There were quite a few really enticing storylines on the Seattle Sounders roster going into the 2026 season. Will Paul Arriola have a comeback season? How will Paul Rothrock perform with his new contract in hand? Does Osaze De Rosario have the breakout campaign many think he is capable of? Can Danny Musovski tally double-digit goals for the second straight year?
While these are all definitely interesting narratives to watch, there may not be a player on the Sounders roster who stands to benefit more from the moves GM Craig Waibel has made in the offseason than Cody Baker, who has suddenly moved up the depth chart quite a bit thanks to players being sent out and others getting injured. His 90-minute performance in San Jose on Sunday illustrates why the forces may be coming together for Baker to have a breakout season.
Next Man Up
Baker has seen the field over the past couple of years, but he has yet to fully break through with the first team. As the roster took shape this winter, he looked like one of the young players to watch, and after Sunday’s gutty, defensive road win against previously undefeated San Jose, it is clear that he has the tools to slot into the Sounders defense. Brian Schmetzer has often said that he expects even his heavily rotated sides to compete and win. He doesn't play young players in whom he lacks confidence. This is more than a "next man up" philosophy, which can be empty media room talk. It's a belief that every player on the first team has the quality, toughness, and intelligence to get the job done and, most importantly, instilling that belief in the players.
What young players often need is opportunity, and the 2026 campaign is lining up to give Baker a chance to shine. It isn’t a stretch to put him on the shortlist for a breakout season, and his positioning for just such a run is testament to the way this team is designed to work: building depth through the academy and Tacoma Defiance and providing as much opportunity as possible for young players to get meaningful minutes with the first team.
As the dust settled on Reed Baker-Whiting’s move to Nashville, you can be forgiven for worrying about depth on the edges of the Sounders defense. Alex Roldan is as consistent and reliable as anyone on the squad, other than perhaps his brother, but he is also Schmetzer’s defensive Swiss Army knife, likely to continue to be deployed at centerback as injuries and depth concerns persist throughout the season. On the other side of the pitch, Nouhou can't run the entire season without time off. Even if he stays otherwise healthy and stays out of red card trouble, it’s a long season. If the team goes deep in the Playoffs, Concacaf Champions Cup and Leagues Cup, they could once again be near the top of the "games played" list among MLS clubs. The need for a deep bench is obvious.
You can also be forgiven for forgetting about Baker as a piece of the incredible generation of Tacoma Defiance and Sounders Academy players who have made their way onto the first team. With all of the attention on Obed Vargas, Paul Rothrock, Danny Leyva, and Josh Atencio, Baker toiled in comparative anonymity after signing a Homegrown Player contract in 2023. That's not to say he hasn't shown well on the pitch — quite the opposite — but other players from his generation have garnered more fan and media attention.
Baker spent the end of last season on loan at Sacramento Republic of the USL Championship, where he appeared in 7 matches and logged more than 270 minutes. That absence during the Sounders playoff run didn't do much to solidify his name in the minds of the fans, but it gave him valuable experience on a competitive team making a playoff run of their own.
A "Good Kid"
Baker has been better than you might think for longer than you almost certainly think. A good glimpse into his potential role and value was on display in the April 2024 Sounders home match against CF Montreal. The young defender entered in the 11th minute to replace Nouhou, who came off with a muscle injury. In his 80 minutes on the pitch, Baker logged 89% passing accuracy and won 100% of his challenges. More importantly, he really looked the part and played a consistent, smart game. Schmetzer called Baker out specifically in his post-game comments that day: “The impact that he had was positive. He's a good kid who works hard.”
For anyone who isn’t yet fluent in Schmetzer, that’s very high praise. Two of the best things you can be in coach’s universe is a good or tough kid. A good kid is a player who steps in and does exactly what the coaches ask of him. A tough kid is someone who battles back from an injury or takes hard knocks on the pitch and keeps going. Baker is a quintessential Good Kid. He defends smartly, doesn't get loose in his positioning, and gets forward to support the attack. Defend first, attack when prudent, support the press.
He also won some “tough kid” points on Sunday after taking a hit that almost flipped him over in the first half. Schmetzer spoke glowingly of how Baker stayed in the game, had a positive impact and celebrated with eight bags of ice wrapped around him after doing yeoman’s work to limit the effectiveness of Timo Werner.
The Offensive Side
Where Baker’s game has elevated over the past two seasons and where he likely has a long-term advantage over Nouhou is on the offensive side of the ball. In Schmetzer’s system, outside backs regularly find themselves deep in the offensive third, where they are expected to be able to deliver crosses into the box. Nouhou loves to get forward, but his service is infamously inconsistent.
Baker shows restraint, and his value offensively is in support of the attack. He rarely finds himself deep on the corner. Nouhou’s highlight reel sprints up the wing are not Baker’s style, but he still gets forward a lot, though rarely as deep as Nouhou. Some of his best offensive plays don’t make much noise at all. Instead, he gets in spots to be available to keep possession and recycle the attack, giving the defensive midfield time to press higher. Watching him play is a bit of a lesson in moving without the ball in support of one's teammates.
This was on full display Sunday in San Jose. Baker's first look at goal came early in the first half. Nouhou beat his man with a nifty dribble, and Petković sprung Minoungu down the left side with a wonderfully weighted pass. Musovski is the first one in the box, followed by Ferreira and Rothrock. Georgi's cross comes all the way through the box to a late-arriving Baker. He runs onto the ball and hits his shot just wide after a nice first touch.
His disallowed goal in the 86th minute finds him in almost exactly the same position. This time it is Rothrock who finds himself with the ball on the edge. A nice pass to De Rosario gives Seattle the extra moment of possession needed for numbers to fill the offensive zone and again, Baker patiently arrives at the top of the 18 as the fourth option. He collects, sets, and fires a deflected shot into the net.
Cut to Schmetzer celebrating on the sidelines. The goal comes back because of an offside infraction by Albert Rusnák, but that takes nothing away from Baker's positioning and quality in the moment.
Nouhou may be a better one-on-one defender, but Baker is no defensive slouch, and he offers a bit more consistency and focus on possession in the attack. That’s Schmetzer Ball 101: Build out of the back and sustain offensive possession in order to get numbers forward.
Baker has all of the tools and the attitude to make an impact this season. Like a lot of young players, if he gets the minutes he needs to grow and develop, his stock could skyrocket in the 2026 season. The depth chart and apparent formations tilt in his favor, especially after Reed Baker-Whiting’s move to Nashville.
Should Baker have the season he is capable of in 2026, it will be another notable example of the Sounders’ system and how favoring consistency and leaning on the academy and Tacoma Defiance rather than big, splashy signings pays dividends. Of all the coaching clichés, “next man up” might be the most overused, but that is the actual design of Schmetzer’s system. He has shown that he has full confidence in his young players, and he won’t put a player in the 18 unless he thinks that player can deliver on the field.
The thing about "next man up" is that the player has to be ready and has to take advantage of any opportunity that comes his way. An injury, an international call-up, or a transfer that opens up the depth chart are all ways to get your shot. It certainly feels like the moves the Sounders have made this offseason have opened the door for Baker.
His opportunity is also an important reminder to fans about how the intricacies of loans, transfers, and player development choices intermingle. Near the end of the 2025 campaign, it was clear Baker wasn’t going to get on the field with the first team as often as needed. When the opportunity arose to move the young defender to Sacramento for their playoff push, it presented as a chance for him to get minutes in the highly competitive atmosphere of the USL Championship.
Knowing Baker was coming back from this loan certainly made moving Baker-Whiting a far easier decision for Craig Waibel. Fans are right to want the Sounders to use some of their cash to make some inbound moves, but the roster as it stands on opening day presents a tremendous opportunity for a player like Baker. He’s one to watch as the season unfolds.
