The 2025 season is the upcoming 17th 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 42nd season for a professional team bearing the Sounders name, which had originated in 1974 with the first incarnation of the franchise. The team will remain under the management of Brian Schmetzer in his ninth full MLS season as head coach of the Sounders.
The Sounders are one of the most successful MLS teams, with two MLS Cup titles in four appearances since the hiring of head coach Brian Schmetzer in 2016. The team also won the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League and qualified for the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup under his tenure, which led to a multi-year contract extension in 2024.[1] The Sounders played a total of 47 matches during the 2024 season across several competitions and finished with an overall record of 22 wins, 13 losses, and 12 draws.[2] They spent the first half of the regular season with a losing record until adjustments to the formation; the Sounders had the best record during the latter half of the MLS season and conceded the fewest goals of any team during the regular season.[3][4] The team relied heavily on homegrown players and did not sign new players during the summer transfer window despite limited playing time for their winter signings.[4][5] The Sounders were eliminated in the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup and quarterfinals of the Leagues Cup by Los Angeles FC, but defeated them in the MLS Cup Playoffs.[6] The team were eliminated from the playoffs by the LA Galaxy in the Western Conference Final.[7]
On December 4, 2024, the Sounders exercised contract options on six players and declined options on three others. Among the departures was Raúl Ruidíaz, the top goalscorer in the team's MLS era, who played seven seasons with the club.[8][9] The Sounders are scheduled to open the season in February with the first round of 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup in a home-and-away series against Guatemalan club Antigua GFC.[8] The MLS regular season begins at the end of the month and will include a break for part of the FIFA Club World Cup in June.[10] The Sounders will host their three group stage matches in the Club World Cup at Lumen Field; their opponents are Brazilian club Botafogo, Atlético Madrid of Spain, and Paris Saint-Germain of France.[8][2]
The Sounders announced a major trade with FC Dallas on January 8, 2025, to acquire American forward Jesús Ferreira in exchange for Brazilian midfielder Léo Chú, an international roster slot, and up to $2.3million in conditional general allocation money. Ferreira would not use a Designated Player slot during the first years of his three-year contract.[11] General manager Craig Waibel announced that Jordan Morris would use a Designated Player slot due to meeting performance bonuses in his contract, while Albert Rusnák was re-signed to a new Designated Player contract.[12] Waibel also announced that João Paulo was returning on a one-year contract with an option for a second year.[12]
First match(es) will be played: February 22, 2025. Source: MLS Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
First match(es) will be played: February 22, 2025. Source: MLS Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
The MLS regular season schedule was released on December 19, 2024.[13] The Sounders will play 34 matches—17 at home and 17 away—primarily against the 14 other teams in the Western Conference; the team will also play six opponents from the Eastern Conference. The regular season will include a break for the FIFA Club World Cup and CONCACAF Gold Cup in June but continue through the Leagues Cup in August, unlike previous seasons.[14][15]
The Sounders will play in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the regional club championship for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, for the eighth season since entering MLS. The team qualified for the tournament based on the 2024 MLS Supporters' Shield standings using a seed vacated by the LA Galaxy after they won MLS Cup 2024.[16] The Sounders were placed into Pot 1 as one of the top eight clubs in the CONCACAF Club Rankings for the round one draw.[17]
The draw for the group stage was held on December 5, 2024. Seattle Sounders FC was in pot 4 but automatically assigned to Group B for scheduling purposes.[19]
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.
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.
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 2025 MLS SuperDraft are listed in the notes.
2025 MLS SuperDraft picks for Seattle Sounders FC[26]
On December 20, 2024, Seattle Sounders FC sold two international roster slots to the New York Red Bulls for $300,000 in 2025 general allocation money and $50,000 in 2026 general allocation money.[28]
Seattle Sounders FC 
PAR
ATM
BOT
Andy Rose (ENG)
Raúl Ruidíaz (PER)