The Seattle Sounders were kicked, pushed and finally knocked out of the 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions tournament by a determined Chivas Guadalajara side that scored three second-half goals to bag a 3-0 home win at Estadio Akron.
The win by Chivas erased the Sounders one-goal advantage courtesy of the Rave Greens 1-0 win home win in game one of the two-legged Quarterfinal match. The Liga MX side set the tone of the game early with its physical aggressive play. While neither team backed down in the backyard brawl the physicality of the game impacted the visitors more than the home side.
Sounder forward Will Bruin received a blow to the head and was subbed off for Lamar Neagle. Losing a physical hold up forward like Bruin dramatically altered Seattle’s attack. Without Bruin, the Sounders were unable to get the ball inside the box and have players run off the ball. The Sounders were without the services of Nicolas Lodeiro who missed the game due to an ankle injury.
The injury situation hit crisis mode in the 35 minute when Sounder Center back Chad Marshall headed for the sidelines after suffering an eye injury and as newly acquired South Korean international defender Kim Kee-hee saw his first game action for the Rave Green.
After a scoreless first half in which the Sounders chased the game due to the soggy pitch and injuries, it was just a matter of time before the home side took the lead and level the aggregate score. Chivas defender Oswaldo Alanis hit a howitzer of a free kick that found the back of the Sounders net in the 50th minute.
The home side earned the go-ahead goal just five minutes later, as midfielder Javier López chipped Sounders FC goalkeeper Stefan Frei, who was forced to come off his line due to a developing Chivas counterattack. Jose de Jesus Godinez made it three zero in the 80th with a nifty backheel inside the Seattle goalmouth.
This was the fourth time the Sounders have made it to the Quarterfinal Round.Seattle’s record in Champions League plays moves to 16-15-5 all-time, including a 1-5-1 road mark in Mexico. Seattle has only once advanced to the Semifinal Round of the tournament, during the 2012-2013 campaign.
The Rave Green now turn their attention to MLS action this coming weekend, as the club heads north of the border for a clash with FC Dallas on Sunday, March 18 (2:00 p.m. PT / JOEtv, Univision-Seattle, YouTube TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM).
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