] The Galaxy cut the lead by a goal and made several unsuccessful attempts to score an equalizer; the team appealed for a penalty following an alleged handball by Nouhou in stoppage time, but were denied.[35] Goalkeeper Stefan Frei finished the match with seven saves and tied Osvaldo Alonso for the most MLS starts in club history at 322 matches.[34]Brian Schmetzer also became the third-fastest coach in MLS history to reach 100 wins, having done so in 212 matches.[34] During a home match the following week, the Sounders earned a 3–0 victory over expansion team St. Louis City SC to replace them atop the Western Conference. Josh Atencio scored his first career MLS goal, while Raúl Ruidíaz returned as a substitute and scored his first goal since September 2022.[36][37]
The Sounders traveled to Portland and faced their local rivals, the Timbers, without starting midfielders Cristian Roldan and Albert Rusnák, who were both injured. Ruidíaz scored the opening goal of the match in the 58th minute, but the Timbers scored four goals to earn their fourth consecutive win against the Sounders.[38] After the match, Schmetzer called the result an "emotional punch to the jaw" and said that the Sounders "have to get back to understanding that this is a rivalry"; he also attributed the shift in momentum to his substitution of Léo Chú for Héber and uncharacteristic defensive mistakes.[39][40] Ruidíaz suffered a hamstring strain during the match and was later ruled out for four to five weeks;[41] Cristian Roldan, still under concussion protocols, and left-back Nouhou were also unavailable for the next match at home against Minnesota United FC.[42] Rusnák scored his first goal of the season in the 1–0 victory over Minnesota in the 79th minute, ending a defensive deadlock that had limited scoring chances for the Sounders.[42]
The club entered the U.S. Open Cup in the third round along with other lower-ranked MLS teams and hosted San Diego Loyal SC of the second-division USL Championship at Starfire Sports in Tukwila. The Sounders fielded a lineup of reserves with eight players making their 2023 debuts—including several players from reserve side Tacoma Defiance on temporary contracts—to rest starters for upcoming league matches.[43] The hosts took a 2–0 lead over San Diego in the opening half-hour, but conceded a penalty in the 53rd minute that was converted by Joe Corona. The Sounders reclaimed their two-goal lead but conceded twice—a free kick from Corona and a long-distance strike by Kyle Adams in stoppage time—to finish regulation time at 3–3. In extra time, Reed Baker-Whiting scored from outside the box for Seattle, but San Diego's Jackson Kasanzu headed an equalizer shortly after entering as a substitute. Kasanzu conceded a penalty in stoppage time that was converted by Fredy Montero for his second goal of the game as the Sounders won 5–4 and advanced in the U.S. Open Cup for the first time since 2017.[43][44]
May
The Sounders returned to MLS play with a scoreless draw against Real Salt Lake in Utah, where the team had only won once in fifteen previous regular season matches. Defender Kelyn Rowe started the match and left in stoppage time with a knee injury; he had replaced Nouhou after the latter contracted malaria.[45][46] Defiance defender Cody Baker was signed to a short-term contract to replace Rowe ahead of the next match at home against Sporting Kansas City, which the Sounders would play without the injured Roldan and Ruidíaz, as well as João Paulo for yellow card accumulation.[47][48] Sporting Kansas City earned their first win of the season after scoring twice in the opening half-hour; Montero earned a penalty for the Sounders in the second half that was converted by Lodeiro, but the team lost 2–1, their first loss and non-shutout at home in 2023.[48] The Sounders were eliminated from the U.S. Open Cup in the round of 32, played a few days later, by losing 3–1 on the road to the LA Galaxy. The club fielded six reserve and youth players alongside Fredy Montero and Xavier Arreaga, but conceded two goals to Memo Rodríguez in the second half. Paul Rothrock scored his second goal of the tournament for the Sounders from a header in the 68th minute, shortly after Rodríguez's first goal.[49]
A few days after their elimination from the U.S. Open Cup, the team traveled to play the Houston Dynamo with both Baker and Rothrock signing an additional short-term contract to fill in for injured first-team players. The match was disrupted in the first half by a weather delay and included two red cards shown to Dynamo players; the sole goal in the 1–0 away victory was scored by Rothrock in the 87th minute.[50] A total of eight players who appeared during the match against the Dynamo had been developed in the Sounders academy, setting a club record.[51] The Sounders returned home to play Austin FC, who snapped an eight-match winless streak with a 2–1 midweek win at Lumen Field; after several substitutions, Fredy Montero scored for Seattle in the 79th minute and the team unsuccessfully pushed for an equalizer.[52] The Sounders then lost 2–0 on the road to Vancouver Whitecaps FC, conceding a goal to Pedro Vite in the first half and an own goal by Stefan Frei in the second; the result dropped the team to second in the Western Conference.[53]
The Sounders began a three-match homestand with a 1–0 win against the New York Red Bulls, who they played for the first time in four years. Morris scored the lone goal of the match in the 22nd minute, but was substituted three minutes later due to a groin injury; Seattle maintained a shutout despite losing João Paulo, who was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in the second half.[54] In a midweek home match, the Sounders lost 1–0 to the San Jose Earthquakes, who broke a 14-match away winless streak. Jeremy Ebobisse scored early in the second half as the hosts made 23 shots that forced eight saves out of Earthquakes goalkeeper Daniel.[55] The team finished May still atop the Western Conference standings and only one home win in four matches at Lumen Field.[56]
June and July
On June 3, the Sounders and women's team OL Reign held a doubleheader event at Lumen Field, their shared home venue, against their respective Portland rivals.[57] The clubs sold 42,054 tickets to the doubleheader, which began with a scoreless draw between the Sounders and Timbers; it was the 100th MLS shutout for Frei and also marked the return of Cristian Roldan following his concussion.[58] After the match, Schmezter stated that the team had "dropped points" but he "believe[d] in the process that we have" especially as players returned from injuries; the Sounders had only scored four goals over an eight-match stretch that included four losses.[59] The team then traveled to play Charlotte FC with Roldan and Ruidíaz returning to the starting lineup for the first time since early April. The Sounders took the lead three times through a first-half goal by Roldan and a brace from Ruidíaz, but the match ended in a 3–3 draw.[60]
The team took a break from play during the mid-June international window and lost Jordan Morris, Cristian Roldan, and Alex Roldán to national team call-ups ahead of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Sounders played mid-week on the road against Los Angeles FC and lost 1–0 after conceding a goal in the first minute and struggled to find a chance to equalize.[61] They returned home and played Orlando City SC to a scoreless draw to continue their month-long winless streak; Ruidíaz was absent for the match to attend a family funeral.[62] The five-match winless streak for the Sounders ended on July 1 with a 1–0 win at home against the Houston Dynamo, who again had a player sent off. Rusnák scored the lone goal of the match in the 67th minute.[63]
The Sounders traveled to Vancouver for their next match but would play with goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland replacing Stefan Frei, who had a concussion during training. The team won 3–2 after trailing twice against the Whitecaps and not earning a penalty for a potential handball in the box. Léo Chú scored two equalizing goals in the 60th and 76th minutes from set-pieces that were assisted by defender Jackson Ragen's headers. The winning goal was created in stoppage time by Chú's cross into the box, which was deflected to reach Yeimar Gómez Andrade, who scored from inside the box.[64] In their second away match of the week, the Sounders lost 2–0 to the San Jose Earthquakes, who won the Heritage Cup as a result. San Jose scored from a penalty kick in the 19th minute and a volley shot off a corner kick in the second half, while Seattle were limited to two shots on goal.[65] The Sounders returned home to face FC Dallas with their full contingent of starting players after the conclusion of the Gold Cup. The teams played to a 1–1 draw that began with an own goal by Dallas defender Sam Junqua and was followed by a Bernard Kamungo header to equalize in the first half. Seattle entered the Leagues Cup break at fourth place in the Western Conference.[66]
Leagues Cup
The starting lineups for the Sounders and Liga MX club C.F. Monterrey in their 2023 Leagues Cup group stage match on July 30.
In July and August, MLS play halted for the Leagues Cup, an international competition with Liga MX clubs hosted in the United States and Canada.[67] The Sounders were drawn into group West 2 alongside Real Salt Lake and Liga MX's Monterrey.[68] They opened the tournament on the road with a loss to Real Salt Lake after a scoreless first half. The Sounders made several half-time substitutions and called for a penalty early, but instead conceded from a counter-attack while disputing the referee's non-call. Real Salt Lake defender Marcelo Silva was shown a red card in the 60th minute for a foul, but the hosts won 3–0.[69] The Sounders hosted Monterrey in the final matchday of the group stage and scored two goals in the first ten minutes, but then conceded four goals—including a hat-trick by Germán Berterame—to lose 4–2. The team were eliminated from the Leagues Cup and finished third in group West 2; their next match would be 20 days later in mid-August.[70]
August and September
The Sounders returned to regular season play on August 20 by hosting Atlanta United FC at Lumen Field under hazy conditions due to nearby wildfires. The team lost 2–0 as Atlanta's Giorgos Giakoumakis scored in the 11th and 65th minutes to beat Stefan Frei, who had been named captain and set a new club record for appearances in all competitions with his 340th match. The Sounders had several chances in the second half, but were unable to convert them.[71] In their next match, on the road against Minnesota United FC, the Sounders made several positional changes and earned a draw. Both goals in the 1–1 draw were created through headers by Yeimar—a 17th-minute goal for the Sounders and an own goal in the second half—and Frei made three saves in the last minutes of the game.[72]
The team ended their six-match run without a win by defeating Austin FC 2–1 during an away game at the end of August. The Sounders took the lead early in the second half through Jordan Morris while Frei made several saves to prevent Austin from scoring a second goal; both Morris's goal and a Frei save minutes later were reviewed by the video assistant referee but allowed to stand. The winning goal was scored at the beginning of stoppage time by Albert Rusnák after he received a rebound from an earlier shot by Obed Vargas.[73] The Sounders then hosted the Portland Timbers in their penultimate Cascadia Cup fixture of the season; the home side took a 2–0 lead in the first half through goals by Raúl Ruidíaz and Léo Chú, who was sent off in the 53rd minute for his second yellow card of the match. The Timbers equalized through a pair of goals three minutes apart, but were held to a 2–2 draw after several saves from Frei. The two goals were the most the Sounders had scored at Lumen Field since April but extended a six-year home winless streak against the Timbers.[74][75]
The Sounders began a three-match road trip by playing FC Dallas to a 1–1 draw that saw the return of Cristian Roldan following his concussion treatments. Dallas took the lead in the first half, but Alex Roldán's volley off a cross by Reed Baker-Whiting in the 57th minute tied the score.[76] The team traveled to play the Colorado Rapids later in the week and won 2–1 to maintain their second-place rank in the Western Conference. Chú returned from his suspension to score the opening goal in the 34th minute, which was followed by Rusnák's header in the second half from a Cristian Roldan cross; the Rapids scored in the 80th minute, but were unable to find an equalizer and lost to the Sounders at home for the first time since 2018.[77] After a one-week bye, they finished the road trip with a scoreless draw against Nashville SC. Héber's goal for the Sounders in the 58th minute was disallowed after video review due to an offside.[78]
October
The team clinched a playoff berth on October 4 with their 2–1 defeat of the LA Galaxy, their first home win since July. The Sounders took the lead in the ninth minute through a header from Jordan Morris, but conceded an equalizer early in the second half; Cristian Roldan scored the winning goal in stoppage time off a throw-in by Alex Roldan that was headed towards him by Josh Atencio.[79] Seattle's final home regular season match was played three days later against Vancouver Whitecaps FC with 33,666 in attendance. It finished in a scoreless draw as Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka made five saves. The result dropped the Sounders to third in the Western Conference.[80]
On Decision Day, the Sounders defeated conference leaders St. Louis City SC 2–0 on the road and clinched second in the Western Conference;[81] with a loss, the team could have finished as low as sixth.[82] Both goals were scored in the first half, beginning with Rusnák's shot from distance in the 23rd minute, which was followed by Reed Baker-Whiting's attempt that was deflected by Tim Parker as an own goal.[81] St. Louis were awarded a penalty kick for a foul by Cristian Roldan on Niko Gioacchini in the 66th minute, but it was rescinded after video review due to the lack of contact.[83]
Seattle finished the regular season with a 14–9–11 record and were undefeated in their final nine matches. Stefan Frei set a team record for the most shutouts in a season at 14, surpassing his total in the 2017 season.[81] Jordan Morris was the top goalscorer during the regular season with 11 goals in 26 matches.[84] The Sounders had an average attendance of 32,161 spectators per home match, the third highest in the league.[85]
As the second-place team in the Western Conference, the Sounders were paired with seventh-placed FC Dallas in the first round of the playoffs, which would be played as a best-of-three series.[84] The team hosted the opening match at Lumen Field and won 2–0 with Rusnák's penalty kick before half-time and a header by Morris off Nouhou's cross in the 74th minute. Stefan Frei made four saves to keep a shutout after several turnovers gave Dallas opportunities to shoot on goal.[86] In the second game, the Sounders lost 3–1 after a penalty kick was awarded to Dallas by the video assistant referee in the 13th minute and a second goal five minutes later. Morris scored after half-time and had another goal that was ruled offside; a foul on Ruidíaz in the 75th minute was recommended for a potential penalty kick by the video assistant referee but was not awarded.[87] A berth in the Conference Semifinals was clinched on November 10 with a 1–0 home victory, giving the Sounders a 2–1 result in the best-of-three series. Rusnák scored the lone goal of the match in the 36th minute amid several Seattle chances that missed or were saved by Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes.[88]
The playoffs paused for three weeks due to an international break and resumed with the Conference Semifinals.[89] The Sounders hosted defending MLS Cup champions Los Angeles FC in the Western Conference Semifinals on November 26 and lost 1–0 after they conceded a goal to Denis Bouanga in the 30th minute. The Sounders had the majority of chances to score but failed to beat goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, who made seven saves.[90] Referee Ted Unkel was criticized by media and fans for his officiating during the match, particularly missed calls that would have been in Seattle's favor. The defeat marked the end of a 19-match unbeaten streak at home in the playoffs for the Sounders and was their first home playoff loss since 2013.[91]
Source: MLS A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Regular season
The Major League Soccer schedule was released on December 20, 2022.[9] The Sounders played 34 matches—mostly against opponents from the Western Conference—during the regular season from February 26 to October 21.[95]
The 2023 edition of the MLS Cup Playoffs was contested by the top nine teams in each conference beginning on October 25 and culminating with the MLS Cup final on December 9. The top seven teams in the conference qualified for Round One, a best-of-three series, along with the winner of a wild card match between the eighth and ninth seeds. The remaining rounds were single-elimination matches.[98]
The Sounders entered the 2023 U.S. Open Cup in the third round as part of the lower tranche of MLS teams, as determined by their final position in the 2022 regular season. The third round's matchups were decided in a regionalized draw on April 6.[99]
The 2023 Leagues Cup, an expanded version of the inter-league competition between MLS and Liga MX hosted in the United States and Canada, began on July 21. All MLS matches were paused until the end of the tournament on August 19. The Sounders were drawn into group West 2 alongside Real Salt Lake and Liga MX's Monterrey;[68] the schedule for the tournament was announced on March 9, 2023.[100] MLS teams played a minimum of two matches in the tournament, of which they hosted at least one.[101]
For the 2023 season, the Sounders were permitted a maximum of 30 signed players on the first team, of which 10 roster positions were designated for supplemental and reserve players.[102] A base salary cap of $5.21 million applied to the non-supplemental players with exceptions for certain categories, including the club's three designated players—Nicolás Lodeiro, Raúl Ruidíaz, and Albert Rusnák—who each counted for a reduced amount.[102][103] Seattle's player wages at the end of the season totaled approximately $19.2 million, ranking seventh among MLS teams.[104] The Sounders were allocated eight international slots that could be filled by players from outside the United States who did not have a green card.[105] By the end of preseason, the team had three remaining open slots and two occupied slots; the other three were sold to other teams.[106]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Squad includes all players who had first team contracts or appearances during the 2023 season across all competitions. Ages listed for each player is calculated from February 26, 2023, the first matchday of the MLS regular season.
Players called up to the first team from Tacoma Defiance for matches outside the regular season and playoffs, such as the U.S. Open Cup and Leagues Cup, are listed here.
A total of 27 players made at least one appearance for the Sounders during the 2023 season across all competitions. Midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro and defender Yeimar Gómez Andrade appeared in the most matches (40); Stefan Frei made the most appearances as goalkeeper, at 38 matches.[112][113]Jordan Morris was the team's leading goalscorer in 2023 with 14 goals, while captain Nicolás Lodeiro had the most assists at 11 in the regular season and playoffs.[113][114]
The MLS season has two transfer windows during which teams could register new players from outside of the league and those who required an International Transfer Certificate. The primary window was scheduled from January 31 to April 24; it was followed by a secondary window from July 5 to August 2 and a roster freeze date of September 15.[102] Between the transfer windows, teams are allowed to sign free agents or other U.S.-based players, including those traded between MLS teams for other players, general allocation money, or various league slots.[102][116]
For transfers in, dates listed are when Seattle Sounders FC officially signed the players 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.[117]
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 2023 MLS SuperDraft are listed in the notes.
The Sounders finished the season with the best defense in MLS but one of the worst scoring records, blamed on an inability to finish goalscoring chances. The team is expected to make several major offseason transactions to replace players who have left or had their contracts expire.[148][149] Among the departures was captain Nicolás Lodeiro, who became a free agent and signed with Orlando City SC during the offseason.[150] The 2024 season marks the club's 50th anniversary and includes the use of a new crest and the opening of the Sounders FC Center at Longacres, a new training facility in Renton, Washington.[151]
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