Football Season Guide

Seattle started the 2023 season very well but then the Club Cup saw several of their key players missing many matches and the Sounders never found proper rhythm after that. All that said, Seattle were second in their Conference and reached the Conference semifinals before being eliminated, so it would be harsh to say the season was a failure. The main issues were in attack with none of the attacking players doing very well. Jordan Morris was the only constant contributor up front. He started the season playing on the left wing. His efficiency (11 MLS goals) saw him moved to play as a false nine come the play-offs. Morris did well in this role and it seems in 2024 he will be used much more in it. The only notable departure this winter is that of the 35-year-old captain Lodeiro. This is not such a huge loss as it only means that Alex Rusnak can now operate in his preferred number 10 position. Defensively the Sounders were solid all of last season and with no changes in that area they should be pretty solid again in 2024. The main focus was on adding new faces up front. De la Vega and Musovski replaced Monteiro and Heber in the attacking positions. Chu and Ruidiaz will also be hoping to get more use in 2024.