SEATTLE – A lot has changed since 2022. The projected first-choice lineup for the Seattle Sounders is not one of them.
Club pillars in midfielder Nico Lodeiro (2023) and striker Raúl Ruidíaz (2024) didn’t have their contracts renewed and defender Xavier Arreaga was traded last spring. But in a sport that usually has high roster turnover, Sounders general manager Craig Waibel has retained 10 players who were key in the last time the club won a trophy, the 2022 CONCACAF Champions Cup (CCC).
Waibel said in past interviews that he was close to signing international talent. This offseason, he landed on two in-league signings in FC Dallas forward Jesús Ferreira and midfielder Paul Arriola, both U.S. internationals; and defender Kim Kee-hee, who’s earned 23 appearances for his South Korean national team.
There are opportunities for more roster alterations. As of now, the question will be if the Sounders are three roster changes from returning to the glory of lifting a trophy.
Seattle will start to get its answer in 20 days. Final rosters were posted Thursday for the 2025 edition of the CCC tournament, which begins Tuesday.
The Sounders will travel to Guatemala to play Antigua GFC in the opener of their two-legged series on Feb. 19 and host Antigua on Feb. 26 at Lumen Field. The winner, by aggregate scoring, advances to play the winner between Mexico’s Cruz Azul and Haiti’s Real Hope FA in the Round of 16.
Wedged in between the CCC matches for the Sounders is their MLS opener on Feb. 22 against Charlotte FC at Lumen.
Kicking off the season with a high-caliber tournament and even bigger competition looming this summer in the FIFA men’s Club World Cup is why the additions might be the smart decisions.
Seattle will need players who immediately know what they’re doing and have good chemistry with each other. Ferreira and Arriola know what MLS travel and style is like. They’re also familiar with former U.S. men’s national team players in forward Jordan Morris and midfielder Cristian Roldan.
Kim only played two MLS seasons but was a mainstay center back who won the 2019 league championship with Morris, Roldan, keeper Stefan Frei and defender Nouhou. The latter was an unused sub for the title match.
The experience is comforting for a daunting task that only begins with the Champions Cup tournament.
The Sounders are ranked 142nd among clubs in the world, according to a recent Opta Analyst calculation, and will play three that are among the top 75 in CWC group stage in June.
Brazil’s Botafogo won the Copa Libertadores and is 62nd in the world, according to Opta, with an estimated $107.5 million club value. The Sounders will also play Spain’s Atlético Madrid, which is 12th and worth $890.5 million. The final group-stage match is against storied French club Paris Saint-Germain that’s currently ranked sixth and valued at $496.8 million.
Again, a reason why chemistry might be more beneficial than a sparkling signing from overseas who would have to quickly adjust to a new team, system, league, city and country. All under a global spotlight as the Sounders represent MLS as the league’s only club to have won the modern-day CCC title and one of two in the CWC field.
Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer does have the bulk of the team in Marbella, Spain, for preseason training camp to prepare. All are expected to be able to play in the final three friendlies against European clubs. Kim will be a late arrival, joining the team when they return stateside.
It could be a cheat, but Waibel could point to Argentine midfielder Pedro de la Vega as a redo marquee signing. The young designated player was limited to 23 matches, through all competitions, in his debut last year due to hamstring and groin injuries. The 23-year-old also needed time to adjust to living on his own for the first time.
De la Vega didn’t seem comfortable with Schmetzer’s system until the postseason run. Those performances carried over to preseason camp in Marbella where he scored a goal and had an assist in a friendly against Hungarian side Puskás Akadémia last week.
Schmetzer said Puskás didn’t play their starters for the opening half, which dampers de la Vega’s highlight reel. It was still good to see the projected winger shine as billed when originally signed in January 2024.
If de la Vega, Ferreira and Arriola contribute goals and assists as predicted and Kim provides reliable backup in the defense, they could be the needed talent to keep the Sounders formidable. Then there’s a chance their fan base can stop talking about 2022 because a new major trophy – whether from the Champions Cup, Club World Cup or MLS Cup tournaments – will join it.