Paul Arriola’s return to the Lumen Field pitch on Sunday was a moment 11 months in the making. After tearing his left ACL in a Concacaf Champions Cup match at Cruz Azul last March and missing the rest of 2025, Arriola came on for Albert Rusnák for an 88th-minute cameo appearance in the Sounders’ 2-0 season-opening win over the Colorado Rapids.
But Arriola’s appearance was far greater than just his brief time on the pitch. It was a stake in the ground, a milestone he had been working relentlessly toward for nearly a year.
“It was obviously short-lived, but it meant a lot more than just those minutes,” said Arriola on Wednesday. “It was an accumulation of all the sacrifice, of all the tears, the hard work and the long days.
“My goal was to always be ready for the first game of the season…Now that the return is done with, it’s just about getting more minutes, getting confidence and helping the team win games.”
Arriola returned to a sea of boisterous applause from Sounders faithful, who had, as Arriola noted, welcomed him and made him feel at home immediately when he joined prior to the 2025 campaign. Sounders fans had reason to be bullish, as well. Arriola scored twice in his first three matches with Seattle and looked to be a major impact player before the devastating injury ended his season.
Last year’s ACL injury wasn’t Arriola’s first either. In 2020, he tore his right ACL while with D.C. United and endured yet another long recovery.
“We celebrated the return of Paul Arriola [in the locker room],” said Sounders Head Coach Brian Schmetzer after the win over Colorado. “There’s a kid who’s been through a lot of heartache, a lot of time in the gym getting himself back. Preseason games are one thing, but getting out there, that’s a positive note for me and the team.”
Heritage and History
Heritage Aqua is your front-row seat to the moments and matches that shape a season, loaded with meaning, milestones, and emotion. Be there against Real Salt Lake for the first home match on the new grass pitch installed for the FIFA World Cup, run it back for a 2025 playoff rematch vs. Minnesota, then close with our Fan Appreciation Match vs. LAFC on Decision Day.
Seattle missed Arriola’s explosiveness on the flanks last year. The 31-year-old veteran offers Schmetzer plenty of versatility and leadership on the wing or at fullback and will look to get back on the pitch on Saturday when the Sounders head to Utah for a clash with Real Salt Lake (4:30 p.m. PT; Apple TV).
It will be a slow and steady reintegration process for Arriola as he works his way back to match fitness, but Sunday’s landmark moment is one Arriola won’t soon forget or take for granted.
“It’s another testament to the type of person that I am, the type of player that I am,” said Arriola. “It represents a lot of resilience, it represents facing a lot of adversity.
“The fans have supported me from the beginning since I came to the club,” he added. “My goal is to repay them with excitement, with fun, with energy and more importantly, as a club, being able to win championships.”
