By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Sounders looking for a fast start in Sundays home opener against the Rapids

One of the biggest questions facing the Seattle Sounders FC is how the Sounders will fare without Obed Vargas. The former academy player and MLS’s brightest under-22 player last season was transferred to La Liga giants Atletico Madrid earlier this month. The Alaska native appeared in 41 matches last year with six goals and two assists. In addition to scoring skills, Vargas is a box-to-box midfielder who complements Cristian Roldan in the Sounders’ two-pivot formation.

LOCAL REPLACEMENT

In addition to Vargas, the Sounders traded Reed Baker-Whitting to Nashville SC earlier this week, raising more questions. In response to the first question about Vargas’s absence, the Sounders signed free agent Hassani Dotson.  Dotson played in just eight games last season for Minnesota due to a knee injury on March 22nd. Fully recovered from the injury, Dotson quickly impressed head coach Brian Schmetzer, who named him the starter alongside Roldan.

“ He is a smart player who can defend and has soft feet, which allow him to be a distributor when we are attacking,” said Schmetzer.    If Dotson can build synergy with Cristian Roldan when attacking and defending, the loss of Vargas will not have a  devasting impact. The Sounders also acquired  Serbian midfielder Nikola Petkovic  from  Charlotte  FC for the 2026 season

ATTACKING FROM THE LEFT SIDE

The absence of Baker -Whiting leaves the Sounders without a lot of depth on the left side. While Nouhou was the starter, Baker-Whiting was a willing and disciplined debutant.   Leading up to Sunday’s season opener, Schmetzer has declared open competition at several positions. One of those open competition battles is at left wing-back. Paul Rothrock recently re-signed with the club, and he will be battling  Paul Arriola, who has fully recovered from a March 2nd ACL injury.

“ Individually feel really good. confident, excited. kind of long path and ready to, you know, where I want to be at the moment, and collectively, I think in a really good spot,” said Arriola.” You know, a lot of guys are playing really well already. They’ve been playing well throughout the preseason.”

GETTING PLAYERS IN THE BOX

The Sounders finished the season with a 4-2 preseason record. The emphasis on the preseason was pushing the left wingback up in attack, whether that is Rothrock or Arriola, the Sounders’ attacking was lacking on the left side.

Creativity and execution are a must for the Sounders in the upcoming.  The starting striker position was up for grabs during the preseason. Jordan Morris has seen a lot of action on the left wing with Osaze De Rosario uptop. Danny Musoviski had a disappointing preseason will surely come off the bench to start the season.

The trio will need to be creative in their build-up in the opponents’ attacking third and be lethal when finishing. The same can be said of Albert Rusnack and Jesus Ferreira.

NEW NET MINDER

The Sounders’ center back pairing of Jackson Ragen and Yeimar is as good as any in the league, despite conceding some leaky corner kick goals.  Set-piece defending has been a point of emphasis for the Sounders and something the team will work on throughout the season, according to Schmetzer. Adding more intrigue is the placement of Andrew Thomas as the team’s starting keeper. Thomas is a better shot blocker than Frei, but his ball distribution is inferior.  

BIG TAKE

The Sounders will be looking to set the tone early by instituting a high press, quick, sharp ball movement that will lead to an early goal. The Rapids finished 11th in the 15-team Western Conference standings last year. Former Tottenham Spurs assistant Steve Wells is the team’s new head coach. After Sunday’s home game, the Sounders will be on the road for seven matches with their next home game on April 12th.

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