When the final whistle blew on Monday and the sun officially set on the Seattle Sounders’ journey in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, one might find it difficult to realize that they had dropped all three of their Group B matches.
The mood after Seattle’s 2-0 loss at Lumen Field on Matchday 3 on Monday was not somber, despite their third consecutive defeat. Rather, there was a tinge of optimism in the Pacific Northwest air after a historic tournament appearance against some of the best football clubs the world has to offer.
“It’s the FIFA Club World Cup,” said defender Jon Bell matter-of-factly. “I’m blessed that I got to be a part of it and got to play in it. I’ve always wanted to be a footballer growing up, so being able to get this opportunity is something that I try not to take for granted and be thankful for it.”
While Seattle may have fallen to Brazil’s Botafogo, Spain’s Atlético Madrid and France’s Paris-Saint Germain, the Sounders were very much in every match. They were all over Botafogo in the second half and with a few more minutes seemed destined to eke out a draw or even a victory. Against Atlético, it took two wonderstrikes off the crossbar and a cheeky finish at the far post for the Rojiblancos to put the match away. And on Monday against PSG, the reigning UEFA Champions League winners needed a lucky deflection and a counterattack to seal the win.
“We proved that we’re right there,” said Bell. “We’re not there, but we’re close. We were able to match intensity and fight hard for 90 minutes and keep them on their toes as well. A lot of people on the outside had already kind of decided that it was going to be a 6-0 loss or something. We were able to battle them and keep them humble for the most part.
“There’s like a five percent difference,” he added. “The speed of play, the quality of the players as well. A lot of these guys are world-class players who have played at the highest level, Champions League finals and World Cups. It’s something that I’ll learn from and I’m gonna take and apply to myself for the rest of my career.”
The Sounders have little for which to hang their heads. Botafogo is the reigning Copa Libertadores winner as the best team in South America, Atléti is a perennial contender in La Liga and Europe and PSG has a roster worth over $1B.
“It was a pleasure to be able to step onto the same field as UEFA\] Champions League winners,” said midfielder [Cristian Roldan. “You see how difficult it is to play against them. You see it on TV, but it’s another thing to see it in person. For us to generate a few chances, show a bit of quality as well as defend well, was something that we needed to do today.
“In this whole tournament altogether, you see the quality in front of goal,” he continued. “You see the composure. You see [fewer] errors in boxes defensively. The games are won and lost in boxes.”
The Sounders are going to reflect on this tournament, one in which they became the first MLS side to compete in two Club World Cups, as an opportunity of a lifetime, to showcase the collective ability of the players themselves and the teams they represent.
“It continued to prove the level of MLS, the level we have here in Seattle,” said forward Jordan Morris. “We take a lot of confidence away from this knowing that we can compete at this level. When we go back into the [MLS] regular season, having that same mentality, that same intensity—if we play like that, we’re going to do special things this year.”
Seattle shifts its focus now back to domestic play when the Rave Green welcome Austin FC to Lumen Field on Saturday (7:30 p.m. PT; Watch on Apple TV | TICKETS). There’s a certain amount of confidence that competing against some of the biggest names in the world brings about, and the Sounders are looking to ride that momentum rather than letting it drop as a crucial second half of the MLS season kicks off.
“I was pleased with the intensity that the players showed,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “That’s something that we’re going to reinforce for the remainder of our MLS season because that was one of the things that we really focused on. The second was consistent technical ability under pressure because that’s what those teams have.”
Added defender Alex Roldan: “The biggest feeling is our collective effort…We have a deep squad, and we showed that we can hold our own. There were moments where we were on top of teams, even if it was just for a stint. Coming out of this, the message is going to be that if we can continue this discipline, continue this effort collectively, we can go far.”
