Sounders get boost from Ken Griffey Jr. as they look to rebound

RENTON - No need to manufacture a pick-me-up for the Sounders after their disappointing CONCACAF Champions Cup exit. Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. provided the jolt.

The former Mariners slugger is a minority owner of the soccer team, but Friday's visit to the training facility was for his YouTube series "Caddie & The Kid" where Griffey and caddie/comedian Michael Collins vlog their golf adventures. The duo set up a putting game and Sounders players Jordan Morris, Jackson Ragen, Cristian Roldan and Paul Rothrock received some tips and laughs. Griffey and Collins also greeted staff and other players.

"These guys are enamored with him (Griffey) in some ways," Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said of his team, noting multiple players like to play golf. "It's a match made in heaven."

Training was about the Sounders returning their focus to the MLS season. The team dropped a CCC quarterfinal series to Liga MX side Tigres UANL on Wednesday.

The Sounders won the match 3-1 at Lumen, but Tigres' away goal was the tiebreaker for the 3-3 aggregate scoring. In MLS competitions, the Sounders are unbeaten in their past four matches (3-0-1) - all on the road.

Here's a look at Saturday's match:

Sounders (4-1-1) vs St. Louis City (1-3-3)

Time/place: 6:30 p.m. at Lumen Field in Seattle

TV: Apple TV

Radio: 93.3 KJR FM (English) and El Rey 1360 AM (Spanish)

Series history: The Sounders lead the all-time series 6-1-0 since 2023

Moving on

The Sounders will likely have a heavily rotated lineup for their final match of the regular season against St. Louis. The Sounders defeated City 1-0 on the road in March off a goal from Kalani Kossa-Rienzi. St Louis had possession for majority of the match and the Sounders defended well to collect the clean sheet.

Injury updates

Sounders center backs Kim Kee-hee (calf) and Ryan Sailor (knee) were part of training Friday, which puts them closer to being able to add depth to the backline, but neither will be able to play Saturday. Sounders winger Pedro de la Vega (knee) and center back Yeimar (hamstring) likely won't be able to play until July, Schmetzer said Friday.

First-year City coach Yoann Damet is without defender Jaziel Orozco, who's under concussion protocol, and midfielder Celio Pompeu (knee).

Quotable

"You go through ebbs and flows," Roldan said of scoring and defending set pieces. The Sounders ceded two goals from set pieces against Tigres. "I remember in Leagues Cup two years ago, we scored multiple set pieces in a row where we couldn't score in a long time. Being sharp and mentally focused when set pieces come (is important). Altogether, as well, not giving them the opportunity. We've conceded a lot of corner kicks this year (47 in MLS competitions). To be honest, for how many corner kicks we've conceded, we've done well.

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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 11:50 PM.