Ryan Kent thriving in 'great environment'

When Ryan Kent first joined the Seattle Sounders, he spoke of a desire to simply rediscover his love of soccer.

About two months after he first started training with the Sounders and coming off his first start, Kent seems to be doing exactly that. The winger already has three assists and has helped inject some new life into an offense that had been sputtering.

“I really think I’ve landed in a great environment, somewhere I can express myself, be who I am without being judged on certain things,” Kent told members of the media following Tuesday’s training session. “I’m just really enjoying the short time I’ve had here and I hope it continues that way."

Listening to Kent talk, it seems apparent that part of what led him to MLS is that he grew tired of a lot of the attention that comes with being a professional soccer player in Europe. He calls himself "an elusive character" who "likes to keep to himself" and thinks that may have made things tough at times.

With the Sounders, he says he feels free to just focus on being the player he wants to be.

"I can lead the team with the ball on my feet," he said. "I’m never afraid to have the ball in any situation. Even if I’ve lost the ball five times, I’m still going to try to do what I do. I know in certain games I only need one opportunity to get past my opponent."

That's basically what happened against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.

Coming off a two-assist performance as a sub against St. Louis City a few days earlier, Kent wasn't quite as electric in his first MLS start, but still found a way to have a massive impact on the game.

In the 58th minute, Kent got the ball on the left wing and spotted an opening. He glided by the first defender almost effortlessly and then dribbled into the mouth of the defense, seemingly as a way to draw them in. Just as the defenders closed in, he cut back toward the endline, using Obed Vargas almost as a screen and nearly nutmegging his teammate in the process. Like he did a week earlier while setting up Nouhou, Kent never picked up his head before sending a ball through the box that hit Albert Rusnák perfectly in stride. Rusnák finished easily to give the Sounders an insurance goal.

For those counting at home, that's three assists in 124 minutes. Only 16 players in MLS have more assists this year, and among the 30 other players who have at least three, all of them have played at least 460 minutes.

Kent has helped give the Sounders a certain swagger that has sometimes been lacking in recent years.

That's going to come in especially handy in the Sounders' next two games, when they face arguably their biggest nemesis and biggest rival in consecutive road games. The Sounders will face LAFC on Wednesday and then the Portland Timbers on Saturday.

"I thrive on that kind of stuff," Kent said. "Some people can shy away from it, but I love being involved in games like that.

"I want to make my mark on MLS. I want people to know who I am. I’ve come here to be one of the best players in the league. These are the games where you’re recognized for that effort."

Injury updates

• Jesús Ferreira, who came off the bench against the Dynamo, was a full participant at training on Tuesday and seems to be a strong bet to start as the Sounders will likely rotate several starters. "He's 100% ready to go and itching to score," Schmetzer said.
• Jackson Ragen and Jordan Morris remain listed as "out" on the official injury report but are apparently progressing well, with Schmetzer noting that they've now started training on the grass.