Ever since the Seattle Sounders announced the offseason signings of João Paulo and Yeimar Goméz Andrade, GM Garth Lagerwey has been saying the salary cap was effectively maxed out.
It was a strategic decision, even if it diverged from previous seasons. Rather than holding onto some flexibility to make an impact signing in the summer — a strategy that yielded Nicolas Lodeiro in 2016 and Raúl Ruidíaz in 2018 — the Sounders decided to put their best foot forward in an attempt to win Concacaf Champions League.
Those plans didn’t quite work out, as the Sounders were bounced in the quarterfinals by Olimpia.