In a secondary transfer window that saw the Seattle Sounders make MLS headlines by acquiring Designated Player forward Dejan Joveljić, perhaps somewhat lost was the late addition of midfielder Caden Clark.
The Sounders sent a second-round MLS SuperDraft selection to D.C. United in exchange for Clark’s services, and it took him just 10 minutes into his debut on Saturday to record his first club goal, a massive hit from outside the box that rescued a late point on the road at the Colorado Rapids.
“Coming on in those last 10 minutes, I could have tried to play it safe and not make a mistake, but I’m going to do anything I can to help the team get a draw here, if that’s defending, tackling, taking someone on or shooting the ball,” said Clark. “Coming on, it wasn’t just to replace [tired] legs, it was to go for it.”
The goal was a monumental moment for the Red Bull New York Homegrown product who burst onto the MLS scene as an 18-year-old in 2021. His play earned him a huge move to Bundesliga sister club RB Leipzig, but Clark never featured in Germany. He went back on loan to RBNY before a short loan spell in Denmark and then returned to MLS in 2023. He bounced around from Minnesota United, CF Montréal and then D.C., where he totaled just over 200 minutes across two seasons.
On Saturday, Clark rewarded the faith the Sounders organization showed him by highlighting the class that he flashed as a teenager.
“Great impact,” said Sounders Head Coach Brian Schmetzer of Clark. “He’s a talented kid. There’s a reason why he played for our national team and our youth national team and why he went to Europe at a young age. He expressed his profound gratitude to land here with his teammates.”
Clark will get a chance for his home debut when the Sounders return to Lumen Field on Wednesday for a date with Real Salt Lake (6:30 p.m. PT; Apple TV | TICKETS. The match kicks off a vital three-match homestand as the push for the playoffs continues.
It’s easy to forget that Clark is still just 23 and has plenty of room for development and growth. Both the Sounders and Clark himself are hopeful he can find it in the Pacific Northwest for the remainder of this season and beyond.
“It’s been probably the best experience I’ve had so far being a part of a team,” said Clark. “The way they go about things, the culture they have, they’ve been successful in the past for a reason. There’s no secret to that. They have such a bond and have played together for so long and have high standards. Coming into that, I was very fortunate, just trying to learn from them and take that with me and put my best foot forward.”
