This offseason has brought with it plenty of change already for the Seattle Sounders, as the club parted ways with a number of veteran players in the wake of the MLS Cup Final. Those changes could prompt another change, one away from the deeply familiar 4-2-3-1 formation that has been a mainstay of Brian Schmetzer’s time in charge. With Garth Lagerwey discussing the possibility of playing a 3-5-2 on MLS’s Extratime podcast, it’s time to think about what that might actually look like and how the current roster is suited to the formation.
The departure of Gustav Svensson meant that Cristian Roldan would likely be heading into the 2021 season with a firm grasp on a spot in central midfield alongside João Paulo, while parting ways with Miguel Ibarra and Joevin Jones meant that the right wing spot in Brian Schmetzer’s preferred 4-2-3-1 would go to a local product, one of the Homegrown Players (Ethan Dobbelaere or Shandon Hopeau) or recently acquired Kelyn Rowe, at least in the short term.