The Seattle Sounders won the battle but lost the war, and as a result, are not eligible for the Concacaf Champions Cup. Playing their first home game in over 57 days, the Sounders started slowly but managed a 3-1 win over Liga MX side Tigres UANL. Battle won, war lost due to an aggregate score of 3-3 and a lack of scoring an away goal. When the two sides met in Leg One at Estadio Universitario in Monterrey, seven days to the day, the Sounders were on the losing end of a 2-0 scoreline. To advance, the Sounders needed to win by a two-goal margin.
SLOW START
Head coach Brian Schmetzer made one lineup change from last week’s match with Tigres. Jesus Ferreira replaced Pau Arriola on the right wing
While both players bring speed to the flank, Ferreira plays more of an inside attacker and ball distributor. Surprisingly, many were the Sounders’ slow start. Rather than attack Tigres and force the issue, the Sounders looked like they were waiting for something to happen. The high press lacked conviction and determination to win the ball and counter. The game changed in the 11th minute when Cristian Roldan fed a wall pass to Jordan Morris, who knocked it to Albert Rusnack for the 1-0 lead.
For some unexplainable reason, the Sounders went back to their lethargic ways after the goal. While they passed the ball around the pitch, their play lacked clinical finishing. The Sounders missed two golden opportunities to break the game wide open and paid dearly for the miscues. In the 19th minute, Jackson Ragen’s corner kick header went wide right, and Paul Rothrock was unable to get a foot on Kalan Kossa-Reinzi’s cross from the right side to the left side in the 25th minute.
TIGRES GETS ONE BACK
The visitors found their way into the game, and five minutes after Rothrock’s miscue, Tigres sucked all the air out of the stadium with an exquisite header by defender Joaquim. It was the second consecutive game in which the Sounders had given up a corner kick goal. With the game tied at 1-1 and the aggregate score back up to a three-goal deficit, the Sounders looked bewildered and searching for answers. The answers never came, and the first half ended deadlocked at 1-1
HALF TIME CONVICTION
Aware of his team’s need to score goals early and often, Schmetzer inserted striker Danny Musovski for midfielder Synder Brunell. The switch worked to perfection. Three minutes into the second half, Musovski restored the Sounders’ lead.
Unlike the first half, the Sounders went after Tigres after scoring the second goal. Rothrock continued his space-creating runs on the flank. Rusnak slid into the midfield, which gave Morris and Musoviski more room to run at the Tigres defenders. Lacking in the Sounders’ attack was the final pass in the box to create that big chance. Tigres nearly sealed the Sounders’ fate in the 63rd minute, were it not for a show-stopping save by Stefan Frei. Frei was able to tip Tigres midfielder Rodrigo Aguirre’s left-footed shot over the center of the goal.
IMAGES BY FRANCINE SCOTT
LATE GOAL NOT ENOUGH
The save spurred the Sounders to continue their attack. Ariola replaced Kalani Kossa-Rienzi in the 71st minute to bring more speed to the pitch. With time ticking away, the Sounders threw caution to the wind and went for broke. Fortune favored the brave when Rusnack scored his second goal of the game in the 82nd minute. The right-footed blast gave the Sounders the 3-1 lead in the game and tied the aggregate score at 3-3. Despite their late-game efforts, the Sounders were unable to find the aggregate tie-breaking goal and as a result, the Sounders were eliminated from the Champions Cup.
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GAME NOTES
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