Three days after a dominant road win in the CCC, Seattle returned to MLS play on Sunday. They traveled south to play the San Jose Earthquakes, a team that was undefeated and had yet to concede a goal. The Sounders removed both of those plaudits by employing a controlled counter-attacking style to great effect. The lineup lacked eight typical starters in their normal positions, yet this group bonded well and executed their conservative tactical plan for controlling a road match against a quality team. Creating big chances early through transition moments, Seattle got their goal and then held on through a combination of stout defense and fantastic goalkeeping. The second half was a nervy one where the Sounders were under constant pressure, but their well-coached defensive posture, mature play, and determination meant a 1-0 final score, three points, and their third road win in a row.
Business as usual: No one should be surprised that Seattle can plug in some relatively unknown prospects and succeed; it’s been their mantra since day one. Even more impressive were the tactical adjustments and team-wide defensive plays that allowed the Sounders to grind out a gritty win. The coaching this season has been spectacular.
Recession: Seattle won’t be able to withstand an onslaught of 25 shots and 17 corners every match. So this game is likely not repeatable, nor is that advised for fans’ blood pressure.
Economic outlook: Having multiple playstyles is important and something Seattle has already shown. Having an incredibly deep bench of players who are ready to eat minutes and look great doing it? Even more valuable.
Goalkeeper
Andrew Thomas – 8 (MOTM) | Community – 8.4 (MOTM)
With his third clean sheet in four games, Thomas had more to do in this one than in previous, but he earned the same result. He wasn’t going to be beaten, facing eight shots on goal, recording seven saves and willing his team to a win. Especially notable was his command of the area, coming out when needed, catching or punching in traffic, and continually being the necessary aggressive force against all those corners. His four catches in the box were massive in immediately improving Seattle on set piece defense.
Business as usual: There were too many great saves to list, but a 61st minute breakaway stuff was textbook, his touch in the 74th was just enough to give Antino Lopez a chance, and in the 98th Thomas was huge, keeping the shutout. He was massive in goal, making big saves look routine.
Recession: His distribution contributed a bit to the Sounder issues on a few occasions, with a number of poor clearances.
Economic outlook: Thomas showed why he’s the #1 for Seattle in goal, and he doesn’t look eager to relinquish that title.
Defense
Nouhou – 7 | Community – 7.6
Captain Nouhou was again excellent, stopping runs down his side and cleaning up backside crosses. His combination play up the wing was muted, as Seattle opted for a low block most of the second half, but he was a big part of the winning effort. Although he earned an odd 10th minute yellow card, Nouhou did well as a leader for this match, communicating with teammates and the ref, and he turned his 43 touches into 85 percent passing and 15 defensive actions.
Business as usual: Nouhou has excellent rapport with Jackson Ragen, and they look awesome combining defensively in space. On one of the few occasions San Jose got behind, it was a brilliant 64th minute 1-v-2 defensive effort from Nouhou to stop a break and quickly transition.
Recession: In the 72nd minute he charged forward on offense, only to get lost and tiredly walk back. There was no reason for this.
Economic outlook: Nothing Nouhou does is totally quiet, but his play this season has been awesome, yet calm.
Jackson Ragen – 7 | Community – 8.3
Ragen is the best centerback in the league, and he showed it in San Jose. Ninety-three percent passing; nine headed clearances; he won everything. He was excellent in possession and strong as Seattle absorbed pressure and rebuffed every attempt from the home team. It wasn’t pretty, but this gritty effort was a throwback to the dominant Sounders defenses of yesteryear.
Business as usual: Ragen does all the little things nearly perfectly. This includes reading the match and finding his spot within it. Against San Jose, that meant controlled distribution, strong physical play, and winning every header.
Recession: He was beaten for speed a few times, as his connection to the right of the defense was a work in progress with some new players out there.
Economic outlook: The defense has caught up to the passing, and the full Jackson Ragen package is absolutely game-breaking on both ends of the field.
Antino Lopez – 7 | Community – 7.7
Earning his first start as a Sounder, Lopez wasn’t just good, he was downright impressive. The best compliment to give him is that he played like Ragen. That meant 91 percent passing and a massive 20 defensive actions. He wasn’t quite as aerially dominant as his partner, but he combined well with Ragen, covering a lot of ground and constantly coming over to his right to prevent attacks from being more dangerous once they breached the box.
Business as usual: His brilliant run forward and gorgeous cross in first half stoppage time was an eye opening bit of control from a centerback. His incredible hustle and save off the line in the 74th was a game-defining moment for him and for Seattle.
Recession: There weren’t a ton of issues, but sometimes he was pulled to his right to support, and that made gaps in between him and Jackson that the Earthquakes attacked through.
Economic outlook: If they haven’t already, they should sign him.*
*Editor’s Note: They just did.
Cody Baker – 5 | Community – 7.0
Baker got a start as part of a near-team-wide rotation. He was faced with a heavy task in defending Timo Werner, San Jose’s highly touted offseason signing. Cody struggled, but the combination of his and his teammates’ defending held just tight enough. Cody was able to eat big minutes, move up the wing late, and help Seattle hold on. With only 69 percent passing, Baker was prone to turning the ball over in possession more than desired.
Business as usual: Cody has a great nose for popping up in the right place on the offensive end, and he has excellent control for a player who has moved back to defense. This added up to a near-goal in the 6th minute and an actual goal in the 87th, both from smart positioning and a cultured shot from the top of the box.
Recession: Baker was defending a very good player in Werner, but he has to do better in 1-v-1 defense to play wide fullback for Seattle. He was on skates for most of the game, which put immense pressure on teammates to pick up the slack.
Economic outlook: His play out of pressure has to get better to earn more time, but there are some tools there, and Cody fills a utility role.
Defensive Midfield
Peter Kingston – 6 | Community – 6.3 (off 86’ for Brunell)
In his first MLS start as a Sounder after a callup from Tacoma Defiance, Kingston acquitted himself well. He wasn’t flashy, but he had what Seattle needed centrally to defend and find opportunistic forays forward. That meant 51 touches, 89 percent passing, and consistent movement to support defensively that was integral to Seattle keeping cohesion in the back.
Business as usual: A vertical pass in the 28th minute was a beaut, showing great vision. While he didn’t look forward a lot, when he did, he opened up the opponent’s defense. He repeated this with another over-the-top ball to Paul Rothrock in the 47th that deserved more. The rest of the time he was doing nearly everything right on defense.
Recession: The possession and control from the middle was a constant struggle, at times holding on and other times hindered by some poor decisions. He showed an understandable lack of experience, which led to a yellow in the 59th minute.
Economic outlook: Kingston doesn’t have a first team contract, but his versatility is something that deserves a serious look.
Nikola Petković – 6 | Community – 6.5 (off 65’ for A. Roldan)
Petković moved back a line and started as a defensive midfielder, and it was surprising how well he filled the dual roles of the position. He had five recoveries. While he didn’t win as many duels as you might like, his positional defense was great and he wasn’t shy to get stuck in. This meant he and Kingston did well to combine centrally and cover in front of the back line.
Business as usual: Nikola’s offense was well known, and he showed it off in the 6th to open the defense, he set up Baker minutes later, and then he continually slipped beautiful passes forward, acting as a deep playmaker. His defensive dedication was suspected prior, and a 60th minute sliding block with his entire body answered a lot of questions about that.
Recession: A 19th minute foul in a poor spot was a glimpse into the improvement he will need to make if he wants to be a more impactful central defender in the Sounders’ system.
Economic outlook: Getting this guy for a pittance already looks to be a smart bit of business, and it has the potential to be a complete steal.
Attacking Midfield
Georgi Minoungou – 5 | Community – 5.9 (off 65’ for C. Roldan)
Georgi got a start on the left and was fine, but lacked a lot of the explosive moments we have come to expect from him. He only had 24 touches but was clean on the ball and added five key defensive actions. Usually an area of strength, he was limited to just one successful dribble after attempting five.
Business as usual: He had a nice run in the 6th minute, combining forward and followed this up with a lovely cross in the 28th minute. Georgi also managed to get an excellent cross into an extremely dangerous area, with only clutch defending stopping Rothrock from getting his second.
Recession: When Minoungou squared up in space, he was almost always double teamed, as San Jose had done their homework. Unfortunately, Seattle wasn’t able to take any advantage of this, and Georgi was pretty ineffective.
Economic outlook: This performance illustrated that he might be best used as an impact sub, rather than expecting him to be a regular starter at this point in his career.
Jesús Ferreira – 7 | Community – 7.5 (off 46’ for Rusnák)
Jesús started in the center, taking over playmaking duties for Seattle. Acting as a fulcrum, he created good passes with his elite vision. Somehow he only had 12 total touches, but he created two big chances from them, and one was the game-winning assist.
Business as usual: The league’s leading assist man did it again, this time dialing up a late run from Rothrock. Jesús found the ball and space in the midfield, picked out his teammate’s vertical run, and threaded a perfect pass through four defenders in the 20th minute for his fourth assist in MLS play.
Recession: In the 42nd minute Ferreira was on the other end of a break, this time dribbling on goal, and he lost possession in a big opportunity squandered.
Economic outlook: The goals will come, but his dynamic passes are gamebreaking.
Paul Rothrock – 7 | Community – 7.8
Versatile wide player Rothrock earned a start and ate up the minutes, was a wide option on the counter and added some defensive intensity. He led the team with two shots (both on target) and was 19/24 passing. Seattle was under a lot of pressure in this match, and Paul was a consistent presence on both sides of the ball patrolling the right.
Business as usual: Ho Hum. Another start, another game-winning goal. In the 20th minute Rothrock found some space, and Jesús dialed up a beauty to put him in on goal. A deceptively difficult finish was executed with flair. A little later he was denied from another after a tough defensive tackle inside the six.
Recession: Paul had another great opportunity to add a goal in the 26th but his touch let him down, squandering a sweet pass over the top. His defensive intensity was somewhat muted.
Economic outlook: His goals are rarely “textbook,” but goals change games, and Paul scores goals. By the transitive property of Pauls, Rothrock changes games.
Striker
Danny Musovski – 5 | Community – 5.7 (off 65’ for De Rosario)
Earning his first start in 2026, Danny played up front and had great pace around him to work transition play. Unfortunately, he didn’t combine too well with it, and Seattle struggled to move from a low block through to Musovski. He ended with 22 touches but only 64 percent connection with teammates.
Business as usual: A nice interplay in the 20th minute earned Moose a secondary assist, as his control and ability to find Ferreira opened up the exact space that Rothrock would score from.
Recession: With the defense under near-constant pressure, there was an opportunity for Danny to be a release valve, but his holdup underwhelmed. He was also lackadaisical on defense a number of times when Seattle needed more work rate from the front.
Economic outlook: Danny has to add more to his game than poaching, especially in ones like this when opportunities are limited.
Substitutes
Albert Rusnák – 5 | Community – 5.6 (on 46’ for Ferreira)
Rusnák replaced Jesús at half and was relatively ineffective in his time on the field. WIth only 14 total touches, he wasn’t able to dominate the ball with Seattle chasing possession the entire half. His passing was good, completing 89 percent, and he added three defensive recoveries.
Business as usual: Coming in at half meant Rusnák was fresh, and he brought his control to the game, hustling around and connecting with teammates in a mostly defensive effort.
Recession: Albert was very offside in the 87th minute, and he interfered with the play, erasing a game-sealing goal. This made Seattle’s fans suffer through another dozen minutes of pressure.
Economic outlook: Albert will be fine.
Osaze De Rosario – 5 | Community – 5.7 (on 65’ for Musovski)
Osaze entered in the second half, immediately offering a target for Seattle to play through. He earned 17 touches of his own, finding and linking with teammates and offering a big, active body on both sides of the ball.
Business as usual: Big, strong, and capable is how ODR looked when he got into the match. A great play on the wing in the 79th showcased his holdup and dribbling ability to get free down the side. In the 86th minute he again showed off his footwork, in a play that resulted in Baker putting the ball in the net.
Recession: In the 76th minute Osaze had a chance to show off his holdup and instead fumbled it away, and his 81st minute foul gave the opponents a free kick.
Economic outlook: De Rosario continues to impress in multiple areas of the game.
Cristian Roldan – 5 | Community – 6.5 (on 65’ for Minoungou)
Cristian got a rest for the first two thirds of the match, but he came in to help as Minoungou tired and Coach Schmetzer wanted more experience in the center. He only had 18 touches, but he earned two tackles, an interception, and two recoveries in support of the shutout effort.
Business as usual: A goal kick won immediately after entering the team showed his tenacity, and he won a free kick in the 79th with some excellent possession play.
Recession: San Jose had a strong attack in the 74th minute right through the middle, when Cristian was stuck out on the left wing after he pushed forward in offensive support, leaving a gaping hole.
Economic outlook: Cristian hasn’t looked outstanding so far this season, but he’s still fine.
Alex Roldan – 5 | Community – 6.6 (on 65’ for Petković)
Entering with his brother and ODR, Alex slotted in on the right of defense and pushed Baker forward. He won almost all of his duels, supported a stretched but resilient defense, and connected with teammates with almost every touch, adding improvement to the right side.
Business as usual: Alex immediately offered a missing element of control on the right of defense, and he added an excellent back post save in the 84th with some smart defending.
Recession: He was beaten in behind in the 82nd minute, and Seattle needed some last-ditch defending to prevent a tying goal.
Economic outlook: Alex is an integral part of the defense, but he may not be as critical at center back as originally thought.
Snyder Brunell – 5 | Community – 6.1 (on 86’ for Kingston)
With a few minutes to go, Seattle added Brunell to the middle. He had a recovery, completed all his passes, and helped hold onto the road shutout.
Business as usual: Brought into the game, Snyder did his part for the last few minutes plus stoppage.
Economic outlook: Brunell may be a starter, and he looks the part.
Referee
Victor Rivas – 4 | Community – 5.0
Somehow Rivas refereed that match and found only six total fouls on San Jose, and 11 on Seattle. He watched two physical teams hammer each other, but found only a single yellow for the home team, in minute 86. Both teams got away with a number of poor fouls, and the entire match needed a stronger hand to stop some dangerous physical play.
Business as usual: A 59th minute yellow on Kingston was the right call, and technically some of his more frustrating calls were correct, like the VAR offsides call on Baker’s late goal.
Recession: Even if it’s correct to give Nouhou an early card for a light pull back, that doesn’t explain how Kingston got away with one in the 15th. And nothing for multiple dangerous undercutting fouls that saw Sounders landing on their heads. Moose got away with a bad foul, and there were many yellow or even borderline red cards from dangerous play that didn’t get called. It was ridiculous; Rivas let way too much go.
Economic outlook: This awful refereeing job only got muted criticism because the right team won.
San Jose Earthquakes MOTM
New MLS-er Timo Werner wins this award handily. While nothing ultimately materialized for San Jose, the German created chance after chance. There were a series of dangerous dead balls. There was the dribble into the box that took some stopping in the 61st minute. But it was his slip-in of Ronaldo Vieira in the 83rd that was probably the most xG-iest of his plays on the day.
Upcoming: Back to CCC play on Wednesday, this time at “home” but also “away.” Seattle has a nice 3-0 aggregate cushion.
