The horizon holds no live sports for the time being, so we must find other means of amusement and distraction. Not only do we not have soccer to watch for the foreseeable future, but the NCAA’s March Madness tournament has left a giant, bracket-shaped void in many of our lives. In this time of crisis, a hero has emerged from the Match Fitness columns of 2019. The Match Fitness: Menswear Madness is here to give you, dear reader, the chance to decide the best look from the Sounders in 2019.

32 pictures from the 2019 Sounders season have been chosen, vaguely divided into categories, and pitted against each other to find a Haute Highlander. The categories roughly group looks/pictures by a common trait, and include Goalkeepers, Color-blocking & Prints, Solids & Tonal Styling, and Patterns & Kim Kee-hee. Some pictures feature multiple people, and should be judged as a whole.

Photos courtesy of Sounders FC Digital

Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to decide who moves on from each match-up. The seeding is based entirely on my own preference, so you should use your own when voting. With 32 competitors in four groups of eight, we’ll begin by doing one group per day. Let’s get started!

Goalkeepers

#1 Bryan Meredith and the Boys vs #8 Stefan Frei’s Simplest Look

Grid View

• Sounders FC Digital
• Sounders FC Digital

The look from Meredith is a strong one, but the four collected looks in the #1 seed might be the best group of outfits from 2019. Stefan Frei in the #8 seed is rocking a solid look, but maybe the ‘keepers most boring ‘fit from last year.

#2 Dandy Bryan Meredith vs #7 Frei, Smith & Svensson

Grid View

• Sounders FC Digital
• Sounders FC Digital

Bryan Meredith consistently brought the heat for gamedays, and this dandy look was his best standalone performance, earning him the #2 seed. Frei is rocking a very cool, but simple look highlighted by his leather jacket. While Smith and Svensson look good, there’s not anything exceptional about the outfits, hence the #7 seed.

#3 Meredith & Morris vs #6 Stefan Frei: Craft Mixologist

Grid View

• Sounders FC Digital
• Sounders FC Digital

Bryan Meredith makes another strong showing, and is accompanied by Jordan Morris in a decent outfit. Both looks are good, but maybe not great, earning them a #3 seed. Stefan Frei and Gustav Svensson earn a #6 seed for Svensson’s usual dependability and Frei’s, uh, boldness?

#4 Schoolboy Frei vs #5 Startup Guy Frei

Grid View

• Sounders FC Digital
• Sounders FC Digital

Stefan Frei makes up both sides of the #4 vs #5 match-up, with the two looks representing the duality of man. In the #4 seed, Frei’s youthfulness and the joy and freedom of a day deserving of short-shorts is on display, while that look is countered by his startup entrepreneur chic look with his suit jacket and t-shirt in the #5 seed.

Is there a look that you think is missing? Has your favorite player been slandered by the seeding process? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and come back to help decide the first round from the Solids & Tonal Styling group next!