The 2021 Seattle Sounders FC season was the club's thirty-eighth year of existence, and their thirteenth season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer. The team was under the management of Brian Schmetzer in his fifth full MLS season as head coach of the Sounders. Seattle were the reigning Western Conference champions and lost to Columbus Crew SC in the MLS Cup 3–0.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the capacity of Lumen Field was limited to 7,000 in March and increase in stages. The stadium's full capacity was restored in July with the addition of COVID-19 testing and vaccination requirements.
The Sounders finished second in the Western Conference and qualified for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League as a result. They were also runners-up in the 2021 Leagues Cup, losing to Club León in the final.
Background
The Sounders lost the MLS Cup at Mapfre Stadium to Columbus Crew SC 3–0. The team is set to play in the Leagues Cup, along with regular MLS and U.S. Open Cup matches.
Summary
The Sounders released or traded several key players, including six who were at the MLS Cup, during the 2020–21 offseason as part of roster moves. The team began their preseason training camp at Starfire Sports in late March and played scrimmages against their USL affiliate, Tacoma Defiance, and the Portland Timbers. A third match against Phoenix Rising FC was cancelled due to the spread of COVID-19 among their players. The Sounders were scheduled to continue their preseason in the Los Angeles area, playing friendlies against USL clubs LA Galaxy II and San Diego Loyal, but remained in Seattle. The team won two friendlies on April 10 against San Diego at Lumen Field, which was open to 200 healthcare workers in attendance.
Coach Brian Schmetzer switched the team from their traditional 4–2–3–1 formation to a 3–5–2 or a 3–4–1–2 to address several roster issues, namely the absence of Jordan Morris and Nicolás Lodeiro due to injuries. The Sounders opened the MLS season by winning or drawing in their first 13 matches—setting an MLS record for the longest unbeaten streak to open a season. A reduced capacity of 7,000 seats was permitted for home matches at Lumen Field; the tickets were primarily distributed to existing season ticket holders.
Final roster
Out on loan
Competitions
Preseason
Major League Soccer
League tables
Western Conference
Overall
Results
MLS Cup Playoffs
Leagues Cup
U.S. Open Cup
Statistics
Appearances and goals
Numbers after plus-sign(+) denote appearances as a substitute.
! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Goalkeepers
! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Defenders
! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Midfielders
! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Forwards
! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Players transferred/loaned out during the season
[TAC] – Defiance player
Top scorers {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align: center;" |- !width=30|Rank !width=30|Position !width=30|Number !width=175|Name !width=75| !width=75| !width=75| !width=75| !width=75|Total |- |1 |FW |9 |align="left"| Raúl Ruidíaz |17 |0 |0 |2 |19 |- |rowspan="1"|2 |FW |12 |align="left"| Fredy Montero |7 |0 |0 |1 |8 |- |rowspan="1"|3 |MF |7 |align="left"| Cristian Roldan |6 |0 |0 |1 |7 |- |rowspan="2"|4 |MF |20 |align="left"| Nicolas Benezet |3 |0 |0 |1 |4 |- |DF |94 |align="left"| Jimmy Medranda |4 |0 |0 |0 |4 |- |rowspan="3"|6 |MF |6 |align="left"| João Paulo |3 |0 |0 |0 |3 |- |DF |11 |align="left"| Brad Smith |3 |0 |0 |0 |3 |- |FW |17 |align="left"| Will Bruin |3 |0 |0 |0 |3 |- |rowspan="1"|9 |DF |3 |align="left"| Xavier Arreaga |2 |0 |0 |0 |2 |- |rowspan="6"|10 |MF |10 |align="left"| Nicolás Lodeiro |0 |0 |0 |1 |1 |- |DF |16 |align="left"| Alex Roldan |1 |0 |0 |0 |1 |- |MF |22 |align="left"| Kelyn Rowe |1 |0 |0 |0 |1 |- |MF |23 |align="left"| Léo Chú |1 |0 |0 |0 |1 |- |DF |27 |align="left"| Shane O'Neill |1 |0 |0 |0 |1 |- |DF |28 |align="left"| Yeimar Gómez Andrade |1 |0 |0 |0 |1
Top assists {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align: center;" |- !width=30|Rank !width=30|Position !width=30|Number !width=175|Name !width=75| !width=75| !width=75| !width=75| !width=75|Total |- |rowspan="1"|1 |MF |6 |align="left"| João Paulo |8 |0 |0 |1 |9 |- |rowspan="5"|2 |MF |7 |align="left"| Cristian Roldan |1 |0 |0 |2 |3 |- |DF |11 |align="left"| Brad Smith |3 |0 |0 |0 |3 |- |FW |12 |align="left"| Fredy Montero |3 |0 |0 |0 |3 |- |DF |16 |align="left"| Alex Roldan |3 |0 |0 |0 |3 |- |DF |94 |align="left"| Jimmy Medranda |3 |0 |0 |0 |3 |- |rowspan="1"|7 |FW |17 |align="left"| Will Bruin |2 |0 |0 |0 |2 |- |rowspan="4"|8 |DF |5 |align="left"| Nouhou |1 |0 |0 |0 |1 |- |FW |9 |align="left"| Raúl Ruidíaz |1 |0 |0 |0 |1 |- |MF |84 |align="left"| Josh Atencio |1 |0 |0 |0 |1
Disciplinary record {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- | rowspan="2" !width=15| | rowspan="2" !width=15| | rowspan="2" !width=120|Player | colspan="3"|MLS | colspan="3"|U.S. Open Cup | colspan="3"|MLS Playoffs | colspan="3"|Leagues Cup | colspan="3"|Total |- !width=34; background:#fe9;| !width=34; background:#fe9;| !width=34; background:#ff8888;| !width=34; background:#fe9;| !width=34; background:#fe9;| !width=34; background:#ff8888;| !width=34; background:#fe9;| !width=34; background:#fe9;| !width=34; background:#ff8888;| !width=34; background:#fe9;| !width=34; background:#fe9;| !width=34; background:#ff8888;| !width=34; background:#fe9;| !width=34; background:#fe9;| !width=34; background:#ff8888;|
|| 3 || |DF ||align=left| Xavier Arreaga || |5|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||0|| |0|| |0|| |5|| |0|| |0 |- || 5 || |DF ||align=left| Nouhou || |2|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||0|| |0|| |0|| |2|| |0|| |0 |- || 6 || |MF ||align=left| João Paulo || |5|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||0|| |0|| |0|| |5|| |0|| |0 |- || 7 || |MF ||align=left| Cristian Roldan || |1|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||0|| |0|| |0|| |1|| |0|| |0 |- || 8 || |MF ||align=left| Jordy Delem || |1|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||0|| |0|| |0|| |1|| |0|| |0 |- || 9 || |FW ||align=left| Raúl Ruidíaz || |4|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||0|| |0|| |0|| |4|| |0|| |0 |- || 10 || |MF ||align=left| Nicolás Lodeiro || |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||1|| |0|| |0|| |1|| |0|| |0 |- || 11 || |DF ||align=left| Brad Smith || |1|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||0|| |0|| |0|| |1|| |0|| |0 |- || 16 || |DF ||align=left| Alex Roldan || |2|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||0|| |0|| |0|| |2|| |0|| |0 |- || 22 || |MF ||align=left| Kelyn Rowe || |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||1|| |0|| |0|| |1|| |0|| |0 |- || 27 || |DF ||align=left| Shane O'Neill || |1|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||0|| |0|| |0|| |1|| |0|| |0 |- || 28 || |DF ||align=left| Yeimar Gómez Andrade || |4|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||0|| |0|| |0|| |4|| |0|| |0 |- || 45 || |MF ||align=left| Ethan Dobbelaere || |1|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||0|| |0|| |0|| |1|| |0|| |0 |- || 75 || |MF ||align=left| Danny Leyva || |3|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||0|| |0|| |0|| |3|| |0|| |0 |- || 84 || |MF ||align=left| Josh Atencio || |1|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||0|| |0|| |0|| |1|| |0|| |0 |- || 94 || |DF ||align=left| Jimmy Medranda || |1|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||0|| |0|| |0|| |1|| |0|| |0 |- || 98 || |FW ||align=left| Samuel Adeniran [TAC] || |1|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|| |0|||0|| |0|| |0|| |1|| |0|| |0
!colspan=3|Total !!33!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!2!!0!!0!!35!!0!!0
Honors and awards
MLS Team of the Week WeekPlayerOpponentPositionRef1 Raúl Ruidíaz Minnesota United FC FW Josh Atencio Bench2 Brad SmithLos Angeles FC DF3 Raúl RuidíazLA Galaxy FW Brad Smith DF4 Raúl RuidíazPortland Timbers Bench5 Xavier ArreagaSan Jose Earthquakes, Los Angeles FC DF Alex Roldan DF Cristian Roldan MF Brian Schmetzer Coach6 NouhouAtlanta United FC Bench8 Yeimar Gomez AndradeLA Galaxy DF9 Cristian Roldan Real Salt Lake MF10 João PauloVancouver Whitecaps FC Bench11 Alex RoldanColorado Rapids Bench12 João PauloHouston Dynamo MF Kelyn Rowe Bench14 Raúl Ruidíaz Austin FC FW Josh Atencio DF17 João PauloFC Dallas Bench19 Raúl RuidíazPortland Timbers FW Fredy Montero Bench20 Raúl RuidíazFC Dallas FW21 Xavier ArreagaColumbus Crew DF João Paulo Bench24 João PauloMinnesota United FC MF Stefan Frei Bench27 João PauloSporting Kansas City MF28 Cristian RoldanSan Jose Earthquakes MF Raúl Ruidíaz FW Yeimar Gómez Andrade Bench29 Cristian RoldanColorado Rapids MF João Paulo MF31 Léo ChúColorado Rapids MF34 Stefan FreiLA Galaxy Bench
Italics indicates MLS Player of the Week
MLS Goal of the Week WeekPlayerOpponentRef1 João Paulo Minnesota United FC5 Cristian Roldan San Jose Earthquakes14 Raúl Ruidíaz Austin FC19 Jimmy Medranda Portland Timbers20 Raúl Ruidíaz FC Dallas29 João Paulo Colorado Rapids
MLS Save of the Year PlayerOpponentRef Stefan Frei Real Salt Lake
MLS Best XI PlayerPositionRef Raúl Ruidíaz Forward João Paulo Midfielder Yeimar Gómez Andrade Defender
Transfers
For transfers in, dates listed are when Sounders FC officially signed the players to the roster. Transactions where only the rights to the players are acquired are not listed. For transfers out, dates listed are when Sounders FC officially removed the players from its roster, not when they signed with another club. If a player later signed with another club, his new club will be noted, but the date listed here remains the one when he was officially removed from Sounders FC roster.
In No.Pos.PlayerTransferred fromFee/notesDateSource6 Botafogo Undisclosed 11 New England Revolution Free Transfer 18 FC Cincinnati Free Transfer 12 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Free Transfer 21 Tacoma Defiance Signed HGP Deal 26 Stanford UniversityOff waivers. Seattle acquired the top spot in the waivers process from Chicago Fire FC for $50,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM). 92 Tacoma Defiance 20 Colorado Rapids $50,000 in GAM 23 Grêmio U22 Initiative signing; $2.5 million transfer fee
Draft picks
Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only those who are signed to a contract will be listed as transfers in. Only trades involving draft picks and executed after the start of 2021 MLS SuperDraft will be listed in the notes.
DatePlayerNumberPositionPrevious clubNotesRefJanuary 21, 2021 T. J. Bush01GK James Madison UniversityMLS SuperDraft 3rd Round Pick (#80)
Out
No.Pos.PlayerTransferred toFee/notesDateSource99 San Antonio FC Option declined 11 San Diego Loyal SC Option declined 33 Inter Miami CF Option declined 18DF Inter Miami CF Out of contract 4MF Guangzhou City Out of contract 29DF Cartagines Out of contract 6MF Botafogo End of loan 13 Swansea City On loan 11GK San Diego Loyal SC On loan 37MF San Antonio FC On loan 87FW FC Pinzgau Saalfelden On loan
Other transactions
On July 17, 2021, Samuel Adeniran and Obed Vargas of the Tacoma Defiance were signed to short-term agreements under the "extreme hardship" rule due to a lack of available Sounders players.
Notes A. Players who are under contract with Tacoma Defiance.
References