RENTON, Wash. — Leading your hometown city or state to a pro championship is supposed to be a rarity — and certainly achieved alongside a roster full of transplants who may not know the best way to dodge traffic or where to get the best cup of coffee.

Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty) is the latest to join an illustrious list of hometown/state heroes that includes LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City), Jack Ham (Pittsburgh Steelers), Doug Harvey (Montreal Canadiens) and Lou Gehrig (New York Yankees).

Seattle is creating its own section for soccer.

The Sounders are no strangers to having locals carry them to glory. Sounders majority owner Adrian Hanauer, coach Brian Schmetzer and forward Jordan Morris — all from Seattle — led the club to two MLS Cup (2016 and 2019) and one CONCACAF Champions Cup (2022) championships.

And when the Sounders kick off their 15th playoff appearance Monday, the club will showcase more local flavor than any other team in the playoff bracket.

Joining Schmetzer and Morris as the hometown heroes in the expected starting lineup are Wedgwood's Jackson Ragen and Capitol Hill's Paul Rothrock. That's in addition to president of business operations Hugh Weber (Tacoma) and goalkeeping coach Tom Dutra (Lacey) also having local roots.

"It's been a dream for all of us to play for this club and we understand what it means to be a fan and then transfer to playing on the field," Morris said. "That's different for some of the guys on the team who grew up elsewhere. For Paul, Jackson and I, the other homegrowns, we grew up as part of the club and trained with the team and were fans first — sat in the stands. When you look at it from that lens, it's pretty special."

"That Northwest grit"

Rothrock and Ragen's emergence makes winning with locals a trend unique to the Sounders. The club was founded in 1974, and West Seattle's Jimmy McAlister was the first hometown product to help the then NASL Sounders reach a title match. Seattle lost to the New York Cosmos in the 1977 Soccer Bowl.

McAlister, who coached Rothrock and Ragen as youths, is one of dozens of former Sounders players still in the area coaching on every level. Through the decades, Washington has developed multiple elite soccer players who've starred on the U.S. men's and women's national soccer teams, including Morris. And there are 15 players with ties to the state on MLS rosters this season.

"Now, you get more money being put into academy teams and more resources and there's kids that have that Northwest grit, that determination," Schmetzer said. "We've always said 'never quit.' Those things are part of the culture, going back to Darren Sawatzky, when they first started the [Sounders] academy. Those were things we tried to ingrain into all of the young players. But the kids have to prove that they're good enough as well."

Ragen and Rothrock took the college route and after not having MLS contracts renewed elsewhere, made humbling calls to Wade Webber, the former coach of now MLS Next Pro side Tacoma Defiance. The players wanted to rejoin the club where they shined as academy players.

"I was in, not a dark place, but I didn't know what was going to happen," said Ragen, who completed his four-year career at the University of Michigan as 2021 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. "To get cut from [Chicago's] first team and have to go back to second team (USL) and work your way up from the bottom again — it was pretty much the only option."

Rothrock was an undrafted pickup by Toronto. He made his pro debut in 2021 as a blood substitute for their second team and broke his right hand during a corner kick sequence. He subbed off within a minute and while determining surgery for his hand, also needed it for his right ankle.

The forward rehabbed in Seattle and joined Defiance in January 2023. At age 24 and not in the starting lineup, Rothrock was wondering how long he should push to reach his dream of playing for an MLS team.

"I had to find joy in the process of learning," said Rothrock, who capped his college career by scoring the equalizer in Georgetown University's 2019 NCAA championship win. "When you're not playing, trainings have to become your games. We often do starters versus nonstarters and that's your game. If you play well, you're going to ultimately make the first team play better. Focusing on the small games and getting better rather than am I getting on the field right now or not; am I scoring goals or not has been really helpful for me."

Injuries created the breakthrough for the players.

Sounders defender Yeimar suffered a high-ankle sprain in March 2022. The team was unbeaten in the ensuing five matches, Ragen starting on a backline that conceded five goals through all competitions, including advancing to the Champions Cup final.

Ragen became a mainstay starter last year, the Sounders tying Nashville SC in conceding an MLS-fewest 32 goals. Seattle again has the league's best defense this season — conceding 35 goals with an MLS-leading 13 clean sheets. Ragen is a Defensive Player of the Year finalist after finishing fifth in the league in completed passes (1,921) with a 91% passing accuracy.

"He's the best American centerback on the ball," said Sounders assistant Andy Rose, who's played in MLS, England and Scotland. "To be honest, it's been incredible to see him grow in that as well because that's probably been his greatest tool, his ability to break lines and switch play, but now his decision making has come a long way as well."

Sounders right back Alex Roldan suffered a concussion in the opening minute of a June match against Minnesota at Lumen. Schmetzer and his staff discussed multiple options and decided to shift formation, subbing Rothrock on as a winger.

Rothrock scored a goal in the 57th minute of a 2-0 win.

More opportunities followed with Argentine midfielder Pedro de la Vega (hamstring/groin) and Brazilian winger Léo Chú (knee) managing injuries. Rothrock ultimately won the starting spot to finish the regular season, totaling eight goals and three assists through all competitions.

"He's forcing my hand," Schmetzer said. "I don't think it would be wise of me to not start him."

'Such a nice guy'

A characteristic of Seattleites is their gracious demeanor. Schmetzer, Morris, Rothrock and Ragen fit the mold.

"Jordan's such a nice guy that sometimes he feels uncomfortable yelling at someone," teased Sounders midfielder Albert Rusnák, who said on a weekly basis he tells the forward "to be more mean to everyone around, in a good way, of course."

Naturally, Morris said he's always going to be nice but did alter his personality to be more "demanding" this season. He's looking to prove he can play the traditional forward role up top and had a career-high 13 goals during MLS matches.

"I can see red sometimes on the field," Morris said. "But what comes out with us is the hardworking nature of Seattle."

The fourth-seeded Sounders (16-9-9) will need more cutthroat play to make it back to an MLS final. Seattle hasn't reached the pinnacle since 2020 when they lost to the Columbus Crew.

This year, Seattle finished the regular season on a 12-2-3 run but also reached the Leagues Cup quarterfinals and U.S. Open Cup semifinals and lost both matches to Los Angeles FC. The Sounders also lost to LAFC in the playoff semifinals last year.

Slips in the big games have some wondering if there are too many homegrowns on the roster to compete in with the top tier in MLS.

"One of the things about playing local players and young players is typically, that's not how you win games," said McAlister, who also got his shot due to an injury. "Brian is paid to win games, not develop or do anything else ... these guys have been able to shine on the national stage and it shows what a hotbed of soccer we have."

(c)2024 The Seattle Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.