Sounders Head Into Salt Lake Week With Crucial Pieces Missing
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Sounders defender Nouhou dribbles during an MLS match against the Portland Timbers on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Wash. (Jane Gershovich / Sounders FC Communications) [/caption]
The Seattle Sounders have found themselves in just about every situation a professional soccer team can possibly be in in 2025.
Between MLS, CONCACAF, Club World Cup and Leagues Cup responsibilities, the Sounders have dealt with all the injury issues that come with fixture congestion over a long period of time. Sitting at 13-9-10 and a five-point advantage over Austin for the Western Conference's fifth seed with two matches to play, Seattle just needs results in any capacity to hold onto its spot — considering the fourth seed is well out of reach by this point.
But with Real Salt Lake (12-16-4), a squad in a tiebreaker for the ninth and final postseason spot, coming to town on Saturday, the Sounders find themselves in a new level of roster flux.
As many as 9 players could be unavailable thanks to various commitments and injuries, leaving head coach Brian Schmetzer and his staff with decisions to make at every level of the field.
International Commitments (Six Players)
While the volume of national team players the Sounders have is indicative of their talent, international windows aren't so kind to this team.
Star midfielder Cristian Roldan has been called up for more USMNT friendlies in the coming week. Roldan will be down in Austin, Texas on Friday to take on Ecuador and will head to Colorado to take on Australia next Tuesday as he makes his 2026 World Cup case.
International duty will also be plucking six more contributors from Schmetzer's arsenal, as Nouhou will joining Cameroon, Georgi Minoungou will be joining Burkina Faso and Snyder Brunell will be joining the U.S. U-19 squad.
All-Star midfielder Obed Vargas has been a solid starter for a Mexico side that has advanced to the FIFA U-20 World Cup Round of 16 in Chile, and will miss this match. His unavailability, alongside U.S. defender Reed Baker-Whiting, is unsurprising, as the team was aware of the possibility of the duo missing more than the last two matches against Cascadia rivals Vancouver and Portland.
The good news? All of these commitments are only going to impact the Salt Lake game as Seattle gears up for a Decision Day duel with New York City FC on Oct. 18 in the Big Apple.
Injuries/Suspensions (Three Players)
The Sounders are dealing with injuries at quite possibly the least convenient position right now: centerback.
Kim Kee-hee, who started against Portland in place of an injured Yeimar, has been dealing with a concerning calf injury this week, and isn't expected to be available for selection come Saturday, per Schmetzer.
Yeimar has been the heart of this defense, but the hamstring strain he suffered against Vancouver will continue to keep the Colombian defender out until the playoffs, at least.
Rounding out this list is a suspended Albert Rusnák, who made a start in the midfield before committing a tackle that netted him a straight red late against Portland. While his performance in the midfield wasn't the best, missing his know-how and playmaking at the 10 could cost this offense some flow on Saturday.
Of course this list isn't counting Ryan Kent or Paul Arriola, each of whom have been dealing with long-term injuries.
Next Man Up
That's been the mantra of this team all season, and credit general manager Craig Waibel and the Sounders' development staff for creating a roster that can live up to those words.
Brunell looked very strong in the midfield in the draw against Vancouver two weeks ago, and he would have figured to slot in well with João Paulo in the midfield. João Paulo, who played in his first action on Saturday since undergoing a meniscus clean-up that held him out since June, saw the field for about 10 minutes in his return.
Meanwhile, the Sounders appear poised to dig into their reserves at their MLS NEXT affiliate Tacoma Defiance ahead of Saturday's action. The Sounders train with Defiance players regularly, giving some much-needed shorthand understanding to those who have to make a quick turnaround to MLS play.
"We're going to have some call-ups," Schmetzer said after Tuesday training. "I'm talking to Craig (Waibel) right now … (The call-ups) still have to bump up a level."
Still, Schmetzer is looking on the bright side of having new blood in his lineup.
"They're going to bring excitement, they're going to be fired up, they're going to bring energy, and that's half the battle."
The good news is that Seattle can still field two of its three designated players in Pedro de la Vega and Jordan Morris on Saturday. It should be noted that de la Vega's knee tendonitis has proven to be a tricky ailment in terms of projecting its impact, but the Argentinian insisted he's 100% after scoring a goal against Portland last Saturday.
Others that may need to play out of position or in an expanded role figure to be names like Jackson Ragen, Jesús Ferreira (who left the Portland game with cramping), Alex Roldan, Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, Danny Leyva and others.
One potential name for reintroduction the first-team in Stuart Hawkins, who has been training well according Schmetzer. Hawkins, a 19-year-old defender, hasn't played an MLS minute since June 1, but has started six games for Defiance this season.
The Verdict: Seattle Has the Offensive Pieces to Force a Result At Least
Call it a bullpen game for a Sounders squad chock-full of worthy relievers.
RSL is in the ninth position for a reason — it's near the bottom of the league in expected goals for, and in the middle of the pack in expected goals against. The Sounders, meanwhile, still have very capable playmakers like Ferreira and their leading scorer in Danny Musovski.
In fact, Seattle's completely ready at the striker spot with Musovski, Morris and Osaze De Rosario, leaving open the possibility of Schmetzer experimenting with a two-striker look that hasn't gotten much time this season.
Although RSL isn't the scariest offense in the world, missing Yeimar and Kee-hee will prompt serious questions about who to put alongside Ragen at centerback. Jon Bell made his return after a month-and-a-half absence for 45 minutes against Portland, and figures to contribute in some capacity as he ramps up into 90-minute game shape.
At the end of the day, though, it's a situation reminiscent of the 5-2 win the Sounders pulled in late August over Sporting KC.
Bell, Musovski, Baker-Whiting, Cody Baker (now on loan), Brunell, Kossa-Rienzi and Georgi were all thrust into the XI due to various injuries and rotations, but the team still looked dominant and opportunistic. While Seattle hasn't quite had the scoring punch it had in the mid-to-late summer, all the pieces are there.
Ferreira, A. Roldan, de la Vega and Musovski have proven to be dynamic goal-creating pieces, and Seattle should feel confident in their chances to win this game if they find the net three times.
