2026 Seattle Sounders FC season

Last updated
Seattle Sounders FC
2026 season
General manager Craig Waibel
Head coach Brian Schmetzer
Stadium Lumen Field
Major League Soccer Conference: TBD
Overall: TBD
CONCACAF Champions Cup TBD
←  2025
2027 →

The 2026 season will be the 18th season for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top flight of professional club soccer in the United States. It will be the 43rd season for a professional team bearing the Sounders name, which had originated in 1974 with the first incarnation of the franchise. The team remained under the management of Brian Schmetzer in his tenth full MLS season as head coach of the Sounders.

Contents

The Sounders will be play 34 matches in the MLS regular season and also qualified for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup as winners of the 2025 Leagues Cup. [1] During the 2025 season, the team finished fifth in the Western Conference standings and qualified for the MLS Cup playoffs, where they were eliminated in the first round by Minnesota United FC. [2] The Sounders also played in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup. [3]

The 2026 season will be the last under the spring–autumn format used by MLS since it began play in 1996. The league plans to use a autumn–spring schedule beginning in late 2027 with a long winter break. [4]

Competitions

Major League Soccer

Regular season

The MLS regular season schedule was released on November 20, 2025. The Sounders will play 34 matches—17 at home and 17 away—primarily against the 14 other teams in the Western Conference; the team is scheduled to play six opponents from the Eastern Conference. The regular season will include a six-week break for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in May and June. [5] The Sounders will have five consecutive away matches from February to April while Lumen Field undergoes preparations to host the World Cup, including the installation of a grass pitch to temporarily replace the artificial turf. [6]

February 221 Seattle Sounders FC v Colorado Rapids Seattle, Washington
6:00 pm PST Stadium: Lumen Field
February 282 Real Salt Lake v Seattle Sounders FC Sandy, Utah
4:30 pm PST Stadium: America First Field
March 73 St. Louis City SC v Seattle Sounders FC St. Louis, Missouri
5:30 pm PST Stadium: Energizer Park
March 154 (HC) San Jose Earthquakes v Seattle Sounders FC San Jose, California
4:00 pm PDT Stadium: PayPal Park
March 225 Minnesota United FC v Seattle Sounders FC St. Paul, Minnesota
11:30 am PDT Stadium: Allianz Field
April 46 Houston Dynamo v Seattle Sounders FC Houston, Texas
5:30 pm PDT Stadium: Shell Energy Stadium
April 127 Seattle Sounders FC v Real Salt Lake Seattle, Washington
6:00 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
April 188 Seattle Sounders FC v St. Louis City SC Seattle, Washington
6:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
April 259 Seattle Sounders FC v FC Dallas Seattle, Washington
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
May 210 Sporting Kansas City v Seattle Sounders FC Kansas City, Kansas
11:30 am PDT Stadium: Children's Mercy Park
May 911 Seattle Sounders FC v San Diego FC Seattle, Washington
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
May 1312 (HC) Seattle Sounders FC v San Jose Earthquakes Seattle, Washington
6:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
May 1613 Seattle Sounders FC v LA Galaxy Seattle, Washington
6:00 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
May 2414 Los Angeles FC v Seattle Sounders FC Los Angeles, California
6:00 pm PDT Stadium: BMO Stadium
July 1615 (CC) Seattle Sounders FC v Portland Timbers Seattle, Washington
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
July 2216 Austin FC v Seattle Sounders FC Austin, Texas
5:30 pm PDT Stadium: Q2 Stadium
July 2517 Philadelphia Union v Seattle Sounders FC Chester, Pennsylvania
4:30 pm PDT Stadium: Subaru Park
August 118 (CC) Portland Timbers v Seattle Sounders FC Portland, Oregon
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: Providence Park
August 1619 (CC) Seattle Sounders FC v Vancouver Whitecaps FC Seattle, Washington
6:00 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
August 1920 Seattle Sounders FC v Austin FC Seattle, Washington
6:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
August 2221 FC Cincinnati v Seattle Sounders FC Cincinnati, Ohio
4:30 pm PDT Stadium: TQL Stadium
August 2922 Seattle Sounders FC v Chicago Fire FC Seattle, Washington
1:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
September 523 Seattle Sounders FC v New York Red Bulls Seattle, Washington
5:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
September 924 Seattle Sounders FC v Sporting Kansas City Seattle, Washington
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
September 1225 LA Galaxy v Seattle Sounders FC Carson, California
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: Dignity Health Sports Park
September 1926 Colorado Rapids v Seattle Sounders FC Commerce City, Colorado
6:30 pm PDT Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park
September 2627 Seattle Sounders FC v Minnesota United FC Seattle, Washington
5:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
October 1028 New England Revolution v Seattle Sounders FC Foxborough, Massachusetts
4:30 pm PDT Stadium: Gillette Stadium
October 1429 FC Dallas v Seattle Sounders FC Frisco, Texas
5:30 pm PDT Stadium: Toyota Stadium
October 1730 Seattle Sounders FC v CF Montréal Seattle, Washington
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
October 2431 San Diego FC v Seattle Sounders FC San Diego, California
5:30 pm PDT Stadium: Snapdragon Stadium
October 2832 Seattle Sounders FC v Houston Dynamo FC Seattle, Washington
7:30 pm PDT Stadium: Lumen Field
October 2433 (CC) Vancouver Whitecaps FC v Seattle Sounders FC Vancouver, British Columbia
TBAStadium: BC Place
November 734 Seattle Sounders FC v Los Angeles FC Seattle, Washington
4:00 pm PST Stadium: Lumen Field

CONCACAF Champions Cup

The Sounders will play in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the regional club championship for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, for the ninth season since entering MLS. The team qualified for the tournament as winners of the 2025 Leagues Cup and were granted a bye to the round of 16. [7]

Players

Roster

As of November 25,2025 [8]

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 2025 season across all competitions. Ages listed for each player is calculated from February 22, 2025, the first matchday of the MLS regular season.

Seattle Sounders FC first team roster [8] [9]
No.NameNationalityPositionAgeSignedContract
ends [10] 		Previous clubNotes
5 Nouhou Tolo Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon DF 2720172026Flag of the United States.svg  Seattle Sounders FC 2  (USA)
7 Cristian Roldan Flag of the United States.svg  United States MF 2920152027Flag of the United States.svg  Washington Huskies  (USA)
9 Jesús Ferreira Flag of the United States.svg  United States FW 2420252027Flag of the United States.svg  FC Dallas  (USA)
10 Pedro de la Vega Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina MF 2420242027Flag of Argentina.svg  Lanús  (ARG) Young DP; International
11 Albert Rusnák Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia MF 3020222026Flag of the United States.svg  Real Salt Lake  (USA) DP
13 Jordan Morris Flag of the United States.svg  United States FW 3020162027Flag of the United States.svg  Stanford Cardinal  (USA) DP; HGP
16 Alex Roldán Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador DF 2820182026Flag of the United States.svg  Seattle Redhawks  (USA)
17 Paul Arriola Flag of the United States.svg  United States MF 3020252027Flag of the United States.svg  FC Dallas  (USA)
18 Obed Vargas Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico MF 1920212026Flag of the United States.svg  Tacoma Defiance  (USA) HGP
19 Danny Musovski Flag of the United States.svg  United States FW 2920242026Flag of the United States.svg  Real Salt Lake  (USA)
20 Kim Kee-hee Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea DF 3520252026Flag of South Korea.svg  Ulsan Hyundai FC  (KOR) International
21 Reed Baker-Whiting Flag of the United States.svg  United States MF 1920212026Flag of the United States.svg  Tacoma Defiance  (USA) HGP
25 Jackson Ragen Flag of the United States.svg  United States DF 2620222027Flag of the United States.svg  Tacoma Defiance  (USA)
26 Andrew Thomas Flag of Russia.svg  Russia GK 2620212027Flag of the United States.svg  Stanford Cardinal  (USA)
28 Yeimar Gómez Andrade Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia DF 3220202026Flag of Argentina.svg  Unión de Santa Fe  (ARG)
33 Cody Baker Flag of the United States.svg  United States DF 2120252025Flag of the United States.svg  Tacoma Defiance  (USA) HGP
37 Snyder Brunell Flag of the United States.svg  United States MF 1720252028Flag of the United States.svg  Tacoma Defiance  (USA) HGP
39 Stuart Hawkins Flag of the United States.svg  United States DF 1820232026Flag of the United States.svg  Tacoma Defiance  (USA) HGP
75 Danny Leyva Flag of the United States.svg  United States MF 2120192026Flag of the United States.svg  Tacoma Defiance  (USA) HGP
85 Kalani Kossa-Rienzi Flag of the United States.svg  United States MF 2220252026Flag of the United States.svg  Tacoma Defiance  (USA)
93 Georgi Minoungou Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast MF 2020242028Flag of the United States.svg  Tacoma Defiance  (USA) International
95 Osaze De Rosario Flag of the United States.svg  United States FW 2320252026Flag of the United States.svg  Tacoma Defiance  (USA)

Coaching staff

As of November 2025 [11]
Technical staff
Head coachFlag of the United States.svg  Brian Schmetzer  (USA)
Assistant coachFlag of the United States.svg  Preki  (USA)
Director of goalkeepingFlag of the United States.svg  Tom Dutra  (USA)
Assistant coachFlag of the United States.svg  Freddy Juarez  (USA)
Assistant coachFlag of England.svg  Andy Rose  (ENG)

Transfers

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

Out

Outgoing transfers for Seattle Sounders FC
PlayerNo.Pos.New teamNotesDate
Flag of the United States.svg  Leo Burney  (USA)4DFOption declined [9] November 26, 2025
Flag of the United States.svg  Jacob Castro  (USA)29GKOption declined [9] November 26, 2025
Flag of England.svg  Ryan Kent  (ENG)77MFOption declined [9] November 26, 2025
Flag of the United States.svg  Travian Sousa  (USA)3DFOption declined [9] November 26, 2025
Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jonathan Bell  (JAM)15DFOut of contract [9] November 26, 2025
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Stefan Frei  (SUI)24GKOut of contract [9] November 26, 2025
Flag of Brazil.svg  João Paulo  (BRA)6MFOut of contract [9] November 26, 2025
Flag of the United States.svg  Paul Rothrock  (USA)14MFOut of contract [9] November 26, 2025

References

  1. ↑ Evans, Jayda (August 31, 2025). "Sounders top Messi, Inter Miami for Leagues Cup title; brawl mars finish". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  2. ↑ Rule, Heather (November 8, 2025). "MLS playoffs: Sounders eliminated in Game 3 loss to Minnesota United". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Sounders FC's 2025 Season Comes to an End Following Penalty Shootout Loss to Minnesota" (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. November 8, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  4. ↑ Abnos, Alexander (November 13, 2025). "MLS announces calendar change, will play fall-to-spring from 2027 onward". The Guardian. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  5. ↑ Becherano, Lizzy (November 20, 2025). "MLS reveals 2026 schedule with 7-week break for World Cup". ESPN . Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Major League Soccer Releases 2026 Schedule" (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. November 20, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  7. ↑ "2026 Champions Cup Key Details and Qualified Teams" (Press release). CONCACAF. November 10, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Roster". SoundersFC.com. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Sounders FC Announces Roster Decisions to Conclude 2025 Season" (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. November 25, 2025. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Club Roster Profiles, September 2025". Major League Soccer. September 19, 2025. pp. 1, 30. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Team Staff". SoundersFC.com. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
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