How good can the Sounders FC be in 2022? The more appropriate question might be how good their newest free-agent star addition can make them. So, how good is Albert Rusnak?

Real Salt Lake shook the league in December when teams released their roster updates headed into the offseason and Rusnak was listed as an out-of-contract free agent. Coupled with the MLS Players Association negotiating to lower the age of eligibility to 24 in the new collective-bargaining agreement, the 27-year-old Slovakian was clear to sign anywhere in the world.

And global offers flooded Rusnak’s agent’s inbox. But the RSL team captain who recorded an MLS career-high 11 goals and 11 assists last season was expected to follow Portland midfielder Sebastian Blanco and New York City FC midfielder Maxi Moralez in being a tantalizing player who would surely re-sign with his original club.

Blanco and Moralez did. Rusnak walked.

By mid-January, Sounders executives flanked Rusnak at a news conference still gobsmacked at announcing they signed the attacking midfielder. While most years, the conversation about the Sounders talent would begin with returning stars Jordan Morris and Nico Lodeiro, — both back after missing a combined 57 regular-season games — this year is not like most years. This year, Seattle has added one of the best goal creators in the MLS to the mix.

Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Albert Rusnak photographed Friday, Feb. 4 in Tukwila. (Jennifer Buchanan / The Seattle Times)

But for all his talent and leadership qualities, Rusnak is just the first of multiple megawatt stars on the Sounders roster. Five of the Sounders’ 20 players have been named to the past two MLS Best XI teams, with striker Raul Ruidiaz receiving the honor twice. Another three were league All-Stars last year. Then there’s Seattle’s all-time leading scorer, Fredy Montero, coming off the bench and two-time MLS champion Stefan Frei in goal.

“(Albert’s) just another game-changing player that they have in the group,” Nashville SC coach Gary Smith said. His two-time Eastern Conference semifinalists will debut their first season in the West on Sunday against the Sounders at Lumen Field.

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“They’ve got a very good balance,” Smith continued. “Athletic, strong, determined defenders. Good technicians. Good creators. They sound like a good team to me. They sound like the perfect blend.”

Championship window

Albert Rusnak is so good he coined a new term for Garth Lagerwey, the Sounders president of soccer and general manager.

The team needed financial help to make Rusnak’s addition impactful with a flat salary cap and expiring contracts. That was garnered in January when left fullback Brad Smith was traded to D.C. United for $750,000 in general allocation money (GAM). Seattle followed that deal by selling an international roster spot for $250,000 to FC Dallas.

Most of the $1 million profit was shifted to the 2023 budget and helped sign contract extensions for Ruidiaz and defensive midfielder Joao Paulo. With the bulk of the roster having at least a contract option through 2024, the Rusnak signing flung open the team’s “championship window” like French doors.

“Everything lines up,” Lagerwey said. “Our championship window, now we’ve got three years. We’ve got everybody under contract, we can afford everybody, there’s nothing we have to do. Not saying we’re going to do nothing for two years. But we don’t have to do anything.

“On paper, you can go boom, boom, boom, boom, boom and say, ‘That looks pretty good.’ But now the work comes. Everybody’s got to gel together on the field.”

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Flipping the talent into trophies has been an issue for the Sounders. The club won their second MLS Cup in 2019 and reached the league title match in 2020 — where the Columbus Crew embarrassed the Sounders, 3-0.

Peck at the shine and Seattle is reminded it started the 2020 campaign by getting upset by Honduran side CD Olimpia in the CONCACAF Champions League tournament.

The Sounders opened last season on a league-record 13-game unbeaten streak, not allowing a goal through the run of play in over 900 minutes. Most of the streak even came without Lodeiro, Morris and Frei in the lineup and Seattle playing a new formation in featuring three center backs.

Injuries were a theme for Seattle all season.

Lodeiro, the club’s all-time leader in assists, underwent the first of two arthroscopic surgeries on his right knee in May while Morris tore his left ACL in February 2021 while on loan in Europe. The dynamic winger didn’t return to play until November. Frei missed half the season after a left-knee sprain developed blood clots.

A rash of late-season injuries to Joao Paulo (hamstring), Ruidiaz (hamstring) and Jimmy Medranda (hamstring) aided in Seattle closing the year winless in its final seven matches. That included getting upset by Real Salt Lake on penalty kicks in the opening round of the MLS playoffs.

But this season, only Ruidiaz (hamstring) and reserve forward Will Bruin (calf) are questionable to start this season. Ruidiaz is supposed to be a precautionary measure.

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Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said he’s returned to the four-player backline formation he’s used since taking the manager position in 2016.

“We want to get Nico, Albert, Jordan, Leo (Chu), Raul, everybody on the field,” Schmetzer said. “We have a ton of attacking talent on this squad. That’ll be a work in progress. If it doesn’t quite get done in preseason, what I would say is look, last year we started the season (unbeaten in) 13 games. I’d rather have a 13-game winning streak at the end of the season. Let’s leave it at that.”

A glimpse of what’s possible with Rusnak in the lineup was on display Thursday during the CCL Round of 16 match against Honduran side F.C. Motagua. Rusnak played the full 90, capping the 5-0 win with an assist to Chu in the 73rd minute for the game’s final goal.

Seattle advanced to the quarterfinals where it’ll play a two-legged series against Liga MX side Club Leon in March.

“Albert’s a really smart player,” Frei said. “Besides those smarts, for him to be able to have his technique, he can do a lot of things with all of those skills. (Our) turf field is quite consistent, so maybe we can find him and let his technical ability shine. That’s when we’ll be mighty impressed and really happy he’s joined this team.”

Meet the Sounders’ starting XI

Automatic respect

Albert Rusnak is so good he was respected immediately by a team not only full of stars but players who have strong bonds with each other. Rusnak is the sole first-team player without any experience with the Sounders, with the club returning 16 of the top 18 players from the 2021 roster.

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Rusnak reporting on time to camp helped him adjust despite internationals Morris (U.S.), Cristian Roldan (U.S.), Alex Roldan (El Salvador), Xavier Arreaga (Ecuador), Yeimar Gomez Andrade (Colombia) and Nouhou (Cameroon) being out due to either FIFA men’s World Cup qualifying or Africa Nations Cup matches. Arreaga, Nouhou and Joao Paulo also had to wait for their U.S. green cards to be approved.

“That meant that I got to meet some second-team players and some youth players as well, which is important,” Rusnak said. “It’s a part of getting to know everybody. My goal was never to meet a few guys from the first team, I want to get to know everybody and all the staff members and all of that.”

Cristian’s excitement over Rusnak’s signing was solidified when Roldan was finally able to train alongside his new teammate earlier this month. The midfielders must develop an on-field chemistry on the right side, Roldan likely playing multiple positions to help maximize Rusnak’s talents.

Rusnak being an experienced captain will also help as Schmetzer juggles international call-ups and hopeful deep runs in CCL and U.S. Open Cup. He’ll lean on the younger players and veterans like Rusnak and Lodeiro will have to counter the inexperience.

“It’s huge when a big-time player like Albert comes in and works hard,” Roldan said. “So, he’s a leader already. In terms of coming into a team full of big-time players and leaders, that’s always tough. There’s always a transition period. It’s just about getting him in the right spots on the field. He gels well with the team off the field. That’s what we’re really excited about.”

Albert Rusnak is so good he can help the Sounders have a historic season.

“I chose to come here to Seattle because I really see this as the best opportunity to win — whether that’s MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield, Champions League — I have that winner’s mentality,” said Rusnak, whose RSL club lost in the Western Conference title game last year. “I want to win something.”