2023 Seattle Sounders FC Season
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The 2023 season was the 40th season of
Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...
, a professional
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
team based in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, Washington, United States. It was their 15th year in
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
(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 Brian Thomas Schmetzer (born August 18, 1962) is an American soccer coach and former professional player. He is the head coach of Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer (MLS), having been assistant coach for the team until Sigi Schmid's depa ...
in his seventh full MLS season as head coach of the Sounders. Seattle had won the
2022 CONCACAF Champions League The 2022 CONCACAF Champions League (officially the 2022 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League) was the 14th edition of the CONCACAF Champions Cup under its former name, and overall the 57th edition of the premier Association football, football club ...
and qualified for the
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
, which was played in early February. Following a preseason camp in Spain, the team traveled to Morocco and played Egypt's
Al Ahly Al-Ahly Sporting Club (), commonly known as Al-Ahly, is an Egyptian professional sports club based in Cairo, Egypt. The club is mainly known for its professional football team which currently plays in the Egyptian Premier League, the highest ...
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 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
. In the playoffs, the Sounders eliminated
FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...
in a
best-of-three There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...
series but lost to defending champions
Los Angeles FC Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Los Angeles. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. It was establi ...
in the Western Conference Semifinals. The team entered the
2023 U.S. Open Cup The 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 108th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, the knockout domestic cup competition of American soccer. The 2023 field featured 99 teams, including a modern-era record 71 professional sides. Orlando City SC wer ...
in the third round and defeated
San Diego Loyal SC San Diego Loyal Soccer Club was an American professional soccer team based in San Diego, California, that competed in the USL Championship. The team was founded by Warren Smith and Landon Donovan; it made its debut in 2020 as an expansion team. ...
of the
USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...
before losing to the
LA Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
in the round of 32. The Sounders also played in the
2023 Leagues Cup The 2023 Leagues Cup was the third edition of the Leagues Cup, an international club soccer tournament between Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX. It was held from July 21 to August 19, 2023, with all 77 matches held in either Canada and the ...
, which featured every MLS and
Liga MX Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...
team, and finished third in their group behind
CF Monterrey Club de Fútbol Monterrey Rayados, A.C., simply known as Monterrey or by its nickname Rayados, is a Mexican professional association football, football club based in the Monterrey metropolitan area, Nuevo León, that plays in Liga MX, the top d ...
and
Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...
.
Jordan Morris Jordan Perry Morris (born October 26, 1994) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger or forward for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC and the United States national team. He grew up on Mercer Island, Washingto ...
led the team in scoring with 14 goals across all competitions. At their home stadium
Lumen Field Lumen Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. Located in the city's SoDo neighborhood, it is the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL), Seattle Sounders FC of Major League ...
, the Sounders drew an average attendance of 32,161 during the regular season, the third-best figure in MLS.


Background

Early in the 2022 season, the Sounders won the
CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, ...
by defeating
UNAM The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countries. It also has 34 ...
of
Liga MX Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...
. They became the first Major League Soccer team to win the CONCACAF Champions League and third to win an international CONCACAF competition. The season ended with the team missing the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since joining the league, snapping a 13-year streak—among the longest in professional North American sports at the time. Four Sounders players were called up to international teams for the
2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
: forward
Jordan Morris Jordan Perry Morris (born October 26, 1994) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger or forward for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC and the United States national team. He grew up on Mercer Island, Washingto ...
and midfielder
Cristian Roldan Cristian Roldan (born June 3, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC. Roldan was the 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Year while playing for El Rancho Hig ...
for the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
; defender Nouhou for
Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
; and defender Xavier Arreaga for
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
. The 2023 season was the first with jersey sponsor
Providence Health & Services Providence Health & Services is a not-for-profit Catholic Church, Catholic healthcare system headquartered in Renton, Washington. The health system includes 51 hospitals, more than 800 non-acute facilities, and numerous assisted living faciliti ...
. The choice of Providence as sponsor was criticized by fans and several organizations, including the
Emerald City Supporters Emerald City Supporters (ECS) is an independent supporters' group for Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC. The ECS is known for large choreographed tifo displays. History and name Emerald City Supporters was founded in 2005 by the sup ...
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. A new secondary kit to honor
Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...
was unveiled during preseason; it was primarily red with a dragon pattern as an homage to his final film, ''
Enter the Dragon ''Enter the Dragon'' ( zh, t=龍爭虎鬥) is a 1973 martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and written by Michael Allin. The film stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Ahna Capri, Bob Wall, Shih Kien and Jim Kelly. ''Enter the Dragon'' was ...
'', and included the seal of Lee's
Jeet Kune Do Jeet Kune Do (/ˌdʒiːt kuːn ˈdoʊ/; zh, c=截拳道, l=stop fist way' or 'way of the intercepting fist, j=zit6 kyun4 dou6; abbreviated JKD) is a hybrid martial art conceived and practiced by martial artist Bruce Lee. It was formed from ...
martial art. It was also the first under a broadcast contract with
Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...
, which offered all league matches through its
MLS Season Pass MLS Season Pass is a soccer streaming service operated by Apple Inc. which includes live matches from Major League Soccer (MLS). The package was launched in the 2023 Major League Soccer season as part of a new 10-year media rights agreement be ...
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. A limited number of MLS matches were also broadcast on U.S. television by
Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Fi ...
, including six that featured the Sounders.


Summary


Preseason and FIFA Club World Cup

Following the end of the 2022 season, general manager
Garth Lagerwey Garth Lagerwey (born December 12, 1972) is a retired American soccer player who played five seasons in Major League Soccer as a goalkeeper. He became the general manager of Real Salt Lake in 2007 and stayed with the club before departing in 2015 ...
departed Seattle to become president of
Atlanta United FC Atlanta United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won one MLS Cup, one U.S. Open Cup, and one Eastern ...
. He was replaced by technical director
Craig Waibel Craig Waibel (born August 21, 1975, in Portland, Oregon) is a former American soccer player who spent eleven seasons in Major League Soccer. He was hired as the sporting director of Seattle Sounders FC in April 2021 and became their general manage ...
on November 30. During the offseason, the Sounders exercised their contract options on most of their roster with the exception of forward
Will Bruin William Christopher Bruin (born October 24, 1989) is an American former professional association football, soccer player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Bruin spent six seasons playing for the Houston Dynamo FC, Housto ...
and midfielder Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez; defender Jimmy Medranda was also released into
free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
. The club had 11 players with guaranteed contracts through the 2023 season, including most of their veteran squad. In late December, the club acquired forward Héber through a trade with
New York City FC New York City Football Club (often referred to as NYCFC) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in New York City. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern C ...
. Seattle also signed two Homegrown Players, midfielder
Sota Kitahara Sota Kitahara (北原 壮太, ''Kitahara Sōta,'' born January 11, 2003) is an American soccer player who last played as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC. Club career He was raised in Edmonds, Washington, and gradu ...
and goalkeeper Jacob Castro. The club's two SuperDraft picks, forward Eythor Bjørgolfsson and defender
Blake Bowen Blake or Blake's may refer to: People * Blake (given name), a given name of English origin (includes a list of people with the name) * Blake (surname), a surname of English origin (includes a list of people with the name) ** William Blake (1757 ...
, were signed by reserve side
Tacoma Defiance The Tacoma Defiance, formerly Seattle Sounders FC 2, are an American professional soccer team based in the Puget Sound region in Tukwila, Washington, United States. The team competes in MLS Next Pro, a league in the third tier of the United Sta ...
after training with the first team. The Sounders opened their training camp at
Starfire Sports Starfire Sports is a multi-purpose stadium and sporting facility in Tukwila, Washington, United States. It is located on the banks of the Green River (Duwamish River), Green River, just south of Seattle. The stadium is operated by the nonprofit ...
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. The team played several intra-squad scrimmages during their Seattle training camp due to difficulty finding MLS and
USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...
teams with open schedules. The Sounders moved to
Marbella Marbella ( , , ) is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the re ...
, Spain, in late January as part of preparations for the
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
hosted in Morocco the following month. There, the club was split into separate teams for scrimmages on January 28 against two European teams: a scoreless draw with
Wolfsberger AC Wolfsberger AC, commonly referred to as Wolfsberg or simply WAC, is an Austrian association football club from Wolfsberg, Carinthia, who currently play in the Austrian Bundesliga. Between the 2007–08 and 2011–12 seasons, Wolfsberger AC enter ...
of Austria and a 3–2 loss to Swedish side
Hammarby IF Hammarby Idrottsförening ("Hammarby Sports Club"), commonly known as Hammarby IF or simply Hammarby ( or, especially locally, ), is a Swedish sports club located in Stockholm, with a number of member organizations active in a variety of differ ...
. Seattle entered the Club World Cup in the second round and lost 1–0 to Egypt's
Al Ahly Al-Ahly Sporting Club (), commonly known as Al-Ahly, is an Egyptian professional sports club based in Cairo, Egypt. The club is mainly known for its professional football team which currently plays in the Egyptian Premier League, the highest ...
, conceding a deflected goal in the 88th minute. They were the first MLS team to play in the Club World Cup and earned $1 million in prize money as a participant. The team were eliminated from the tournament, but a month later qualified for the expanded
2025 FIFA Club World Cup The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, also marketed as FIFA Club World Cup 25) is the 21st edition and the first of the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, an international club soccer competition organized ...
as one of four CONCACAF entrants—all recent Champions League winners. Following their return from Morocco, the Sounders played a closed-door scrimmage against
Louisville City FC Louisville City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Louisville, Kentucky. The team plays in the USL Championship, which is currently the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club was founded in 2014 after O ...
of the USL Championship and won 2–1 with a set of rotated lineups. Several players remained in limited training through the end of February due to injuries and fatigue, including Vargas and striker
Raúl Ruidíaz Raúl Mario Ruidíaz Misitich (; born 25 July 1990) is a Peruvian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Atlético Grau in the Peruvian Primera División. His nickname, "The Flea", stems from his small frame and his ability to get ...
.


February and March

The Sounders opened their MLS regular season campaign on February 26 at home against the
Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...
. The team earned a 4–0 win—
Cristian Roldan Cristian Roldan (born June 3, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC. Roldan was the 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Year while playing for El Rancho Hig ...
scored the opening goal of the season and was followed by
Jordan Morris Jordan Perry Morris (born October 26, 1994) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger or forward for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC and the United States national team. He grew up on Mercer Island, Washingto ...
pair of headers. Héber also scored in his MLS debut for the club. Morris and Héber scored a goal each in the following week's 2–0 victory over
Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...
at home. Héber later suffered a hamstring injury during training and was replaced in the starting lineup by
Fredy Montero Fredy Henkyer Montero Muñoz (born 26 July 1987), known as Fredy Montero (, is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Real Cartagena. He was the all-time top scorer for the Seattle Sounders until being surpassed by Ra ...
, 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 Football Club Cincinnati is an American professional soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was first announced on August 12, 2015 as a United Soccer Leag ...
despite the home side earning a
red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or di ...
. A late equalizing goal by Yeimar Gómez Andrade was called off by the
video assistant referee The video assistant referee (VAR) is a Assistant referee (association football), match official in association football who assists the referee by reviewing decisions using video footage and providing advice to the referee based on those revi ...
due to a foul in the build-up. The team earned their third home
shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...
in a scoreless draw with reigning
MLS Cup 2022 MLS Cup 2022 was the 27th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS) at the conclusion of the 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs. The soccer match took place on November 5, 2022, at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angel ...
champions
Los Angeles FC Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Los Angeles. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. It was establi ...
. Ruidíaz returned to the starting lineup, but was substituted early due to injury concerns. The Sounders played against
Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The ad ...
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. 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."


April

Morris scored his fifth consecutive goal for the club in a 2–1 win over the
LA Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
at
Dignity Health Sports Park Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignit ...
in
Carson, California Carson is a city in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay and the Los Angeles Harbor Region, Harbor regions of Los Angeles County, California, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International ...
. The goal was assisted by Chú, who also scored from outside the 18-yard box in the first half. 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 Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...
by Nouhou in stoppage time, but were denied. Goalkeeper
Stefan Frei Stefan Frei (born 20 April 1986) is a Swiss professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC. Born in Switzerland, Frei moved with his fam ...
finished the match with seven saves and tied
Osvaldo Alonso Osvaldo Alonso Moreno (born November 11, 1985) is a Cuban former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He defected from Cuba in 2007 and became a U.S. citizen in 2012. During his decade-long career with Seattle Sounders ...
for the most MLS starts in club history at 322 matches.
Brian Schmetzer Brian Thomas Schmetzer (born August 18, 1962) is an American soccer coach and former professional player. He is the head coach of Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer (MLS), having been assistant coach for the team until Sigi Schmid's depa ...
also became the third-fastest coach in MLS history to reach 100 wins, having done so in 212 matches. During a home match the following week, the Sounders earned a 3–0 victory over expansion team
St. Louis City SC St. Louis City Soccer Club (stylized as St. Louis CITY SC) is an American professional association football, soccer club based in St. Louis. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Con ...
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. 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. 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. Ruidíaz suffered a hamstring strain during the match and was later ruled out for four to five weeks; Cristian Roldan, still under
concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...
protocols, and left-back Nouhou were also unavailable for the next match at home against
Minnesota United FC Minnesota United Football Club, often shortened to MNUFC, is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the W ...
. 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. The club entered the
U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...
in the third round along with other lower-ranked MLS teams and hosted
San Diego Loyal SC San Diego Loyal Soccer Club was an American professional soccer team based in San Diego, California, that competed in the USL Championship. The team was founded by Warren Smith and Landon Donovan; it made its debut in 2020 as an expansion team. ...
of the second-division
USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...
at
Starfire Sports Starfire Sports is a multi-purpose stadium and sporting facility in Tukwila, Washington, United States. It is located on the banks of the Green River (Duwamish River), Green River, just south of Seattle. The stadium is operated by the nonprofit ...
in Tukwila. The Sounders fielded a lineup of reserves with eight players making their 2023 debuts—including several players from reserve side
Tacoma Defiance The Tacoma Defiance, formerly Seattle Sounders FC 2, are an American professional soccer team based in the Puget Sound region in Tukwila, Washington, United States. The team competes in MLS Next Pro, a league in the third tier of the United Sta ...
on temporary contracts—to rest starters for upcoming league matches. 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 Joe Benny Corona Crespín (born July 9, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Mexican club Tijuana. Youth and college Corona began playing organized soccer at the age of 9. When Corona was 11, his fa ...
. 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 Fredy Henkyer Montero Muñoz (born 26 July 1987), known as Fredy Montero (, is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Real Cartagena. He was the all-time top scorer for the Seattle Sounders until being surpassed by Ra ...
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.


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 Kelyn Jaynes Rowe (born December 2, 1991) is an American former professional and current semi-professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder. Early life Rowe grew up in Federal Way, Washington. He attended Federal Way High School, becomi ...
started the match and left in stoppage time with a knee injury; he had replaced Nouhou after the latter contracted
malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
. 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. 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. 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 José Guillermo "Memo" Rodríguez (born December 27, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City. Club career Youth Rodriguez began his youth career with Housto ...
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. A few days after their elimination from the U.S. Open Cup, the team traveled to play the
Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their fo ...
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. A total of eight players who appeared during the match against the Dynamo had been developed in the Sounders academy, setting a club record. The Sounders returned home to play
Austin FC Austin FC is an American professional soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play in the 2021 season. Their home stadium is Q ...
, 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. The Sounders then lost 2–0 on the road to
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The MLS ite ...
, conceding a goal to
Pedro Vite Pedro Jeampierre Vite Uca (born 9 March 2002) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the Ecuador national team. Career Vite came up through the youth ...
in the first half and an
own goal An own goal occurs in sports when a player performs actions that result in scoring points for the opposition, such as when a Association football, footballer puts a ball into their own net. In some parts of the world, the term has become a met ...
by Stefan Frei in the second; the result dropped the team to second in the Western Conference. The Sounders began a three-match homestand with a 1–0 win against the
New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...
, 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. In a midweek home match, the Sounders lost 1–0 to the
San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...
, 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 Daniel commonly refers to: * Daniel (given name), a masculine given name and a surname * List of people named Daniel * List of people with surname Daniel * Daniel (biblical figure) * Book of Daniel, a biblical apocalypse, "an account of the acti ...
. The team finished May still atop the Western Conference standings and only one home win in four matches at Lumen Field.


June and July

On June 3, the Sounders and women's team
OL Reign Seattle Reign FC is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2012, it is one of eight inaugural members of the NWSL. Since J ...
held a doubleheader event at Lumen Field, their shared home venue, against their respective Portland rivals. 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. After the match, Schmezter stated that the team had "dropped points" but he "believe 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. The team then traveled to play
Charlotte FC Charlotte Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team is owned by David Tepper, who was awarded the e ...
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. 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 CONCACAF Gold Cup () is an association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for men's senior national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament is held every two ...
. 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. They returned home and played
Orlando City SC Orlando City Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Orlando, Florida. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Owned by Zygi, Leonard, and Mark Wilf, it is the sister club of ...
to a scoreless draw to continue their month-long winless streak; Ruidíaz was absent for the match to attend a family funeral. 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. 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. 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. The Sounders returned home to face
FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...
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 An own goal occurs in sports when a player performs actions that result in scoring points for the opposition, such as when a Association football, footballer puts a ball into their own net. In some parts of the world, the term has become a met ...
by Dallas defender
Sam Junqua Samuel Junqua (born November 9, 1996) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake. Career Youth & College Junqua attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he played ...
and was followed by a
Bernard Kamungo Bernard Kamungo (born January 1, 2002) is a professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club FC Dallas. Born a Congolese refugee in Tanzania, he represents the United States national team. Club career Born in Kas ...
header to equalize in the first half. Seattle entered the Leagues Cup break at fourth place in the Western Conference.


Leagues Cup

In July and August, MLS play halted for the
Leagues Cup The Leagues Cup is an annual soccer competition between clubs from Major League Soccer (MLS), the main soccer league in the United States, and Liga MX, the main soccer league in Mexico. It is hosted in Canada and the United States. It began in ...
, an international competition with
Liga MX Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...
clubs hosted in the United States and Canada. The Sounders were drawn into group West 2 alongside
Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...
and Liga MX's
Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...
. 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. 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 A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
by
Germán Berterame Germán Berterame (born 13 November 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga MX club Monterrey. Born in Argentina, he represents the Mexico national team. Honours Individual *Liga MX Golden Boot (Shared): Apertur ...
—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.


August and September

The Sounders returned to regular season play on August 20 by hosting
Atlanta United FC Atlanta United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won one MLS Cup, one U.S. Open Cup, and one Eastern ...
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 Stefan Frei (born 20 April 1986) is a Swiss professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC. Born in Switzerland, Frei moved with his fam ...
, 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. In their next match, on the road against
Minnesota United FC Minnesota United Football Club, often shortened to MNUFC, is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the W ...
, 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 An own goal occurs in sports when a player performs actions that result in scoring points for the opposition, such as when a Association football, footballer puts a ball into their own net. In some parts of the world, the term has become a met ...
in the second half—and Frei made three saves in the last minutes of the game. The team ended their six-match run without a win by defeating
Austin FC Austin FC is an American professional soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play in the 2021 season. Their home stadium is Q ...
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. The Sounders then hosted the Portland Timbers in their penultimate
Cascadia Cup The Cascadia Cup is the name of the trophy created in 2004 by supporters of the Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, and Vancouver Whitecaps, which is awarded each season to the best soccer team in the Pacific Northwest. The cup is named for t ...
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. The Sounders began a three-match road trip by playing
FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...
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 Alexander Roldán León (born July 28, 1996) is a professional soccer player who plays as a right-back for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC. Born in the United States, he played for the El Salvador national team. Club career Colle ...
's volley off a cross by Reed Baker-Whiting in the 57th minute tied the score. 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. After a one-week bye, they finished the road trip with a scoreless draw against
Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Nashville, Tennessee. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team spent two seasons in the USL Championship before joining ...
. Héber's goal for the Sounders in the 58th minute was disallowed after video review due to an offside.


October

The team clinched a playoff berth on October 4 with their 2–1 defeat of the
LA Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
, 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. 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 is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps. Club career Youth Takaoka was born in Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Japan. Takaoka begin his first youth career with Azamino FC from 200 ...
made five saves. The result dropped the Sounders to third in the Western Conference. On Decision Day, the Sounders defeated conference leaders
St. Louis City SC St. Louis City Soccer Club (stylized as St. Louis CITY SC) is an American professional association football, soccer club based in St. Louis. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Con ...
2–0 on the road and clinched second in the Western Conference; with a loss, the team could have finished as low as sixth. 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 Timothy Parker may refer to: * Timothy Parker (puzzle designer) (born 1960) * Timothy Britten Parker (born 1962), American stage, film, and television actor * Gift of Gab (rapper) (1970–2021, Timothy Jerome Parker), American rapper * Tim Park ...
as an own goal. 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. Seattle finished the regular season with a 14–9–11 record and were undefeated in their final nine matches.
Stefan Frei Stefan Frei (born 20 April 1986) is a Swiss professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC. Born in Switzerland, Frei moved with his fam ...
set a team record for the most shutouts in a season at 14, surpassing his total in the 2017 season. Jordan Morris was the top goalscorer during the regular season with 11 goals in 26 matches. The Sounders had an average attendance of 32,161 spectators per home match, the third highest in the league.


November: MLS Cup Playoffs

As the second-place team in the Western Conference, the Sounders were paired with seventh-placed
FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...
in the first round of the playoffs, which would be played as a
best-of-three There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...
series. 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. 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. 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 Maarten Vincent Paes (; born 14 May 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club FC Dallas. Born in the Netherlands, he represents the Indonesia national team. Club career NEC In the 2017–18 se ...
. The playoffs paused for three weeks due to an international break and resumed with the Conference Semifinals. 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. 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.


Non-competitive matches

;Key


Preseason matches


Competitions

;Key


FIFA Club World Cup

The 19th edition of the
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
took place from February 1 to 11 in Morocco. The Sounders entered in the second round and were drawn against the winner of the first match, to be played between the OFC champion
Auckland City FC Auckland City Football Club is an association football club based in the suburb of Sandringham, New Zealand, Sandringham in Auckland, New Zealand. They currently compete in the Northern League (New Zealand), Northern League. Auckland City have ...
of New Zealand and the
CAF Champions League The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club (association football), club football competition organized by the Conf ...
runners-up
Al Ahly Al-Ahly Sporting Club (), commonly known as Al-Ahly, is an Egyptian professional sports club based in Cairo, Egypt. The club is mainly known for its professional football team which currently plays in the Egyptian Premier League, the highest ...
of Egypt. The winner of the second round match would play
Real Madrid CF Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
, the winners of the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
.


Major League Soccer


League tables


Results summary


Regular season

The Major League Soccer schedule was released on December 20, 2022. The Sounders played 34 matches—mostly against opponents from the Western Conference—during the regular season from February 26 to October 21.


MLS Cup Playoffs

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 MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Playoffs. The game is held in November or December and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Confere ...
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 Wild card most commonly refers to: * Wild card (cards), a playing card that substitutes for any other card in card games * Wild card (sports), a tournament or playoff place awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal pla ...
match between the eighth and ninth seeds. The remaining rounds were
single-elimination A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
matches.


=Round One

=


=Conference Semifinals

=


U.S. Open Cup

The Sounders entered the
2023 U.S. Open Cup The 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 108th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, the knockout domestic cup competition of American soccer. The 2023 field featured 99 teams, including a modern-era record 71 professional sides. Orlando City SC wer ...
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.


Leagues Cup

The
2023 Leagues Cup The 2023 Leagues Cup was the third edition of the Leagues Cup, an international club soccer tournament between Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX. It was held from July 21 to August 19, 2023, with all 77 matches held in either Canada and the ...
, an expanded version of the inter-league competition between MLS and
Liga MX Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...
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 Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...
and Liga MX's
Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...
; the schedule for the tournament was announced on March 9, 2023. MLS teams played a minimum of two matches in the tournament, of which they hosted at least one.


Group stage standings


Players

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. A base
salary cap In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Seve ...
of $5.21 million applied to the non-supplemental players with exceptions for certain categories, including the club's three designated players—
Nicolás Lodeiro Marcelo Nicolás Lodeiro Benítez (; born 21 March 1989), commonly known as Nicolás Lodeiro, is a Uruguayan professional Association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo FC, Houst ...
,
Raúl Ruidíaz Raúl Mario Ruidíaz Misitich (; born 25 July 1990) is a Peruvian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Atlético Grau in the Peruvian Primera División. His nickname, "The Flea", stems from his small frame and his ability to get ...
, and Albert Rusnák—who each counted for a reduced amount. Seattle's player wages at the end of the season totaled approximately $19.2 million, ranking seventh among MLS teams. 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 A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been ...
. By the end of preseason, the team had three remaining open slots and two occupied slots; the other three were sold to other teams.


Roster


Other players

Players called up to the first team from
Tacoma Defiance The Tacoma Defiance, formerly Seattle Sounders FC 2, are an American professional soccer team based in the Puget Sound region in Tukwila, Washington, United States. The team competes in MLS Next Pro, a league in the third tier of the United Sta ...
for matches outside the regular season and playoffs, such as the
U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...
and
Leagues Cup The Leagues Cup is an annual soccer competition between clubs from Major League Soccer (MLS), the main soccer league in the United States, and Liga MX, the main soccer league in Mexico. It is hosted in Canada and the United States. It began in ...
, are listed here.


On loan


Appearances and goals

A total of 27 players made at least one appearance for the Sounders during the 2023 season across all competitions. Midfielder
Nicolás Lodeiro Marcelo Nicolás Lodeiro Benítez (; born 21 March 1989), commonly known as Nicolás Lodeiro, is a Uruguayan professional Association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo FC, Houst ...
and defender Yeimar Gómez Andrade appeared in the most matches (40);
Stefan Frei Stefan Frei (born 20 April 1986) is a Swiss professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC. Born in Switzerland, Frei moved with his fam ...
made the most appearances as goalkeeper, at 38 matches.
Jordan Morris Jordan Perry Morris (born October 26, 1994) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger or forward for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC and the United States national team. He grew up on Mercer Island, Washingto ...
was the team's leading goalscorer in 2023 with 14 goals, while captain
Nicolás Lodeiro Marcelo Nicolás Lodeiro Benítez (; born 21 March 1989), commonly known as Nicolás Lodeiro, is a Uruguayan professional Association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo FC, Houst ...
had the most assists at 11 in the regular season and playoffs.


Coaching staff


Transfers

The MLS season has two
transfer window In association football, a transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club, club can add players to their squad who were previously under contract with another club. Such a Transfer (association football), transfer is comp ...
s 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. Between the transfer windows, teams are allowed to sign
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
s or other U.S.-based players, including those traded between MLS teams for other players, general allocation money, or various league slots. 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.


In


Draft picks

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 The 2023 MLS SuperDraft was the 24th edition of the SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. It was held on December 21, 2022, becoming the first SuperDraft to be held in December, but retained the 2023 branding. The draft was conducted via ...
are listed in the notes.


Out


Player awards

Two Sounders players were finalists for MLS's year-end individual awards: Yeimar Gómez Andrade for Defender of the Year and João Paulo for Comeback Player of the Year for his recovery from a 2022
anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...
injury. Stefan Frei, who had the most
shutouts In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usually seen as a result of ...
in the 2023 regular season, was not nominated for Goalkeeper of the Year. No Sounders players won league awards or were named to the
MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. The selection is determined by a collection of media, players, and MLS club technical staffs. Winners Appearances by player The following players ...
. Frei was named the Sounders'
most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...
and humanitarian of the year in the team's annual awards, which were announced in December 2023.


MLS Player of the Matchday


MLS Goal of the Matchday


MLS Team of the Matchday


Aftermath

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. Among the departures was captain
Nicolás Lodeiro Marcelo Nicolás Lodeiro Benítez (; born 21 March 1989), commonly known as Nicolás Lodeiro, is a Uruguayan professional Association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo FC, Houst ...
, who became a free agent and signed with
Orlando City SC Orlando City Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Orlando, Florida. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Owned by Zygi, Leonard, and Mark Wilf, it is the sister club of ...
during the offseason. 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 Renton is a city in King County, Washington, United States, and an inner-ring suburb of Seattle. Situated southeast of downtown Seattle, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington, at the mouth of the Cedar River. As of the 202 ...
.


References


External links


Seattle Sounders FC website
{{2023 in American men's soccer Seattle Sounders FC seasons Seattle Sounders Seattle Sounders
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
Seattle Sounders Seattle Sounders