Similar to other long trips the team has done for preseason, we'll be updating a daily journal to let you know what’s going down in Spain. Thanks for tagging along!
Wednesday, February 5 - 8:00 p.m.
Our final day in Spain is here.
Today featured two matches versus Swedish opposition, with the first being against IFK Norrköping and the second match versus Hammarby. Both matches featured a lot of attacking firepower and saw a 3-3 draw and 2-2 draw, respectively.
Our squad approached each match with the mentality of getting as close to 90 minutes as possible for every player (where possible, some early substitutions were pre-planned).
The squad showed a lot of adversity in the first match as they battled back from deficits multiple times to make it level. We saw Paul Rothrock, the Bearded João Paulo and Travian Sousa all find the back of the net. The variety in goal scorers was highlighted by Coach Schmetzer as something he was very happy with.
The second match saw Jesús Ferreira continue his blistering hot start in Rave Green as he connected with Jordan Morris for his third goal contribution of camp. The second goal saw Georgi Minoungou combine with Alex Roldan, a welcomed sight for all Sounders fans. Hammarby were no slouched in this match and gained momentum late in the second half and drew the match level. The majority of this group played the full 90', no easy feat only three weeks into camp but a good sign in terms of match fitness with our first Concacaf Champions Cup match just 15 days away.
Once the squad returned to the hotel, we had a delicious dinner and celebrated Paul Arriola's birthday with an impromptu birthday tunnel! Everyone headed off to bed early due to our 4:30 a.m. local time departure time in the morning.
This trip was a success in the eyes of the coaches. General Manager Craig Waibel said yesterday in his interview that all of the players metrics are off the charts this trip. Essentially, this is a squad who are already performing at a really impressive rate. This group feels well-connected, hungry and ready for a busy 2025.
See everyone back in Seattle for our Home Opener!
Tuesday, February 4 - 8:30 p.m.
It's Matchday -1, which means it's our final training day here in Spain.
The weather came back around for us, thankfully, and the team got a solid session under the belts ahead of tomorrow's double matchday. Today's session focused on movement into the final third as the team looks to be more potent in the attack this year. The energy is good in camp, and it seems like the majority of players are amped up and ready to get the season underway.
The rest of the day went by quietly, as the support staff and front office staff returned to the hotel to work and gear up for the return trip home. Tomorrow's friendlies offer an exciting chance for nearly every player on the trip to feature in the matches in some capacity, so, rest and hydration were of the utmost importance tonight.
Monday, February 3 - 8:30 p.m.
While Seattle and the metro area are getting snow, here in Marbella we are getting torrential rain.
Today’s training session was canceled and switched to an afternoon gym session due to the severity of the storms. This was definitely a change of pace from the last few days which have been beautiful.
The team persevered and vibes stayed high even with the change of plans.
In the evening, our Press Officer Kevin Kay led a game for the team. This game had every player submit 3 facts of varying difficulty. The entire travel party was split into 7 different teams. The game brought out the competitive sides of everyone and provided some much-needed laughs for everyone. The team captained by Andrew Thomas took home the narrow victory over Obed’s team.
As the evening winded down, some of the guys played cards in the hotel while others were pulled aside for individual film sessions.
Here’s to hoping tomorrow’s weather goes to plan and we can get a full session under our belts ahead of the two friendlies on Wednesday!
Sunday, February 2 - 7:00 p.m.
The squad returned to training today well-rested after Saturday's off day. Today's session was very light, a quick activation to get moving again then some small-sided work as attention shifts to Wednesday. The players took a dip in the pool once they returned, enjoying the beautiful weather here in Spain. Everyone laid low during the late afternoon before film and dinner.
Saturday, February 1 - 8:00 p.m.
Today was an off day for the squad! Some groups went off on day trips to different cities around the area, but it sounds like a large chunk of the team stayed at the hotel and took it easy after yesterday's 135-minute friendly. Back to work tomorrow as preparations begin for Wednesday's two final friendlies of camp!
Friday, January 31 - 7:00 p.m.
It's matchday in Marbella!
Today the squad took on Aalborg BK from Denmark. The match was three 45-minute periods featuring a line change around the 65th minute. Pedro de la Vega continued his hot streak, bringing his preseason tally to 2 goals and 1 assist. Jesús Ferreira made the most of his debut, bagging the fourth goal in a 5-3 victory. After the match, the entire group had a team dinner in Puerto Banus. This was an opportunity for players and staff to intermingle outside of the hotel and allowed for laughs and stories to be shared!
Tomorrow is our second off day, so everyone is off and on different adventures!
Thursday, January 30 - 9:30 p.m.
It's Matchday -1 here in Spain, meaning the squad is focused on tomorrow's match against Aalborg. Today's session was lighter than the last few days, with the majority of the time spent on light activation and some finishing drills. The rest of the day moved on pretty quickly as the guys hung around the hotel and laid low ahead of tomorrow's 135-minute game!
Wednesday, January 29 - 9:00 p.m.
Another day in the books here in Spain. We officially have one full week left, and time is flying by.
After breakfast this morning, the team had a film session ahead of Friday's friendly versus Aalborg. Today's session focused on some positional group work, 11v11 drills, and a high-energy set-piece game that cycled through corner kicks and free kicks. During the afternoon, some of the guys hung out in the lobby playing cards, some played video games in their rooms and others rested after a hard day's work.
Dinner featured new player introductions and provided a good laugh to end the day!
Tuesday, January 28 - 9:00 p.m.
Today was a recovery day for the team, meaning no training and a half day.
A big chunk of the group slept in a bit later and moved slower in the morning. Before lunch, the team did their recovery session which featured a yoga class by the pool, a walk on the beach, a sauna session, and a cold plunge in the outdoor pool. The weather here is sunnier today than yesterday, but the winds are still high, so the outdoor pool served its purpose as a cold plunge.
After lunch, the team went their separate ways for the day. Some guys went on half-day trips to nearby cities, and others stayed local in Marbella. The front office staff and I stayed at the hotel and worked on content needs back home before strolling into Old Town Marbella for dinner and some shopping.
We're back to work tomorrow for Matchday -2 ahead of Friday's friendly versus Aalborg.
Monday, January 27 - 7:00 p.m.
We woke up to some very Seattle-esque weather with gray skies, colder temperatures, and rain. Today was a modified double session, with the morning session being very high-intensity. The team started the session split into two groups, one group working on finishing and attacking runs while the other group played a small-sided game. Both groups would rotate through these two drills before switching to a very competitive series of 10-v-10 games. When one group was off, they were running sprints to keep active. These high-energy games would go for about 10 minutes before another team would switch out.
The performance staff discussed the importance of balancing activity on the pitch with gaining activity in the legs "off the pitch." Combining full-speed action on the pitch with staying active when not playing sounds like the perfect way to meet both of these metrics.
We returned to the hotel for lunch and a short break before returning in smaller groups to the training ground for a gym session in the afternoon. This one was definitely lower intensity than the morning, but paired with the hard work in the morning makes for a long day for the guys.
Sunday, January 26 - 8:00 p.m.
Today was a “heavy work day” at training, meaning higher intensity than normal as preparations for Friday’s friendly are officially underway.
The squad worked on passing in tight areas in a modified game of rondos to start today’s session before transitioning into a very intense set of small-sided games. These games were high energy and featured a truly impressive goal from Paul Rothrock that dropped the jaws of everyone standing around and watching.
After the session, the squad moved into extras based on position group or need before finishing off in the gym. Today was the annual staff game after training featuring coaching staff, support staff and front office. This fun tradition lets the three groups engage in a different way outside of work. Andy Rose's team took home the win and we'll have to see if they can make it a clean sweep in the second leg later on in camp.
After dinner, some of the guys hung out to watch the NFL Conference Championship games at the hotel before winding down for the evening.
Saturday, January 25 - 6:00 p.m.
We're back to work today after the off day!
The players talked about feeling well-rested after the day off and returned in great moods (especially Cristian Roldan who shot a personal best in golf from the sound of it). Today's session focused on tactics and playing in tight areas as the team prepares for their next friendly a week from today. It was a warm start to the day with the sun beating down during training, but it cooled off tremendously when we returned to the hotel for lunch. After we ate, clouds rolled in, the wind picked up and we had our first rainy day since arriving. It was a nice change compared to what we've had every day since arriving. Watching the rain from the hotel windows overlooking the Andalusian Sea was definitely relaxing.
The rest of the day flew by and we all ate dinner together while watching some La Liga in the meal room.
Friday, January 24 - 9:30 p.m.
Today was an off day for the entire group! Everyone went their own ways and spent the day how they saw fit. Some players stayed at the hotel on the beach, some went out and explored the local area and some went into different parts of Spain for day trips. Myself and the front office staff went to Córdoba and it was truly breathtaking.
We’re back into normal programming tomorrow with an early training session!
Thursday, January 23 - 8:00 p.m.
Our first friendly of 2025 was today!
The squad took on Puskás Akadémia FC, the reigning champions of the Hungarian first division, and came out on top 2-0. Both halves featured two different squads, with both goals coming in the first half. Pedro de la Vega scored in the 20th minute off a João Paulo free kick. JP noticed the PAFC backline was not fully engaged and chipped it over the top to a streaking Pepo, who slotted it home. The second goal came shortly after, in the 31st minute, as de la Vega connected with Jordan Morris, who put the ball in the back of the net with a smooth finish. The first group saw out the first half and we saw a complete line change for the second half. The second group featured Josh Atencio's first shift at center back and an impressive performance from Academy standout, Snyder Brunell. The group played well to hold onto the 2-0 lead.
Vibes were definitely high amongst the players and this was a great match to kick off with headed into the rest of camp.
The rest of the night was on our own, so everyone had their own dinner plans! The players had a BBQ at the hotel and the staff went out on our own to different restaurants. The rest of the front office staff went down to a restaurant on the beach and had a delicious dinner.
Wednesday, January 22 - 9:00 p.m.
Day two in Marbella got off to an earlier start!
With players more adjusted to the time change, our training session was in the morning. Today was all about tomorrow's friendly, with an emphasis on 11v11 and 7v7 drills followed by some of the guys participating in some finishing training. Our time at the training ground wrapped up after a short lift in the gym. Once we got back to the hotel, some players took a dip in the pool while others went down to the beach. After lunch, a small group of the front office staff took a stroll into Old Town Marbella to take in the area's beauty!
Team dinner took place around 6:30 p.m. and was followed by film ahead of tomorrow's match. As the night concluded, some of the guys hungout in the lobby playing cards while others elected for a quiet night in their rooms or at the poolside cabanas.
Tuesday, January 21 - 8:00 p.m.
Our first official day in Marbella is in the books!
The day started off quietly to allow for rest after a long travel day, so we spent the first half of the day at the hotel. After lunch, we trained at the beautiful Marbella Football Center with a scenic backdrop of Pico de la Concha. The guys started off in the gym and some played soccer tennis before the actual session started. The team of Danny Leyva, Reed Baker-Whiting, and Kalani Kossa-Rienzi were dominant in today's round-robin tournament. The session itself focused heavily on one and two-touch passing as the team prepares for their first preseason match versus Puskás Akadémia FC on Thursday. A handful of players went down to the beach after we got back to cool off and get a quick dip in the Alboran Sea.
The energy around the team is very positive. It's great to see the younger guys, veterans, and new players interact!
Monday, January 20 - 5:30 p.m.
We've arrived!
After a long, 18-hour travel day that stretched from Seattle to Munich to Malaga, then a bus ride to Marbella, we finally made it to our hotel, which will be home for our 17-day camp.
