Early into the Seattle Sounders’ 2026 season, a formula for scoring goals has been straightforward: Get in behind on the right side. Drop a pass to the far post. Let Paul Rothrock run onto it and score. Rinse and repeat.
Rothrock already has five goals in seven matches in all competitions in 2026, including an 83rd-minute match-winner over the weekend in a 1-0 victory at the Houston Dynamo. Houston has a problem in Rothrock, who has four career goals against the Dynamo.
“I have some really positive memories,” said Rothrock. “My first MLS goal I scored here…You think about those before the game and try and build on them. And we’ve had some good results here in the past.”
Rothrock has become a problem for just about every other team he’s faced too. Sounders Head Coach Brian Schmetzer’s now-famous quip last summer comparing Rothrock to Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi ahead of the Leagues Cup Final was said in good fun, but Rothrock also scored the dagger to capture the title for his hometown team. Cult heroes are often exaggerated in their triumphs, but Rothrock is playing at a clip right now that makes him one of the most efficient wingers in the entire league.
Rothrock’s success isn’t by accident either. After a journeyman start to his professional career with Toronto FC and Tacoma Defiance, he has put the work in to justify all the accolades coming his way. That includes signing a new contract this past offseason to keep him in Seattle, a move that has already paid dividends.
“The thing that Paul has done is when guys are doing extra work after training…Paul is working on him crossing the ball with his left foot in between the goalkeeper and the center back, or he’s doing something else that’s not just fun, but it’s actually work,” said Schmetzer. “His application of what he sees in the bigger picture of where his career is or could be is complemented by his sheer desire to be a part of this club, a starting member of this club, and, in his words, he wants to win another ‘ship.’”
The Sounders will need Rothrock to contribute yet again on Wednesday as they visit a hostile environment at Estadio Universitario in Monterrey, Mexico, to take on Liga MX’s Tigres in Leg 1 of their quarterfinal series in Concacaf Champions Cup (6 p.m. PT; FS2, TUDN). He scored in both legs of Seattle’s convincing 5-1 aggregate win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Round of 16 and will look to make it three-in-three in CCC.
An appearance for Rothrock on Wednesday would also mark a major milestone with his 100th career Sounders match in all competitions.
“He’s a great person, but he also understands the game,” Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan said of Rothrock. “He’s so smart. He learns so fast. His rise to the starting lineup to his contract speaks volumes to who he is as a person. Congratulations to Paul on five goals already this year, and I know there are many more in the tank.”
