The Seattle Sounders' 2025 MLS season in a nutshell | OneFootball

The Sounders' season had 5 distinct parts. The beginning of the season saw their lineup decimated by injuries as they struggled to find their form. The second part of the season started with their performance at the Club World Cup and the dominance they showed following the tournament.

That continued through the Leagues Cup title, only to be followed by a September stumble. As they closed out the season, they looked more like their form after the Club World Cup, building momentum into the playoffs.

Seattle Sounders goal of the season

The Goal of the Year has to be Pedro de la Vega's goal during the first game of the Leagues Cup. Playing against the top Mexican team, Alex Roldan switched fields with a cross that de la Vega volleyed without a bounce and rocketed it to the top corner on the far side of the goal.

It should rank up there with one of the all-time Sounders goals. I am sure Ruidiaz, Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins might bring up one of their goals to dispute that claim, which is a testament to the talent that the Sounders have had over the years.

Shout-out seasons

Christian Roldan has been one of the only mainstays in the Sounders line-up all season, and he had a career year. The statistics for a defensive midfielder do not reflect their impact on the game and Roldan seemed to be everywhere on the pitch all the time. Danny Musovski had a career season as he led the team in goals. De la Vega and Ryan Kent showed flashes of brilliance that were hampered by injuries. Obed Vargas took another step closer to becoming an international star. Stefan Frei was amazing as usual.

For the majority of the season, the back line of Yeimar, Ragen, Alex Roldan and Nouhou have been a team that epitomizes the Sounders emphasis on defense with people stepping in when needed such as Kim Kee-Hee, Reid Baker-Whiting, Jon Bell and Kalani Kossa-Rienzi.

Their attack was generally fed from the back but was channeled to Albert Rusnak and Paul Rothrock up front with Danny Musovski, Minoungou and young Osaze De Rosario provided Sounders Nation with enough clutch goals to win them the Leagues Cup and put them in the playoffs once again.

It was obvious that the Sounders learned a lot by playing against three of the top teams in the world as they navigated their way through the "Group of Death" in the Club World Cup. In interviews, they mentioned focusing on finishing plays, and committing fouls to stop counter-attacks. The Sounders were dominant after the tournament and through the Leagues Cup, where their earned their only North American title that had eluded them. The Sounders are the only MLS team to have won each title possible. Andrew Thomas, who took over for an injured Frei and stayed on for the Leagues Cup put in a string of stellar performances that earned him the tournament's most valuable player and gave Sounders fans a glimpse into the future.

From the first game to the last, injuries had a mark on the season. Paul Arriola missed the season after the second game, Frei, Yeimar, Kent, Kee-Hee, João Paulo, Jordan Morris, Ragen, Rusnak and de la Vega all spent significant time rehabbing and missing games. What is impressive is that players stepped in and performed well when called upon, at times being called up by the Tacoma Defiance.

Scariest moment

The injury to Stefan Frei during stoppage time was the scariest moment of the season. The game was ended in a somber spectacle as he was rushed to treatment. Thanks to the personell on the feild and all those that treated him, he seems to have made a full recovery he makes each save moving forward a little more special.

The Sounders may have to make some maneuvers in order to keep both Paul Arriola and Ryan Kent, but the Sounders will have another promising team next year.

What to look for in the playoffs

The first round is a best of 3 against Minnesota United. Minnesota has twice stopped Sounders streaks this season. The Sounders lost at home for the only time in MLS play to Minnesota in June by a score of 3-2. The Sounders rallied twice in the game only to run out of time after multiple attempts to tie the game in the waning minutes. Later in August, the Sounders had their 10 game unbeaten streak snapped in a 1-0 loss to Minnesota. The Sounders pressed, but despite numerous chances they were unable find the back of the net.

Is the third time the charm to the Sounders can streak through the playoffs on route to a third MLS title?