2022 Sounders schedule: This looks kinda manageable

The Seattle Sounders will be on national TV 13 times with five of those matches scheduled to be on broadcast channels, it was announced on Wednesday when the full 34-match schedule was released.

While no schedule is perfect, it’s hard to find too much to complain about with the Sounders. In addition to playing each of the 13 other Western Conference teams home and away, the Sounders will have eight matches against Eastern Conference teams. Of those eight teams, only one (Atlanta) finished as high as fifth in the Eastern Conference standings in 2021, five missed the playoffs entirely and another is an expansion team (Charlotte FC).

This year’s schedule is also notably lighter on short-rest games and long road trips. Unlike last year when the Sounders played half of their games on less than five days of rest, this year’s schedule only includes eight such matches (without factoring in other competitions) and one three-game trip.

The schedule does have at least one sizable challenge: Just four of the Sounders’ 12 games in July and August will be played at home. That stretch of games will also have the Sounders’ five longest trips, as they’ll visit Toronto (July 2), Nashville (July 13), Chicago (July 16), Atlanta (Aug. 6) and Orlando (Aug. 31).

Thanks to a balanced Western Conference schedule, the Sounders will also be limited to just four matches against their Cascadia rivals (two fewer than last year).

New to this year’s schedule is a partnership with the Intentionalist that highlights nine Seattle-area restaurants that align with the club’s social impact and cultural calendar for each month of the season. The restaurants include the Taste of the Caribbean (Central District) for Black History Month (February), Salvadorean Baker (White Center) for Women’s History Month (March), Young Tea (Chinatown-International District) for Earth Month (April), Phnom Penh Noodle House (Chinatown-International District) for AAPI Heritage Month (May), Tres Lecheria (Wallingford) for Pride Month (June), Jackson’s Catfish Corner (Central District) and Umami Kushi (Rainier Beach) for RAVE Foundation (July and August, respectively), Seatango (Lake City) for Latinx Heritage Month (September) and Off the Rez Cafe (University District) for Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Oct. 10).