The Homegrown Player Spotlight series, in partnership with American Family Insurance, celebrates young Seattle athletes who dream of taking their soccer aspirations to new heights. Through dedication, community support and the Sounders’ Development Pathway, players like Sebastian Gomez turn that pursuit into reality before making their way to the First Team.
"It's always been a dream to play here,” said Gomez. “The city is beautiful, the fans are awesome. There's no better club than this.”
Growing up in northeast Seattle, Gomez and his dad would always go to Sounders matches, noting they were “always a blast.” Little did he know that in a matter of years, he’d be the one on the pitch, wearing the Sounders crest.
His journey began in 2017, when his efforts with local club Seattle Celtic earned him the chance to also train with the Sounders Discovery Program twice a week. After getting to know the coaches and competing with the Sounders’ youth side in a handful of tournaments, he committed to the Academy full time at 14-years-old.
From there, he rose the ranks of the pathway as a member of the U-15 and U-17 Academy teams and Tacoma Defiance before eventually attaining his spot on the First Team in January of 2026.
While many Sounders Academy products in the past found themselves signing a contract as a young teen, Gomez took a more traditional route as the development staff focused on his physical maturity and biological growth.
“I got bio-banded, and I think that really helped me,” said Gomez. “Although I was frustrated in the moment, it helped me develop. I was a smaller player, and they held me back a year, and it [was] really [beneficial] in the long run. I think that was really important, and then prepared me just for the next level for MLS Next Pro, and now here.”
Through that step-by-step process, the midfielder won the 2022 Generation adidas Cup with the U-17’s. He made 23 appearances and scored six goals with the Academy side. He competed with Defiance as an academy player in 2023 and signed with them in 2024, displaying influential moments like his hattrick against Ventura County in 2025 or his 105-minute performance against Spokane Velocity in the U.S. Open Cup that same year.
Gomez doesn’t recall a specific moment where he realized a First Team spot was realistic despite the hefty resume listed above, but it was his mindset that he looks back on as the underlying reason he landed a Homegrown contract.
“Every day, I would come to practice and have [that] dream to play for the [First] Team,” said Gomez. “I think that really just pushed me.”
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This mentality has carried over into his MLS career as he nears the end of his first season with the senior team, with his first start on Aug. 9 being a prime example. In the Sounders’ Leagues Cup match against Querétaro F.C., the midfielder tallied a goal and an assist, ultimately guiding the team to victory over the Liga MX side.
“To do [that] at home, was really big, really big for me,” said Gomez. “In front of all the fans, in front of my family, I was so grateful for that. And yeah, it felt amazing to do it.”
While still early on in his professional career, the Seattle local has already made significant strides in year one with the First Team. He’s been able to hone in on that “Next-man Up” mantra, contributing when the team needs him most.
“He knows how to find spaces that the opponent leaves vacated. He has a nose for goals. When he receives a ball, his first intuition is to attack that goal, which is refreshing, and that's something that you want to see from your attacking player,” said Assistant Coach Freddy Juarez. “He's not afraid to risk passes, and that is the hardest thing to teach, in my opinion.
“When we put him in there, he's been able to deliver.”
