For the first time in 2022, the Seattle Sounders rolled out their preferred front six, a sextet that is arguably the best Major League Soccer has to offer. And in what Cristian Roldan called earlier this week, “one of the biggest games of our careers,” they came up huge, helping lead Seattle to a 3-1 home win on Wednesday in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions League Semifinals against New York City FC.
After battling injuries to start the year, Raúl Ruidíaz and Nicolás Lodeiro started together alongside Jordan Morris, Cristian Roldan, João Paulo and Albert Rusnák, MLS’ biggest free agency addition this past offseason who opened his account in style. Morris then added another on a beautiful one-timed strike before Lodeiro capped the performance with a converted penalty.
“We haven’t had our full complement of players so far this year,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “You’re just starting to see the tip of the iceberg there when guys are back to full health…To have everybody now in place, I think you’re going to see a little bit how this team is going to build into what they are.”
Rather than sit back and absorb pressure to then release on counters, where they’ve been so devastatingly effective to start the year, the Sounders took it to NYCFC, a team that loves being on the ball as much as anyone in MLS. Seattle had seven corners to NYC’s zero, kept 55% possession and turned that into an Expected Goals advantage of 2.83-0.99.
“Whenever we’re at home, we want to be on the front foot, so we set that as a point to put them under pressure and press them high and we felt like we could create opportunities off of winning the ball and pressing and transitioning quickly,” said Morris.
The Sounders have now outscored their opponents 11-1 at home over three Concacaf Champions League matches and are in a strong position to advance to the club’s first CCL final. They head east next Wednesday (6 p.m. PT; FS1, TUDN, El Rey 1360AM) for Leg Two at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.
Seattle is loaded with veterans and has the experience to go on the road in a massive return leg and get the job done, and the team knows the series is far from over.
"Every one of us gave our all today,” said Rusnák. “There wasn't a player that didn't have a great performance. That's what it takes in these kinds of games.”
Said Schmetzer: “They’ve got an away goal, so that helps them a little bit in the chess match. But we’re not going to be afraid to go to Red Bull Arena and try and win.
“What I told them in the locker room is that we are not finished yet. It’s not over against New York City FC…We have to still earn every opportunity we have to even get to a final.”
The Sounders have a decorated resume in MLS, capturing two MLS Cups, a Supporters’ Shield and four U.S. Open Cups since joining the league in 2009. One thing that has eluded them, and MLS as a whole, has been continental glory. Four previous MLS teams have made the CCL final and lost, and with a fifth team guaranteed this season, the occasion is not one being overlooked.
“We know it's a game-by-game thing, so we're not getting ahead of ourselves too much,” said Morris. “Our only focus now is on the next game next Wednesday and what we can do to win that and move onto the final. We'd love to be the first team to win the [Concacaf] championship.”
