Ratings are back! 2026 is our 12th year of rating Sounders soccer.
Seattle started the new season with high expectations, a solid team, and a winnable home match against the Colorado Rapids on opening day. The Sounders were the better team all night, and the 2-0 final scoreline was a good start to the year. But most of the accolades should go to the man of the hour, the main character, the guy everyone wants to talk about after a soccer match: the referee. With some of the most ridiculous displays of inept and overbearing officiating ever seen in MLS, lead referee Malik Badawi and VAR Ramy Touchan dominated the first half. The plethora of poor calls, lengthy delays, and terrible game management made it the longest MLS first half ever, overshadowing both the home team’s excellent performance and the disheartening injury.
Promising: Seattle truly dominated this match, playing through ridiculous circumstances but still creating quality chances and limiting Colorado to nothing. The team depth was tested, and passed the test with flying colors as subs were able to step in and excel.
Needs work: Needing two first half subs isn’t something you want for your team. One a “non-contact” and the other a “too much contact,” Seattle dealt with an enormous amount of adversity in just their first match.
Referee impact: The entire match was sullied by the disgraceful performance of the referee team. It was hard to watch, and likely even more difficult to play, with extreme delays and preposterous decision making.
Moving Forward: Seattle must forge through the injuries, rely on their depth, and continue to amass points before the midseason break.
Goalkeeper
Andrew Thomas – 6 | Community – 6.9
Newly appointed #1 keeper Andrew Thomas started the season in goal and did what he needed to do. Credited with three saves, he wasn’t tested much, but looked for the most part like a competent Sounders goalie. Some awkward attempts to defend set pieces saw Andrew in a sort of no-man’s land, but the team was excellent at clearing these moments and limiting exposure.
Promising: Getting a shutout in the opening match was a great way to start the 2026 campaign. Thomas showed he fits right in as the first name on the team sheet.
Needs work: Distribution, especially in tight matches, is a huge area for improvement. Although he has an excellent long kick that can relieve pressure, consistent poor short passes and decisions put Seattle in unnecessary situations. He must improve on finding teammates.
Ref impact: The refs made this game closer than it needed to be, and that artificially inflated the match intensity. Of all the players, Thomas likely benefitted most from the game being close, so he had to stay “on” for the entire match.
Going forward: Andrew is the starter and showed no reason he shouldn’t continue to be.
Defense
Nouhou – 6 | Community – 6.8
As the de-facto starter at left back, Nouhou looked to have built up a strong early connection with Jordan Morris on the left. Unfortunately, after Jordan’s injury, his connection and buildup was often disjointed and not as crisp as expected. His 74 percent passing and four defensive actions were part of a slow night for Seattle’s defense; Colorado seemed more interested in passing in their own half than testing the Sounders defense.
Promising: Seattle earned a shutout, and Nouhou did his part as Colorado mostly avoided challenging him. His defense on set pieces was good, and a number of potential counter attacks were snuffed out by Nouhou’s pace and anticipation.
Needs work: Nouhou missed a few 1-v-1 moments that he is usually excellent at. Worse, his connection with the wingers in front of him was disjointed, especially with Georgi Minoungou who he overran with frustrating consistency.
Ref impact: In the 42nd minute, Nouhou was breaking out through a quality surging dribble when he was annihilated from behind. This was a red-card worthy tackle. Luckily, Nouhou wasn’t hurt. And thankfully, he didn’t resort to some stupid retaliation to give the ref even more air time.
Going forward: Nouhou needs to better understand the game state as well as his role when paired with rotating players in front of him.
Jackson Ragen – 7 | Community – 7.4
Ragen began another season as he ended the last one, in dominant fashion. He was a true central leader in the back, supporting the calm possession that limited Colorado to very little offensively. He also added a strong presence on corners, winning multiple headers on both offense and defense.
Promising: Ragen’s solid distribution remains an asset that allows Seattle to centrally control matches; however, in a tight game like this, it was his ability to dominate on defense that shone. He won all five of his header duels, limiting set piece mistakes that were a point of emphasis in the offseason. Jackson was especially strong when beaten, utilizing at least two massive slide tackles after the Rapids appeared to have breached the defensive lines.
Needs work: With only 75 percent passing, this was a limited distribution effort from Ragen. His short passing was excellent and clean, but he was unable to find the long ball and moments to switch the field as he has in the past, usually due to a deep-lying Colorado defensive posture.
Ref impact: Navigating a match where flagrant elbows are flying was a challenge Ragen didn’t deserve.
Going forward: Slide tackles are fun when they work, but even better is not having to make them.
Yeimar – 7 | Community – 7.2
The entire defense played well, but Yeimar was excellent. With 72 touches and 87 percent passing, he was good on both sides of the ball, denying the Rapids and safely shuttling possession forward.
Promising: A massive 20 defensive contributions included 10 clearances, four tackles and four interceptions in a dominant performance. His high pressure helped set up Seattle’s second counted goal.
Needs work: While Ragen was outstanding, Yeimar only won one of his four header attempts.
Ref impact: Yeimar was aggressive in compensating for some of the opponents’ uncalled fouls, which was effective. Also effective were the (at least) three times he was fouled with no call, as part of the inconsistent refereeing.
Going forward: After some slow starts in previous years, this was a red hot beginning for Yeimar.
Alex Roldan – 6 | Community – 6.9
Starting 2026 in his now familiar right back spot, Alex Roldan dealt with the majority of the Colorado pressure easily, funneling the Rapids into the menacing defense of Yeimar next to him as the back four confidently earned a shutout.
Promising: Alex did what was expected: won his individual battles and duels, connected going forward, and offered width on the right. When presented with a volley attempt in the 22nd minute, he crushed a shot on goal, forcing a rebound that Hassani Dotson put away.
Needs work: Although Roldan led the team with 74 touches, he wasn’t as effective going forward as we’ve seen him be.
Ref impact: Alex earned a 61st minute yellow card and had to play more cautiously after that. This limited his play as Colorado attacked his side extensively in the second half.
Going forward: No longer likely to be overlooked, Alex is a dependable piece who will nearly always play.
Defensive Midfield
Cristian Roldan – 7 | Community – 7.2
It’s rare that a Cristian Roldan appearance goes unnoticed, but this might be the closest you get. He was rarely seen in big or flashy plays, yet Captain Cristian quietly had 55 touches, 85 percent passing, a shot, three tackles, and seven recoveries. He did some of everything, and all excellently.
Promising: Seattle presented not one but two new players who could combine with Roldan in the middle, and he adjusted flawlessly to the predilections of both. His ability to do everything his partner isn’t doing while strengthening both offense and defense is elite.
Needs work: Roldan had his only shot blocked, and while the offense was decent in creating opportunities, Cristian was less a factor than anticipated.
Ref impact: In his first 2026 match, Captain Roldan had to deal with the circus of the first half refereeing. Adding to that was personally getting hacked multiple times in a very physical Colorado performance.
Going forward: It’s hard to say how much impact he had as captain, but multiple flammable situations seemed to be handled with dignity on the field.
Hassani Dotson – 6 | Community – 6.8 (off 45+14 inj. for Brunell)
Hassani started off his Seattle career well, instantly fitting in as a “Sounders guy” who showed the grit and determination as well as the technical ability to help run the engine in the center of midfield. His combination play and coverage were excellent before his unfortunate injury.
Promising: All the little things you want were there: connecting passes, defensive coverage, successful dribbles, activity in the box, won duels.
Needs work: After a thundering volley from Alex forced a fumble by Zack Steffen, Dotson pounced on it to score in the 22nd. After 18 minutes of deliberation, the ref removed this goal.
Ref impact: The teams were still playing in the 55th minute of the first half, and players were no doubt frustrated. Was Colorado especially violent in their fouls in the first half? Yes. Was this a completely unnecessary challenge that resulted in a head injury to Dotson? Unfortunately, yes.
Going forward: Hopefully Hassani doesn’t have lingering head injury issues and can get back soon to doing what he was doing well in this match.
Attacking Midfield
Jordan Morris – 5 | Community – 4.5 (off 8’ injured for Rothrock)
Ready to put an injury-plagued season behind him and build off an excellent playoff series, Morris came into this match with a lot to prove. He started out on the wing and looked comfortable darting in off the edge. Unfortunately, his season started out in a terrible fashion as he grimaced early before sitting down injured, visibly upset, in the 6th minute.
Promising: Seattle had a clear gameplan and Morris looked primed to execute it, as he completed all his passes and won a header in his brief time on the field.
Needs work: Another injury, this time a quad. Especially in light of his post about how hard last season was, this was a devastating event, no matter the severity. Sigh.
Ref impact: I’m sure the ref had something to do with him getting hurt. Don’t fact check me.
Going forward: News is it’s a four week quad injury. This is perhaps the best case scenario, and we can hope it’s a singular issue.
Albert Rusnák – 7 | Community – 7.5 (off 88’ for Arriola)
Some things are a given, and one of those is that Albert Rusnák is going to start in the middle and play excellent soccer. In this match, that meant staking an offensive presence, leading to four shots and two key passes. He scored the opener for 2026, and looks to be quickly understanding the new pieces around him and how to combine flawlessly.
Promising: The Albatross soared into the box in minute 15 and expertly headed home the opening goal. The fact that he’s made only two headed goals in his career is amazing.
Needs work: In the 49th minute, Jesús Ferreira showed some savior-level vision to pick Rusnák’s run, putting him in on goal. Snacks promptly kicked his shot three yards wide of frame.
Ref impact: Albert was especially upset at the Rothrock foul that was originally assessed as a red card, and he had to be restrained. That is probably why his corner kicks were largely ineffective for the whole match. Probably.
Going forward: No big surprise that Albert is on the scoresheet and will continue to produce, because that’s what he does.
Jesús Ferreira – 7 | Community – 7.4 (off 69’ for Minoungou)
Jesús roared into 2026 with a fantastic effort against Colorado. He was everywhere, pressing and connecting and ending with two assists. These came in different ways, first with some vision to pick out an option in a crowd, and the second after a strong run into space. His combination play and production was exactly what Seattle needed.
Promising: Ferreira’s ability to be a wide playmaker is at times spectacular. In the 49th minute he cut out five Rapids players, setting up Albert for a huge chance. Seeing that pass is nearly impossible; executing the pass through traffic with the pace and precision was sublime.
Needs work: While he was busy dealing dimes for others, Jesús only had a single shot, a weak header attempt easily saved at the start of the second half. Right spot, wrong execution.
Ref impact: Jesús subbed off in the 69th minute. While that’s a nice outing, he really played a full match with the plethora of extra time given. The ref robbed us of more second half Jesús.
Going forward: Seattle looks to have found a great balance between the playmakers and the direct players, with Jesús already finding his groove.
Striker
Osaze De Rosario – 6 | Community – 6.4 (off 69’ for Musovski)
Earning an opening day start off a spectacular pre-season, Osaze and the Sounders stayed on the front foot nearly all match. Every match your forward doesn’t score is a bummer, but ODR’s pace and intentionality from the front were essential to Seattle’s dominance, both from controlling and creating, and as a defensive ignition point.
Promising: The moments were there. An especially enlightening play in the 62nd minute led directly to the Sounders’ final goal: taking a deeper position, ODR first showed great holdup to bring the offense into the play before spinning and laying off a fantastic ball to Jesús who found Paul Rothrock, and Seattle scored.
Needs work: Osaze only completed half of his passing attempts and had a single shot.
Ref impact: In the 22nd minute, ODR was called for a phantom foul in the box on a set piece. Seattle scored on this play, but ultimately that goal was called back. It took forever to process by the refs, and even Colorado thought the goal was legit and were ready to kick off.
Going forward: Especially with Jordan out for the near future, the forward spot is a two person race and Osaze looks to be the leader.
Substitutes
Paul Rothrock – 8 (MOTM) | Community – 8.6 (MOTM) (on 8’ for Morris)
Paul Rothrock. A man so special he has his own stat. And boy, did the Rock bring xDawg with him immediately after subbing in for an injured Morris. Hustling, attacking, jawing, fighting for everything, dropping perfect crosses, running into space, finishing first time. This was a masterclass and a concrete example of why Seattle is the place for him to thrive. Immediately making good on his new contract, Paul did a bit of everything for Seattle.
Promising: There may not be another player in the league capable of entering on zero warmup and dominating a game like Paul, who took what could have been a momentum destroying injury and flipped it into an excellent performance. His hustle and direct style brought essential balance to the team.
Needs work: As usual, Paul’s impact overshadowed his struggle to connect with teammates when forced to play more compact soccer. His 59 percent passing was indicative of this.
Ref impact: Fighting for a header in the 25th minute, the ref killed a promising breakout by showing an immediate red card, then downgrading to a yellow after a five minute delay.
Going forward: Goodbye super sub Paul Rothrock. Welcome starter Paul Rothrock.
Snyder Brunell – 6 | Community – 6.4 (on 45+14’ for Dotson)
Pressed into service earlier than expected, Snyder quickly rose from the bench to the field, and Seattle didn’t miss a beat. He covered an immense amount of ground, using his sturdy frame to defend solidly and transition smoothly into Sounder possession.
Promising: Two successful dribbles, two passes into the final third, and three recoveries showed a great breadth of midfield work.
Needs work: Snyder took an unnecessary yellow card after being beaten in the 73rd minute (Seattle looked to have cover), and he attempted to do so again later, after being run by. This could have been a catastrophic red card except that he failed to foul as intended.
Ref impact: If the ref doesn’t add 20 minutes of extra time, Hassani likely plays this match out and we don’t see Snyder until late, if at all.
Going forward: If Dotson needs to miss any time with his head injury, Seattle looks well equipped to deal with his absence via Brunell.
Georgi Minoungou – 5 | Community – 5.4 (on 69’ for Ferreira)
Georgi made his anticipated entrance with 30 minutes to play but struggled to do more than fit in with possession. At times, he was unnecessarily overlapped by Nouhou, and he looked tentative instead of aggressive when going forward.
Promising: The speed was there, the accurate passing was there (7/7), and he got a shot on goal.
Needs work: Georgi’s ineffectiveness on defense is a problem.
Ref impact: This ref never got to see Minoungou skin a defender, and we all shall weep.
Going forward: The team needs to make space so Georgi can make magic.
Danny Musovski – 5 | Community – 5.4 (on 69’ for De Rosario)
Musovski, the reigning goalscoring leader, entered the game with a half hour left and Seattle leading 2-0. Seattle saw out the shutout win, and Moose continued to show the movement and abilities that were so successful for him last year, albeit without the opportunities that afforded him much pressure on goal against Colorado.
Promising: What a luxury to bring in an 18-goal scorer for the last half hour to pressure the opponents and occupy the defense. Danny did this well, with two touches in the box in limited time.
Needs work: If he was trying to make a case for the starting striker job, he didn’t impress. With only 11 touches, he was a woeful one for five on passing.
Ref impact: Danny likely benefitted from the ref’s reluctance to do much, as he got away with a rough challenge that went un-penalized.
Going forward: The forward position is still in flux, and while neither scored in this match, Musovski lags behind De Rosario in the full body of work needed.
Paul Arriola – 5 | Community – 5.6 (on 88’ for Rusnák)
Looking like all he did during his knee rehab was drink protein shakes and workout, the redemption season for Arriola started with a cameo late in this first match of the season.
Promising: Just getting Arriola back on the field after his ACL tear was awesome to see.
Needs work: Paul only got a few minutes to play, and looked to have some hybrid central attacking role, one he wasn’t particularly suited for. He had only a single touch.
Ref impact: He was likely on a severe minutes restriction as he ramps back up from injury, but this was probably enough, given the pure chaos of this match.
Going forward: Now that Arriola is back, it’s time to start building minutes.
Referee
Malik Badawi (shoutout VAR Ramy Touchan) – 3 | Community – 2.3
The referee should never be the story of a match, but this referee team impacted everyone on and off the field in a shambolic first half that required 20 minutes of extra time. That in itself is ridiculous, as was the complete lack of competency or consistency. Giving yellows in minutes 23’, 30’, 40’, and 42’, all for bad fouls, was a direct consequence of this ref losing the plot.
Promising: The second half looked more like a soccer match, but the damage was done. Also, the teams played so much extra time that the halves bled into each other.
Needs work: The entire first half. Too long on VAR every time. Phantom foul to remove a goal. No deeper penalty on dangerous head injury and slide tackle from behind. Not even a review of an apparent DOGSO/PK. Allowing the physical play to severely escalate after all that nonsense.
Ref impact: This was supposed to be a celebration of the game restarting in 2026. They ruined that completely.
Going forward: Do better.
Colorado Rapids MOTM
Former Sounder Josh Atencio was one of the few bright spots for a Colorado side still looking for their bearings. The ground he covers in midfield is always impressive, and his 84 percent passing was fine in a side that struggled to connect on the whole. On first watch, I thought he played a fairly clean match, but his three fouls committed led his team, and at times it seemed like that counting stat was their top priority.
Upcoming: Always a tough away match in Salt Lake City. Maybe this one will be about soccer.
