3 things we learned about the Seattle Sounders at the Club World Cup | OneFootball

The Seattle Sounders went 0-for-3 in the group stage of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, a performance that said more about the elite caliber of opponent they drew in Group D than it did about their efforts.

Manager Brian Schmetzer's side faced the reigning UEFA Champions League winners in Paris Saint-Germain the reigning Copa Libertadores champions in Botafogo, and an Atletico Madrid side that has been among the most consistent in Europe in the last half-decade.

That said, there were some patterns that emerged that may be informative for the rest of the 2025 MLS season.

Here's three things we learned about the Sounders at the FIFA Club World Cup.

Cristian Roldan remains underrated

Perhaps because Roldan has never played in Europe, either at the youth or senior level, he carries the reputation among some fans of someone who just isn't quite good enough to make that move.

That's nonsense, and his performance over three games showed it. Roldan was the best and most consistent player on the pitch for the Sounders, never once looking overwhelmed by what the opposition presented when that opposition quite literally was the best on earth.

His second-half goal against Botofogo sparked a furious fightback that fell just short. And his defensive persistence was a major reason Atleti and PSG had to work so hard to earn relatively modest two-goal victories.

He's not a starting-level USMNT player, and he hasn't appeared for the Yanks since the 2023 Gold Cup. But his effort was strong enough that there have been a few whispers he could yet earn a look from U.S. boss Mauricio Pochettino as a potential depth piece for next summer's 2026 World Cup.

In some ways, this tournament helped spell out why the Sounders are so often the team you don't want to face in the MLS Cup Playoffs, even if their regular season is underwhelming relative to expectations.

Maybe the Sounders at their best aren't as good as Inter Miami, the Columbus Crew, the Philadelphia Union and others. But they contain far less potential for implosion. You're going to have to beat them because they so rarely beat themselves, even against world-class opposition.

And that's a characteristic that matters a whole lot in knockout competition, where the stakes and pressure are raised and the chance for implosion under that weight grows.

They need another difference-maker

Yes, Jordan Morris was injured for most of the tournament (he made a late cameo in the 2-0 loss to PSG). But if the Sounders are going to return to their trophy-contending ways, they need a player who can somewhat regularly create magical moments more or less on his own.

Albert Rusnak has a team-leading seven MLS goals and is the closest to that description, but that's being at least a little generous. Theoretically, Jesus Ferreira could be that guy, but it just hasn't happened regularly for him since he departed Dallas for Seattle during the previous offseason.