The 2024 season is the sixteenth 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 41st season for a professional team bearing the Sounders name, which had originated in 1974 with the first incarnation of the franchise. The team remains under the management of Brian Schmetzer in his eighth full MLS season as head coach of the Sounders.
The Sounders finished second in the Western Conference during the 2023 regular season and qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs after missing the 2022 edition.[1] The team were eliminated in the Conference Semifinals by Los Angeles FC, which ended a 19-match home unbeaten streak in the playoffs.[2] Throughout the year, Seattle had one of the best defenses in MLS but were unable to produce many goals, especially during the absence of Cristian Roldan.[3] The roster had not changed significantly during the year due to salary cap constraints and largely was retained from the 2022 season.[4]
The 2024 season will be the first for the Sounders under their updated logo, unveiled in September 2023 as part of the club's 50th anniversary celebrations.[5] It will also be the first season at their new headquarters and training facility, the Sounders FC Center at Longacres in Renton, which is scheduled to open in February 2024.[6] The Sounders will open their January preseason camp in the Seattle area and then travel to Spain. The first match of the season will be played on the road due to the installation of new FieldTurf at Lumen Field.[7] The team is expected to undergo major roster changes after the expiration of contracts for key players according to Craig Waibel, who is in his second year as general manager.[8] Among the departures is former captain and midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro, who has a Designated Player contract that expires during the offseason.[9] He entered free agency on December 12, 2023.[7][10] Seattle's two other Designated Players, Raúl Ruidíaz and Albert Rusnák, have contracts that run through the season.[11][12]
On December 4, 2023, the club announced that they would retain 22 players from the 2023 roster and declined the contract options for backup goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland, midfielder Ethan Dobbelaere, and forward Héber.[13] Goalkeeper Stefan Frei signed a new two-year contract the following day.[14] The Sounders selected three players in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, including two from colleges in the Pacific Northwest, and acquired defender Jonathan Bell in the Re-Entry Draft.[15][16]
Competitions
In addition to league play, the Sounders will also participate in several cup competitions. Seattle was set to enter the U.S. Open Cup in the third round[17] until MLS announced it would not send its teams to compete in the cup.[18] In July and August, MLS play will halt for the Leagues Cup, an international competition with Liga MX clubs hosted in the United States and Canada.[19]
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) (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (Y) Qualified for U.S. Open Cup, may still enter CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 as MLS Cup Winners Notes:
Source: MLS A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Regular season
The 2024 regular season schedule was released on December 20, 2023. The Sounders will play 34 matches during the regular season from February 24 to October 19. 28 of the regular season matches will be played against teams in the Western Conference; the six matches against teams from the Eastern Conference will all be played before the Leagues Cup break in July.[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 2024 season across all competitions. Ages listed for each player is calculated from February 24, 2024, 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.[22]
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 2024 MLS SuperDraft are listed in the notes.
Brian Schmetzer
Andy Rose
Jonathan Bell
Nathan
Buba Fofanah
Abdoulaye Cissoko
Nicolás Lodeiro
Fredy Montero
