#6 Jesús Ferreira – 2025 Overall Rating: 6.23 in 48 appearances
Community Rating: 5.97
MLS Regular Season: 6.16 in 32 appearances
MLS Playoffs: 6.67 in 3 appearances
Concacaf Champions Cup 6.00 in 4 appearances
Club World Cup 5.33 in 3 appearances
Leagues Cup: 7.00 in 6 appearances
MOTM = 2 | High = 9 | Low = 5
When Jesús Ferreira was signed in preseason, there were high expectations. He had an excellent pedigree and some sparkling stats at a young age, but he’d faded from prime relevance in recent history, allowing Seattle to get him for a bargain price. The biggest issue with this signing wasn’t about his talents, but more about how his skillset would fit with a well-established Sounders team. While Ferreira’s 2025 stats of 5g/8a weren’t overwhelming, he was a remarkably durable contributor, playing in a massive 48 matches. He became an every-day starter, and a player the Sounders could depend on for high levels of play every time out.
How it started: Ferreira started out hot with Seattle, combining with his Dallas teammate Paul Arriola early and showing the promise this duo brought to the Sounders. Still, Jesús struggled to fulfill the fans’ lofty expectations; he was often a connector and control player rather than a dynamic goalscorer. At the same time, the coaching staff seemed to struggle with where and how to best utilize Ferreira. He was tried as a lone striker, an auxiliary attacker, a wide player, and a central creator. There was often much rotation around him as well, and Jesús didn’t show the brilliant finishing many expected.
How it ended: Seattle needed a boost going into Leagues Cup, and they got it. Although everyone played well in the opener, it was Jesús Ferreira who earned MOTM in the 7-0 thrashing of Cruz Azul. On a field full of stars and amazing Sounders game play, Jesús stood out as he scored and created chances for those around him:
The most consistent attacker on the evening was Jesús, who was everywhere. His movement and connection with teammates was mesmerizing, creating giant chances all over the field. He had two shots, 86 percent passing, a goal that counted, a couple that didn’t, and multiple big opportunities all match.
This was what the Sounders offense had been lacking, a force multiplier to create a multi-pronged attack, another playmaker who could see the dynamic team movement and make quick, essential passes to fuel success. This performance showcased Ferreira’s brilliant movement, technical expertise and tactical awareness, and he was invaluable for the rest of the season. In addition to his role as a right wide attacker, he became a second playmaker in the inside channels, combining flawlessly with Albert Rusnák to balance out the offense and create vertical attacks up the left from the opposite winger, overlapping runs around his smart positioning, and direct from center runs. This flexibility meant when Seattle needed someone to play centrally against the LA Galaxy in August, Jesús responded:
Jesús moved to the middle and was brilliant, constantly moving, prodding, creating, and connecting across the field. His ability to find the ball and create chances for teammates or himself was excellent. This meant he earned five key passes and found four shots of his own, and he put each on goal. He was excellent at serving dead balls as well, with his corners creating chances each time. Jesús was cooking from the central playmaking position for Seattle.
The development of Ferreira’s role was important as the Sounders were able to keep a playstyle already working at a high level and plug in various players to continue the midseason run. For the rest of the year, Jesús was consistently rated high, averaging 6.7 over his last 20 appearances, with only one below average score, a late sub appearance where he helped see out the win.
Where do we go from here? It took a while to understand Ferreira’s impact, which is clearly an acquired taste as he isn’t flashy and is more the “pass before the pass” sort of connector. Acquiring Jesús helped drive Seattle’s success, allowing tactical flexibility, quicker transitions, and an overall improved offense. Time after time, he provided an integral touch, a clean pass opening up space, or a deft run that created room for others to connect. Able to easily transition from defense to counterattacking and create novel attacking moments from more structured play, Ferreira was a key weapon that helped the Sounders overwhelm opponents. His consistent high level control and decision making were important for Seattle, ensuring the possession they strive for, and the ability to convert that into offense, – something previously lacking. Jesús is a locked-in starter and will only improve as he gets more comfortable with the team and its tactical movement.
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#5 Andrew Thomas – 2025 Overall Rating: 6.38 in 16 appearances
Community Rating: 6.26
MLS Regular Season: 5.75 in 8 appearances
MLS Playoffs: 7.00 in 1 appearance
Concacaf Champions Cup 6.00 in 1 appearance
Leagues Cup: 7.17 in 6 appearances
MOTM = 1 | High = 8 | Low = 4
After Andrew Thomas broke into the Sounders lineup with 15 appearances in 2024, there were big expectations for his growth in 2025. He was clearly being groomed to succeed club legend Stefan Frei, but many backups in Seattle have played well without overtaking the incumbent starting role. Andrew’s size and explosiveness were already assets, and coaching improved his decision making in 2025. So, with Seattle playing an increased number of matches, including multiple cup competitions and their usual playoff expectations, there was plenty of time to get a real look at Thomas. He didn’t disappoint, showing the upside that was evident at the lower level, but this time he was playing in big, international competitions.
How it started: In February, Andrew was given a CCC match versus Antigua and then was on the field for the beatdown of LAFC in March. In both of these appearances, he did exactly what he needed to do, managing the match and making the expected saves while his offense scored eight goals. His next appearance, however, was against that same LAFC team on the road in May and he earned his lone poor grade of the year. No one looked good for Seattle in the 4-0 loss, but there were some worrying signs that Thomas hadn’t improved his deficits from the previous year:
Thomas is still the heir apparent, but after seeing Frei struggle some this season, it would be nice if Andrew looked more capable in these one-off matches. After saving an early chance, he looked out of his depth. He badly missed the first goal and should have saved it, even though it was slightly deflected. It went downhill from there, as he was flat footed on the crucial second goal. There are too many holes in Andrew’s game, which is a big red flag for the goalkeeping corps both now and in the future.
How it ended: When a scary collision in July put Frei’s season in jeopardy, Thomas stepped into the starting goalkeeping role for Seattle. In eight straight starts, he averaged 6.25 rating, showing the ability to be a quality MLS keeper. Perhaps the biggest “sink or swim” opportunity in 2025 was Coach Schmetzer giving Thomas the Leagues Cup job until the end. This showed confidence in the young keeper to represent the team in a crucial competition, and Andrew was excellent in every match, averaging over 7 in those six appearances. Seattle dominated the competition, winning the trophy after dispatching Mexican and American teams. Through it all, the goalkeeping was solid, and a distinct improvement in distribution and decision making followed from getting more consistent minutes. Thomas clearly turned a corner and looked strong to finish out the year. Speaking of finishing out the season, in the MLS playoffs in November, Schmetzer made the unprecedented move to bring in Andrew for the penalty shootout. He was nearly magical:
Brian Schmetzer made a brave move to bring in Thomas at the end of the match, and it paid off, as immediately Andrew scared Minnesota into missing their first penalty. He would save and force multiple other misses, giving Seattle multiple chances to win it.
Although the Cinderella story ended with a miss of Thomas’ own, he showed up huge in this shootout.
Where do we go from here? It seemed almost like we were “passing the torch” when Frei was subbed out for Thomas in the playoff final. Not just that Andrew’s edge in penalty kick shootout was evident, but also that it might be time for Frei to step aside and usher in the Thomas era. Andrew proved to be a viable long term answer with his combination of high level and consistent play in 2025, but some questions still remain around his distribution and whether he can be a better asset when building possession. With Frei still in the picture, Thomas will need to show continual improvement, but every indication is that the more he plays, the better he looks. He already has phenomenal shot stopping and assertiveness in the area, but to be a top goalie for a long time, you must be consistent. Having Stefan there for support will be an asset for Andrew, and in 2026 he can continue his ascent to being the incumbent starter for the Sounders.
#4 Jackson Ragen – 2025 Overall Rating: 6.40 in 40 appearances
Community Rating: 6.16
MLS Regular Season: 6.21 in 24 appearances
MLS Playoffs: 7.00 in 3 appearances
Concacaf Champions Cup 5.75 in 4 appearances
Club World Cup 7.00 in 3 appearances
Leagues Cup: 7.00 in 6 appearances
MOTM = 1 | High = 8 | Low = 4
In 2024, Jackson Ragen was a late developing star but was clearly one of the best centerbacks in the league. With the high expectations that follow from that, Seattle needed consistency and leadership from their young defender in 2025, and they got it. Ragen is already playing like a veteran, with others in the defense looking to him for guidance and connection. His passing is absolutely fantastic.
How it started: Despite leading the league in defense in 2024, the same defensive group didn’t meet expectations in 2025, especially early on. Countless individual mistakes plagued them, from own goals to red cards, and their predilection for giving up transition goals was exacerbated by Ragen’s aggressive positioning on a number of occasions. The double-edged sword of his incredible passing vision and range could also pull him out of position and create gaps. In an embarrassing loss to San Diego in April, not even his passing was effective, as Jackson repeatedly forced the ball and often lost it directly to the opponents. With his lone “4” grade of the season in this match, I said:
Seattle’s whole defense was a disaster in the first half. Ragen passed to the other team or was too slow to support the gaps that were everywhere. His terrible back pass in the 35th almost gave up another goal, he guarded nothing on goal two, and on their third goal, which started via his own errant pass, Ragen was easily beaten as San Diego strolled in to score. WTF? The greatest passing in the world hardly matters if you are constantly exposed in space, and Ragen’s defense in transition was bad.
And that was the challenge for this incredibly talented player: how to transition effectively and lean on his solid distribution skills without creating holes in the defense. Even worse, he picked up an injury and missed eight matches in April and May.
How it ended: Everything changed in the summer for Jackson and for Seattle when he returned. After two warm-up matches, starting in the Club World Cup Jackson ripped off an amazing ELEVEN matches in a row with a “7” rating. He was simply fantastic, and against some of the best attackers in the entire world. This streak included the three powerhouses of Botofogo, Atletico Madrid, and PSG, and continued through MLS matches and into the Leagues Cup. He even improved his rating in the final of that tournament, earning an “8” for completely shutting down Luis Suárez, leading to this commentary:
Suárez took more shots after the final whistle than during the match, when Ragen was draped around him and limited the Miami striker to a single attempt, which he failed to get on target. Ragen calmly stopped everything centrally, and was a clean distributor going forward.
And that’s what Jackson did every time he was matched up with a top player – shut them down. He ended the season with another six straight “7” ratings split with an “8” at NYCFC. Ragen was absolutely fantastic in the second half of the year, and even added the distinction of being one of, if not the best, penalty kick taker on the team.
Where do we go from here? Jackson quietly had his best season as a Sounder. He consistently raised his level for every key match, and his technical ability was on display all year. He continues to improve and evolve and yet isn’t even at prime centerback development age. It’s reasonable to expect he’ll continue on this upward trajectory through the next few years. With Ragen anchoring the backline, Seattle has a tremendously versatile and tactically astute player to build both defense and transition offense from. Leaning into his creative play should continue to provide quicker soccer for Seattle. He doesn’t appear to be slowing down, and if 2026 is anything like 2025, Jackson will show up big in the biggest matches.
