By Staff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Kim Kee-hee, a Sounders veteran defender, is returning to Seattle. The Sounders announced Tuesday in a press release that it had reached a deal to sign the 35-year-old South Korean soccer player for the 2025 season, with a team option for 2026.
“I am very happy to welcome Kim back to the club and have him join our current squad,” said Sounders FC Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “He’s a smart, composed defender who understands what it takes to compete at the highest level. Given his familiarity with our team, I expect him to seamlessly fit into our system and elevate the players around him.”
Kim had previously played for the club from 2018-2019, and helped Seattle win the 2019 Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup. In the 2019 MLS Cup game against Toronto, Kim played all 90 minutes.

Seattle Sounders’ Kim Kee-hee celebrates, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, after defeating Toronto FC in the MLS Cup championship soccer match in Seattle. The Sounders won 3-1. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
For the last five seasons, Kim has played for South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea’s K-League 1 from 2020-2024. In that time, he won three consecutive K-League titles from 2022-2024.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Kim Kee-hee back to Seattle,” the Sounders’ general manager and chief soccer officer, Craig Waibel, said. “Signing a player of his caliber adds experience and quality to our squad, on top of invaluable veteran leadership that will be crucial during a busy and demanding season. We look forward to bringing him in to bolster our already talented defensive unit.”
Kim began his professional career in 2011 with South Korean club Daegu Fu, where he played for two seasons, before being loaned to Qatari club Al-Sailiya for the 2012-2013 campaign. He then returned to South Korea, spending three seasons with the Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors club of K-League 1. From 2015-2018, Kim played for Shanghai Shenua of the Chinese Super League.
Kim won two K-League titles in 2014 and 2015, and helped to lead Shanghai Shenua to the Chinese FA Cup title in 2017.
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