Later this month, the Seattle Sounders will take the pitch for the first time in the newly revamped Leagues Cup against Real Salt Lake (July 22) on the road and C.F. Monterrey (July 30) at home.
While the Sounders enjoyed a run to the Leagues Cup Final in 2021, this year’s edition of the tournament is an entirely different beast. The regular season will pause for a month while every MLS and Liga MX team competes in a World Cup-style competition, with an action-packed group stage followed by high-stakes knockout rounds.
“It’s something new, it's going to be an exciting competition against Liga MX teams as well,” said midfielder Albert Rusnák. “But all the MLS teams are involved, so I think it'll be a good thing… It's just another trophy to play for.”
For decades, Liga MX teams dominated fixtures against their MLS counterparts. That all changed in 2022 when the Sounders became the first MLS club to win Concacaf Champions League, defeating Club Léon and Pumas UNAM during their historic run.
Add in Seattle’s impressive results like the 1-0 road victory over C.F. Monterrey in the 2011 CCL and a two-legged 3-1 aggregate victory over Tigres UANL the following year, and the Sounders now have another opportunity to make history against teams that have typically reigned supreme in the region.
“I would like for us to treat it with respect because in my experience playing against teams from Mexico, it's always been a dogfight” said goalkeeper Stefan Frei. “It's always been a good battle, good soccer battle, football battle and I hope that doesn’t change.”
If the Sounders advance past the group stage, they could square off against Liga MX powerhouses like Club Léon or Tigres.
For Homegrown Player Obed Vargas, competing in his first Leagues Cup carries additional importance. Growing up in Alaska, Vargas was an avid fan of Liga MX. Now an important contributor to the First Team at just 17 years old, he has an opportunity to prove himself against some of his childhood heroes.
“I think it’s a very important tournament,” said Vargas. “Every single time we face Liga MX opponents and even MLS opponents, we always want to win, we want to win every time we play. So super, super important. Super excited. I grew up watching those teams play and now I get to play against them.”
You can get tickets to Sounders FC’s Leagues Cup match against CF Monterrey HERE.
