The Seattle Sounders continue the club’s chase for history on Wednesday, when an all-MLS Concacaf Champions League Semifinals series kicks off against New York City FC (7:00 p.m. PT; FS1, TUDN, 1090 KJR AM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS) at Lumen Field.
For Seattle, the hope will be the blueprint remains much the same as the club’s quarterfinals series against Liga MX side Club León, which saw the Sounders shoot out to a 3-0 lead after Leg One thanks to a comprehensive performance at Lumen. The multi-goal lead combined with the clean sheet created a lofty hill for León in the second leg at Estadio Azteca, with the Sounders ultimately pulling out a 1-1 draw that punched their semifinals ticket.
“Hopefully the stadium’s going to be really full, loud, energetic,” Sounders Head Coach Brian Schmetzer told reporters after training at Starfire Sports Complex on Monday. “It will help the team, it always boosts the team. So a good performance in front a big crowd, that’s what we’ll be looking for. “
To advance to the club’s first-ever CCL final, Seattle will have to top an NYCFC side that is among the most formidable in Major League Soccer.
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The Cityzens have plenty of star power and big-game experience and have the distinction of being the reigning MLS Cup champions, which they won for the first time in club history with a penalty-kick victory over Seattle’s Cascadia rival Portland Timbers in last year’s final.
While it pits the Sounders against another MLS club, it’s also one they haven’t played in a while, with lengthy East Coast trips occurring less frequently over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. With that in mind, it’s a relatively unfamiliar foe that requires similar scouting and preparation to the CCL opponents Seattle have faced from outside the league.
“We’ll take it very seriously,” Schmetzer said of the upcoming matchup. “We’ve already been scouting them for the last 10 days. Now we just have to get all the information to the players through film, on the field, all of that because it’s not a known opponent.”
The gravity of the opportunity against NYCFC in the CCL Semifinals is not lost on the players. Whether in Leagues Cup or MLS Cup finals, this roster has ample experience in knockout competitions with trophies on the line. According to midfielder Cristian Roldan, who helped the team win championships in 2016 and 2019, the squad is embracing the pressure of Wednesday night’s game.
“I think within the group, this is one of our most decorated games, one of the biggest games of our careers,” he said. “That’s the way I look at it, personally. No one in MLS history has ever won the tournament, so I take it pretty heavy, and I want to be the first to win it.”
