New Sounders signing Ryan Kent is here to win, and to have some fun

RENTON — He’s here, he’s there, he … doesn’t know the connection Sounders fans made to the Emmy-winning television series Ted Lasso, but Ryan Kent is excited to join the club.

“That’s a new thing for me,” Kent said of the chant used in the show for the fictional English player Roy Kent. Sounders fans swapped the forename to express enthusiasm for the signing with social media posts that read “He’s here, he’s there, he’s every-[expletive]-where, Ryan Kent!”

It’s a bit of fun Kent is searching for in soccer.

The English winger starred for Scottish side Rangers F.C. and signed a lucrative four-year deal with Turkey’s top-flight Fenerbahçe in 2023. But a falling out with the front office, which Kent didn’t want to “dwell” on, led to him last playing a competitive match in July 2024.

Kent said he rejected multiple contract offers since being released last fall. He settled on the Sounders because of the upward trajectory of talent and competition in MLS and the club’s mix of passion and honesty.

The 28-year-old signed a deal Monday to play through the end of the 2025 season with an option for 2026. Kent is still awaiting approval for his P-1 visa but he participated in his first Sounders training Tuesday at the team’s facility in Renton.

“I’ve had a couple of difficult years in my career in recent years,” Kent said after the session. “I’m probably, more than anything, trying to find the enjoyment in the game. With what went on with the previous club, it was like a breath of fresh air with the [Sounders] people I was dealing with. Across the board, they’re passionate people and passionate about what they do.”

The Sounders (1-2-3) have had an eye on Kent since he made 218 appearances and bagged 33 goals for the Rangers, helping them win a league title in 2021. But it’s an unfortunate circumstance that ultimately united the sides.

Kent is a roster replacement for midfielder Paul Arriola. The latter was a January trade pickup from FC Dallas. He scored two goals in CONCACAF Champions Cup play for the Sounders, tearing his ACL in a loss to Cruz Azul on March 11.

Arriola, 30, was placed on the season-ending injury list and will still earn his pay this season but it won’t count against the salary cap. Terms were not released, but Kent cannot earn more than Arriola’s approximate $700,000 pay and if he were to be re-signed, the price would have to fit under the new cap with no exemptions.

“With the transfer windows, the timing, our league and all the stuff that [Sounders general manager] Craig [Waibel] has to deal with on a daily basis, he’s a steal,” Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said of Kent.

Waibel implied the Englishman’s fitness test results were better than some who’ve been with the team the past three months. Kent said Tuesday’s gray, rainy midmorning was like his northern England hometown Oldham, but he chased the sun the past five months for intensive training sessions in warm weather.

“It was an alien environment to be in,” Kent said. “As a footballer, you’re almost a robot in a way, sticking to set schedules. It’s kind of all you know. It was a difficult transition, in a way. But it was good for my body to help heal from previous little [injuries] that I’ve had and really dial-in to the individual side of being an athlete. I enjoyed the work.”

Waibel said Kent fits a profile the club covets but hasn’t pinpointed — especially when adding the winger’s decadelong experience playing in four different countries combined. Kent likes to dribble at defenders and is fearless in his attacking movements, plus he’s skilled at getting crosses into the box.

Schmetzer is onboarding Kent by giving him specific clips of the team to review. Kent also watched Seattle’s 1-1 road draw against San Jose last week and spotted places where he could be a difference-maker.

Sounders forward Jordan Morris is the first-choice tip of the team’s attack, netting his club-record 87^th career goal last month. But he suffered a hamstring injury in the same match as Arriola and isn’t expected to return until late-April at the earliest.

Without Morris, the Sounders have garnered 54 shots in their past three matches. Of those chances, 14 were on target and the club scored one goal — midfielder Albert Rusnák’s equalizer in the 80^th minute against San Jose.

“You go to some places and managers what to prevent you from doing what you want to do as a player,” Kent said. “I’m an exciting player. I like to lift bums off seats.”

It’s a desire Waibel likes to hear while also seeing that Kent isn’t about fanfare.

“He’s a show up, show out and go home kind of guy,” Waibel said. “He wants to play some football, that’s why he’s here.”

Injury updates

Morris and midfielder Pedro de la Vega (quad) rejoined parts of training Tuesday. It was a first for both, but they remain on a 4-to-6-week time frame to return to competitive matches, according to Schmetzer. De la Vega suffered his injury against Los Angeles FC on March 8.

Sounders forward Danny Musovski left the training pitch early, but it was to tend to “bumps and bruises” from a collision with Quakes keeper Daniel last week. Musovski subbed on in the 46^th minute and didn’t need to leave the match.