MLS provides clarity with roster profiles, plus Sounders injury updates | Notebook | Sirens

RENTON – MLS lifted a layer of secrecy Thursday when it released “roster profiles” for its 29 teams. It’s a first for fans and media to receive league-wide information, but the Sounders have long offered player designations when making roster transactions.

Now fans can be more accurate in role-playing as MLS general manager. Nuances such as a club’s available TAM (target allocation money), GAM (general allocation money) and where they are within the $5.4 million salary cap are not included. Selection status is effective May 1, a week after the league closed its primary transfer window. The secondary window is July 18 through August 14.

The MLS Players Association typically releases its Spring-Summer Salary Guide this month, which includes the annual base salary and annual guaranteed compensation for each player currently under an MLS contract.

Sounders general manager Craig Waibel was recently scouting in Europe. On a superficial level, according to the roster profile, he could add up to two international players or an international player from the U22 Initiative, the latter being a loophole to sign a more expensive player and only counting $200,000 towards the cap . Sounders winger Leo Chu and midfielder Josh Atencio are two of the team’s three U22 players.

The contracts for two of the club’s three designated players – striker Raul Ruidiaz and midfielder Albert Rusnak – expire in December 2024. None of the designated players, including midfielder Pedro de la Vega, are eligible to leave their status change to non-designated player using TAM.

If Rusnak or Ruidiaz were to sign a new non-designated player contract by the summer, the Sounders could theoretically try to lure France international Kylian Mbappe to Seattle as a designated player. The 2018 FIFA Men’s World Cup winner reportedly will not resign from Paris Saint-Germain and on the table is a five-year contract that will pay him $16 million annually to play for Real Madrid.

Mbappe will enter the summer window as the best striker available worldwide. If he were to join the MLS, $683,750 would count toward the cap.

That crack in the air you heard was the laughter of Sounders majority owner Adrian Hanauer, who has repeatedly stated that his philosophy for building a roster is not to spend the most. So don’t bet on Mbappe at Rave Green, but clarification on what’s possible for each team is now widespread information with the release of the MLS roster profile.

Other players in the final year of their contracts for Seattle include midfielder Joao Paulo, defenseman Jackson Ragen and goalkeeper Andrew Thomas.

Injury updates

Sounders defender Nathan will be out for six to eight weeks with a hamstring injury. The centre-back suffered the injury in training last month and a recent MRI showed the severity to be “quite bad”, according to coach Brian Schmetzer.

The Brazilian signed as a free agent last winter. Nathan previously played for the San Jose Quakes and missed most of the 2023 season due to a torn ACL.

Nathan had an impact in his only appearance for the Sounders. He had a goal-line block in the 2–1 away defeat to Los Angeles FC to open the season.

Sounders forward Danny Musovski (back) and midfielder Reed Baker-Whiting (hamstring) will be in full training when the team returns to the field on Friday. On Thursday the players had tailor-made recovery sessions.

Not so rosy

Sounders assistant Andy Rose is among those feeling some extra pressure following the club’s two-match road trip. Seattle defeated Philadelphia 3-2 on Tuesday, but none of the goals came from the team’s 10 corner kicks on the season. And the Union’s opening goal came from poor corner defense.

“We can’t miss corner defense,” Schmetzer said. “We shouldn’t miss that.”

Rose is primarily responsible for Seattle’s set-piece tactics. Ruidiaz scored a goal from distance after a creative free-kick sequence against CF Montreal in April. But overall, the team lacks execution, much like in scoring throughout the game.

“I challenged Andy that if one of our guys doesn’t score, his job will be in jeopardy,” Schmetzer said. The Sounders host the LA Galaxy at Lumen Field on Sunday. “Andy has been in charge of that and he’s doing a great job with (analyst) Rodrigo (Carvalho). They make a lot of film; they arrange everything and we are very close.”

Schmetzer cited Chad Marshall, who retired as a three-time MLS Defender of the Year, as an example of a player known for scoring headers off corner kicks. The club would like Ragen to fill a similar role, while Yeimar Gomez Andrade has developed into a threat in defence.

“Jackson can be that guy,” Schmetzer said. “Now, is that Jackson alone, is that Jackson with the help of Andy, our plans… We are okay with our set pieces, except for the fact that we need to score more and the one time a player is not in his right, he notices that teammates help him.”