Following a three-year stint with FC Dallas, midfielder Paul Arriola joined the Seattle Sounders ahead of the 2025 season, in hopes of beginning a new, exciting chapter with a winning club.
From the get-go, he fit into the dynamic of the team, especially coming in knowing Sounders players like Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan from the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team, in addition to former FC Dallas teammate Jesús Ferreira.
But just as Arriola found his footing with the Rave Green, the unimaginable occurred.
In Leg 2 of the Concacaf Champions Cup vs. Cruz Azul on March 5, Arriola tore his ACL.
“I’m still fresh [to the team] and all that new excitement [wore] off, all in that moment, while I'm feeling this pain behind my leg,” Arriola said.
Given this was the second time he had dealt with this particular knee injury in his career, Arriola knew what was to come: months of intensive rehab and off-the-field work.
“I knew that exact feeling, and at that point, it kind of settled in that this is my season,” Arriola said. “Because I had the injury before, I knew everything that it entailed.”
“I got home, and then the next day, I got ready for what my new journey was going to be.”
Since his ACL surgery in March 2025, Arriola has been working day-in and day-out, for up to six hours a day. In the beginning stages of his rehab program, the midfielder focused on his mechanics and his baseline strength in order to have a solid foundation for his return and to regain mobility in his knee. This included lots of gym work in addition to utilizing the AlterG (Anti-gravity treadmill) and a stationary bike.
Now, as Arriola makes his way toward the end stages of his rehab, Sounders Physical Therapist Hilary Obert is in the process of guiding him through a power-focused phase that includes testing and some on-the-field return metrics that he will need in order to play at a high level again.
“So he's going to continue kind of late-stage rehab with us here, and then when he gets back next year [2026], we'll slowly reintegrate him into some of the training with the team, and then the goal is to get him ready by the start of the year,” Obert said.
The journey to get back is mentally and physically demanding. From the beginning phases following the surgery, to the setbacks throughout the rehabilitation process, it is a tumultuous time for anyone who suffers an ACL injury. But Arriola has remained positive through it all, knowing that he will be able to be back on the pitch, playing the sport that he loves, in due time.
“The most motivating factor that you can have as a professional soccer player is the ball,” said Arriola. “Slowly integrating into team trainings, and being able to pass the ball, it's super exciting and another reminder of how close you really are, and at the same time, how far you've really come.”
Right after surgery, he physically was unable to flex his quad muscle. Nine months and countless hours of rehabilitation later, he’s back into possession drills, getting ready for another big year ahead. And while he’s proud of himself for pushing through moments of difficulty, he recognizes he couldn’t have done it without the staff who have been by his side over the past year.
“It is so special to know how much work that these other people put in, specifically for you,” Arriola said.
Arriola’s season-ending injury may have put his career on hold, but upon reflection of the circumstances that left him sidelined, he found a wonderful silver lining in all the chaos.
Along with being able to spend more time with his wife during her pregnancy with their second child, he’s been able to “put [his] daughter to sleep every night.”
“As athletes, professional athletes, you're constantly traveling,” said Arriola. “You're missing so many days and weeks of the year, you miss milestones. You miss big moments in their lives, in your own lives, and for me to be able to be at home throughout the year was a silver lining moment for me to just be able to be present with my family, and grow my family and continue to be there for my wife in a new city.”
Arriola’s optimism is as relentless as his work ethic.
“So many good things come from bad situations. You just have to look and find them.”
