When the Seattle Sounders pulled off one of their finest performances in club history in 2019 when they knocked off top-seeded LAFC in Los Angeles in the Western Conference Championship, that roster was littered with foreign pedigree. Led by countless internationals — Nicolás Lodeiro (Uruguay), Raúl Ruidíaz (Peru) and Gustav Svensson (Sweden) among others — the Sounders had a massive global concoction of talent.
Jordan Morris was the only Homegrown, and, in fact, only Cristian Roldan (University of Washington) and Nouhou (née-Sounders FC 2) had any ties to the Seattle area at all.
Compare that to a similar result in 2024, one in which the Sounders took down top-seeded LAFC on the road again, this time in the Western Conference Semifinal, and Seattle’s roster featured a much more local flair.
The Sounders were led again by Morris, who scored the match-winner in the 109th minute, but he was one of three Homegrowns to start the match, joining Reed Baker-Whiting and Obed Vargas. Three more Homegrowns were on the matchday roster (Cody Baker, Josh Atencio and Danny Leyva), as well as former Tacoma Defiance winger Georgi Minoungou and local college player Alex Roldan (Seattle University).
All these Seattle connections don’t even include Jackson Ragen and Paul Rothrock, who are former Sounders Academy players but not technically Homegrowns after going the college soccer route. Rothrock missed the match through injury, but he has been one of the most influential attackers on the team this season. Ragen, meanwhile, was just a finalist for MLS Defender of the Year.
It wasn’t always pretty this season. Seattle started the year just 6-7-6 in all competitions through early June. In the 27 matches in all competitions since, Seattle is 19-5-3.
“The faith that [General Manager] Craig [Waibel] showed in this group of players, the faith that this coaching staff had in this group of players, the faith that the players had among themselves is what overcomes a slow start,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer.
Vargas was particularly impressive on Saturday, continuing his meteoric rise that started with his impromptu appearance in the 2022 Concacaf Champions League Final when he was just 16. Already in his fourth season, the 19-year-old Vargas has logged almost 5,000 career minutes and recently earned his first international call-up with Mexico.
“You guys saw Obed’s coming out party,” said Schmetzer. “I don’t know if anybody agrees with me, but he might have been the best player on the field.”
This Sounders squad will need to channel its roots yet again this Saturday when they head back to Southern California for a date at the LA Galaxy in the Western Conference Championship (7 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360AM). An added piece of motivation: should the Sounders win, they’ll host MLS Cup at Lumen Field for the second time in six years.
“They were able to figure it out,” said Schmetzer. “There are going to be bumps and bruises along the way. But it comes back to the Pacific Northwest grit and never quitting.”
