How you feel about the Seattle Sounders’ acquisition of Héber in a trade with New York City FC probably is a reflection of your outlook on this team in 2023. If you were inclined to think they were capable of making a run at a trophy this year, there’s every reason to think Héber bolsters those chances. But if you are more of the mind that the Sounders needed to start their rebuilding efforts as soon as possible, this probably feels a bit underwhelming.
Whatever you may think of the move that costs the Sounders $200,000 in General Allocation Money this year, $200,000 in GAM next year, potentially $150,000 more depending on various performance metrics and probably about $900,000 in salary cap space, it seems to indicate the team sees their championship window as open for at least another year and at the very least makes them more competitive to start the season than they would have been otherwise.