# 2022 Seattle Sounders FC season

The 2022 season was Seattle Sounders FC's 14th in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top flight of American club soccer. It was the 39th season played by a professional team bearing the Sounders name. The team was under the management of Brian Schmetzer in his sixth full MLS season as head coach of the Sounders.
In early May, the Sounders won the CONCACAF Champions League title after defeating UNAM of the Liga MX 5–2 in aggregate scoring, becoming the first team in Major League Soccer to win the CONCACAF Champions League. The season ended with the team missing the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in the league, snapping a 13-year streak that was the longest active streak in MLS history. The Sounders last missed the playoffs in 2006 as a second-division club in the USL First Division. The team also failed to win in their final nine road matches from July through the end of the season.

## Summary

During the offseason, the Sounders hired former player Andy Rose as an assistant coach, joining Freddy Juarez, who had been signed in August 2021, and Preki. The team opened their preseason camp in late January, with first scrimmages on January 20.
The Sounders won the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) with an undefeated record, including a 3–0 win in the second leg of the final against Pumas UNAM of Liga MX. The second leg of the final at Lumen Field broke a tournament attendance record with 68,741 spectators. During their concurrent MLS matches, the team had a 2–5–1 record and dropped to 13th place in the Western Conference. The Sounders missed the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since entering the league in 2009, breaking a 13-year streak; their performance was attributed to player injuries from the CCL run.

## Roster

    As of February 15, 2022
| No. | Name | Nationality | Position | Date of birth (age) | Previous club |
| 3 | Xavier Arreaga (INTL) | Ecuador | DF | (1994-09-28) September 28, 1994 (age 30) | Barcelona S.C. |
| 5 | Nouhou (INTL) | Cameroon | DF | (1997-06-23) June 23, 1997 (age 27) | Tacoma Defiance |
| 6 | João Paulo (INTL) | Brazil | MF | (1991-03-08) March 8, 1991 (age 33) | Botafogo |
| 7 | Cristian Roldan | United States | MF | (1995-06-03) June 3, 1995 (age 29) | Washington Huskies |
| 9 | Raúl Ruidíaz (DP) | Peru | FW | (1990-07-25) July 25, 1990 (age 34) | Atlético Morelia |
| 10 | Nicolás Lodeiro (DP) | Uruguay | MF | (1989-03-21) March 21, 1989 (age 35) | Boca Juniors |
| 11 | Albert Rusnák (DP) | Slovakia | MF | (1994-07-07) July 7, 1994 (age 30) | Real Salt Lake |
| 12 | Fredy Montero | Colombia | FW | (1987-07-26) July 26, 1987 (age 37) | Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
| 13 | Jordan Morris (HG) | United States | FW | (1994-10-26) October 26, 1994 (age 30) | Stanford Cardinal |
| 14 | Samuel Adeniran | United States | FW | (1998-09-30) September 30, 1998 (age 26) | Tacoma Defiance |
| 16 | Alex Roldán | El Salvador | MF | (1996-07-28) July 28, 1996 (age 28) | Tacoma Defiance |
| 17 | Will Bruin | United States | FW | (1989-10-24) October 24, 1989 (age 35) | Houston Dynamo FC |
| 21 | Reed Baker-Whiting (HG) | United States | MF | (2005-03-31) March 31, 2005 (age 19) | Tacoma Defiance |
| 22 | Kelyn Rowe | United States | MF | (1991-12-02) December 2, 1991 (age 33) | New England Revolution |
| 23 | Léo Chú (INTL) | Brazil | MF | (2000-06-04) June 4, 2000 (age 24) | Grêmio |
| 24 | Stefan Frei | United States | GK | (1986-04-20) April 20, 1986 (age 38) | Toronto FC |
| 25 | Jackson Ragen | United States | DF | (1998-09-24) September 24, 1998 (age 26) | Tacoma Defiance |
| 26 | Andrew Thomas | Russia | GK | (1998-09-01) September 1, 1998 (age 26) | Stanford Cardinal |
| 28 | Yeimar Gómez Andrade (INTL) | Colombia | DF | (1992-06-30) June 30, 1992 (age 32) | Unión de Santa Fe |
| 30 | Stefan Cleveland | United States | GK | (1994-05-24) May 24, 1994 (age 30) | Chicago Fire FC |
| 45 | Ethan Dobbelaere (HG) | United States | MF | (2002-11-14) November 14, 2002 (age 22) | Tacoma Defiance |
| 73 | Obed Vargas | United States | MF | (2005-08-05) August 5, 2005 (age 19) | Tacoma Defiance |
| 75 | Danny Leyva (HG) | United States | MF | (2003-05-05) May 5, 2003 (age 21) | Tacoma Defiance |
| 84 | Josh Atencio (HG) | United States | MF | (2002-01-31) January 31, 2002 (age 23) | Tacoma Defiance |
| 87 | Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (HG) | United States | FW | (2002-03-25) March 25, 2002 (age 22) | Tacoma Defiance |
| 92 | Abdoulaye Cissoko | France | DF | (1999-12-27) December 27, 1999 (age 25) | Tacoma Defiance |
| 94 | Jimmy Medranda | Colombia | DF | (1994-02-07) February 7, 1994 (age 31) | Nashville SC |
| 99 | Dylan Teves (HG) | United States | MF | (2000-05-14) May 14, 2000 (age 24) | Washington Huskies |

### Coaching staff

    As of January 20, 2022
Technical staff :
| Head coach | Brian Schmetzer |
| Assistant coach | Preki |
| Director of goalkeeping | Tom Dutra |
| Assistant coach | Freddy Juarez |
| Assistant coach | Andy Rose |

## Transfers

For transfers in, dates listed are when 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 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 Sounders FC roster.

### In

| No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred from | Fee/notes | Date |
| 14 | FW | Samuel Adeniran | Tacoma Defiance | Free Transfer | December 14, 2021 |
| 73 | MF | Obed Vargas | Tacoma Defiance | Free Transfer | December 14, 2021 |
| 99 | MF | Dylan Teves | University of Washington | Homegrown Signing | January 11, 2022 |
| 18 | MF | Albert Rusnák | Real Salt Lake | Designated Player | January 13, 2022 |
| 25 | DF | Jackson Ragen | Tacoma Defiance | College Protected Period | February 14, 2022 |
| 36 | GK | Wallis Lapsley | Tacoma Defiance | Short Term Extreme Hardship Contract | March 20, 2022 |
| 45 | MF | Ethan Dobbelaere | MFK Vyškov | Loan Recall | May 7, 2022 |

#### Draft picks

Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only those who are signed to a contract will be listed as transfers in. Only trades involving draft picks and executed after the start of 2022 MLS SuperDraft will be listed in the notes.
| Date | Player | Position | School | Notes | Ref |
| January 11, 2022 | Achille Robin | DF | University of Washington | MLS SuperDraft 2nd Round Pick (#43) | |
| January 11, 2022 | Hal Uderitz | MF | Seattle University | MLS SuperDraft 3rd Round Pick (#76) | |

### Out

| No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred to | Fee/notes | Date |
| 20 | MF | Nicolas Benezet | | Option declined | December 1, 2021 |
| 8 | MF | Jordy Delem | | Option declined | December 1, 2021 |
| 37 | MF | Shandon Hopeau | | Option declined | December 1, 2021 |
| 1 | GK | Trey Muse | Loudoun United | Option declined | December 1, 2021 |
| 27 | DF | Shane O'Neill | Toronto FC | Free transfer | December 20, 2021 |
| 18 | GK | Spencer Richey | Chicago Fire FC | Free transfer | December 22, 2021 |
| 11 | DF | Brad Smith | D.C. United | Traded for $750,000 in GAM | January 27, 2022 |
| 45 | MF | Ethan Dobbelaere | MFK Vyškov | Loan through May 31, 2022 | February 5, 2022 |

## Competitions

Win  Draw  Loss  Void  Upcoming fixture

### Preseason

The Seattle Sounders announced their pre-season schedule on January 22, 2022. Seattle competed against its rival, the Portland Timbers, in a friendly match in Tuscan as part of the Desert Showcase which was hosted by FC Tucson. The club also participated in the Coachella Valley Invitational with its host, LA Galaxy.

### Major League Soccer
#### League tables
##### Western Conference

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 9 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 34 | 12 | 15 | 7 | 40 | 57 | −17 | 43 | Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions League |
| 10 | Colorado Rapids | 34 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 46 | 57 | −11 | 43 | |
| 11 | Seattle Sounders FC | 34 | 12 | 17 | 5 | 47 | 46 | +1 | 41 | |
| 12 | Sporting Kansas City | 34 | 11 | 16 | 7 | 42 | 54 | −12 | 40 | |
| 13 | Houston Dynamo FC | 34 | 10 | 18 | 6 | 43 | 56 | −13 | 36 | |
* ↑ Canadian clubs cannot qualify for the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League through the MLS regular season or playoffs.
* ↑ as 2022 Canadian Championship winners.

##### Overall

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 19 | Charlotte FC | 34 | 13 | 18 | 3 | 44 | 52 | −8 | 42 |
| 20 | New England Revolution | 34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 47 | 50 | −3 | 42 |
| 21 | Seattle Sounders FC | 34 | 12 | 17 | 5 | 47 | 46 | +1 | 41 |
| 22 | Sporting Kansas City | 34 | 11 | 16 | 7 | 42 | 54 | −12 | 40 |
| 23 | Atlanta United FC | 34 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 48 | 54 | −6 | 40 |

#### Results

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: October 9, 2022. Source: MLS
| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
| Stadium | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | H | H | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | L | L | W | D | W | D | L | L | W | L | W | W | L | W | D | W | L | W | L | L | L | W | L | W | L | L | D | L | L | W | W | L | L | D |

## Match results
### MLS regular season

The MLS schedule was released on December 15, 2021. Several matches were later rescheduled to accommodate CONCACAF Champions League fixtures.

### U.S. Open Cup

The Sounders entered the 2022 U.S. Open Cup in the Round of 32 on May 11, 2022, by virtue of finishing second in the 2021 Western Conference. The draw occurred on April 22, 2022.

### CONCACAF Champions League

The Sounders qualified to the round of 16 of the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League by virtue of their second-place finish in the 2021 Western Conference. The round of 16 draw occurred on December 15.

#### Final
## Statistics

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | MLS | MLS | U.S. Open Cup | U.S. Open Cup | CONCACAF Champions League | CONCACAF Champions League |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 24 | GK | SUI | Stefan Frei | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 26 | GK | RUS | Andrew Thomas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | GK | USA | Stefan Cleveland | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 3 | DF | ECU | Xavier Arreaga | 12 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | CMR | Nouhou | 10 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | SLV | Alex Roldan | 12 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | USA | Jackson Ragen | 9 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 |
| 28 | DF | COL | Yeimar Gómez Andrade | 6 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 92 | DF | FRA | Abdoulaye Cissoko | 6 | 0 | 2+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 94 | DF | COL | Jimmy Medranda | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 6 | MF | BRA | João Paulo | 10 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | USA | Cristian Roldan | 12 | 1 | 4+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 10 | MF | URU | Nicolás Lodeiro | 7 | 2 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| 18 | MF | SVK | Albert Rusnák | 12 | 1 | 5+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 21 | MF | USA | Reed Baker-Whiting | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | USA | Kelyn Rowe | 12 | 1 | 3+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3+3 | 1 |
| 45 | MF | USA | Ethan Dobbelaere | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 73 | MF | USA | Obed Vargas | 12 | 0 | 4+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3+3 | 0 |
| 75 | MF | USA | Danny Leyva | 4 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 84 | MF | USA | Josh Atencio | 2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 99 | MF | USA | Dylan Teves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | PER | Raúl Ruidíaz | 6 | 1 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 12 | FW | COL | Fredy Montero | 10 | 4 | 3+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2+3 | 3 |
| 13 | FW | USA | Jordan Morris | 11 | 4 | 3+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| 14 | FW | USA | Samuel Adeniran | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | USA | Will Bruin | 7 | 1 | 3+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | BRA | Léo Chú | 6 | 1 | 3+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 1 |
| 87 | FW | USA | Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players transferred/loaned out during the season ||||||||||||
| 36 | GK | USA | Wallis Lapsley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last updated: April 17, 2022. Source: Sounders FC

### Top scorers

| Rank | Position | Number | Name | MLS | MLS Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | CONCACAF Champions League | Total |
| 1 | FW | 9 | Raúl Ruidíaz | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| 1 | MF | 10 | Nicolás Lodeiro | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 |
| 3 | FW | 13 | Jordan Morris | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 4 | FW | 12 | Fredy Montero | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| 5 | MF | 7 | Cristian Roldan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | MF | 11 | Albert Rusnák | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | FW | 17 | Will Bruin | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | MF | 22 | Kelyn Rowe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | DF | 3 | Xavier Arreaga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | MF | 6 | João Paulo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | DF | 16 | Alex Roldan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | MF | 99 | Dylan Teves | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | DF | 28 | Yeimar Gómez Andrade | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | DF | 5 | Nouhou | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | FW | 23 | Léo Chú | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | MF | 94 | Jimmy Medranda | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
* Last updated: October 10, 2022
* Source:

### Top assists

| Rank | Position | Number | Name | MLS | MLS Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | CONCACAF Champions League | Total |
| 1 | MF | 7 | Cristian Roldan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| 2 | MF | 10 | Nicolás Lodeiro | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | DF | 5 | Nouhou | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | MF | 11 | Albert Rusnák | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | DF | 16 | Alex Roldan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* Last updated: April 17, 2022
* Source:

## Honors and awards
### MLS Team of the Week

| Week | Player | Opponent | Position |
| 3 | Xavier Arreaga | LA Galaxy | Bench |
| 4 | Cristian Roldan | Austin FC | MF |
| 5 | João Paulo | Minnesota United FC | MF |

### MLS Goal of the Week

| Week | Player | Opponent |
| 5 | João Paulo | Minnesota United FC |
| 11 | Cristian Roldan | Minnesota United FC |
| 12 | Raúl Ruidíaz | Houston Dynamo FC |

### CONCACAF Champions League Best XI

| Leg | Player | Opponent | Position |
| Round of 16 2nd leg | Cristian Roldan | Motagua | MF |
| Quarterfinals 1st leg | Fredy Montero | Club León | FW |
| Quarterfinals 1st leg | Cristian Roldan | Club León | MF |
| Quarterfinals 2nd leg | Fredy Montero | Club León | MF |
| Semifinals 1st leg | Raúl Ruidíaz | New York City FC | FW |
| Semifinals 1st leg | Nicolás Lodeiro | New York City FC | MF |
| Semifinals 1st leg | Jordan Morris | New York City FC | MF |
| Semifinals 1st leg | Albert Rusnák | New York City FC | MF |
| Semifinals 1st leg | Jackson Ragen | New York City FC | DF |
| Semifinals 1st leg | Alex Roldan | New York City FC | DF |
| Semifinals 1st leg | Stefan Frei | New York City FC | GK |
| Semifinals 2nd leg | Raúl Ruidíaz | New York City FC | FW |
| Semifinals 2nd leg | Cristian Roldan | New York City FC | MF |
| Semifinals 2nd leg | Xavier Arreaga | New York City FC | DF |
| Semifinals 2nd leg | Nouhou | New York City FC | DF |
| Semifinals 2nd leg | Stefan Frei | New York City FC | GK |