The Seattle Sounders defeated Guatemala’s Antigua GFC 3-1 on Wednesday evening at Estadio Pensativo in Guatemala in the first leg of Round One of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup. Paul Arriola, Pedro de la Vega and Albert Rusnák scored for Seattle, while Óscar Santis tallied for the hosts.
The winner of this series will advance to the Round of 16 against Mexico’s Cruz Azul, who defeated Haiti’s Real Hope.
The Sounders offseason acquisition duo of Arriola and Jesús Ferreira wasted no time in making an impact, as the latter set up his former FC Dallas teammate inside three minutes to give the Sounders an early lead. Ferreria deftly dropped a pass into Arriola’s path at the top of the box, and Arriola’s one-timer took a deflection that went up and over a diving Luis Morán.
Antigua equalized in the 24th minute after a barrage off pressure when Santis received a cross in front of goal before calmly depositing his right-footed shot past Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
The Sounders nearly retook the lead in the 56th minute when de la Vega made a marauding run down the left flank to the end line and cut the ball back to the center of the box for Ferreira, but his one-timed, left-footed strike was right at Morán.
Seattle found its ultimate match-winner in the 61st minute when de la Vega unleashed a screamer from outside the box that deflected off the head of Antigua defender Kevin Grijalva and into the top corner.
Antigua almost equalized through Santis again in the 70th minute when his shot from the left side of the box just skipped past an outstretched Frei and wide of the post.
Seattle iced the match and recorded a huge third aggregate road goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Rusnák got on the end of a brilliant counterattack. Obed Vargas sent through Georgi Minoungou in behind, and the Ivorian coolly slotted a ball across the box for Rusnák, who one-timed a shot to the far corner.
Seattle has a very tight turnaround as it heads back home to take on Charlotte FC on Saturday (7:30 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV | TICKETS) in the 2025 MLS season-opener before welcoming Antigua to Lumen Field next Wednesday (7:30 p.m. PT; FS2, ViX | TICKETS) for the second leg of the home-and-home aggregate First Round series.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Hitting the ground running
The connection in Dallas between Ferreira and Arriola took little time to acclimate itself to the Sounders as the two new acquisitions got on the score sheet almost immediately. Ferreira operated in the No. 10 role behind Jordan Morris up top, while Arriola was deployed on the left wing.
de la Vega carries over preseason form
After a head-turning string of preseason matches in Spain and in Seattle, the Sounders’ Young Designated Player opened his 2025 account in style. Seattle is hoping this is a sign of things to come after de la Vega battled injuries last year but has been electric in the attack when healthy.
Monumental road win
Wednesday was the Sounders’ first win on the road against Central American competition since September 2012 when they defeated Honduras side CD Marathón 3-2.
