The Seattle Sounders and Liga MX side Pumas UNAM faced off in the Leagues Cup Round of 16 on Monday night, sparking a rematch of the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League final. Surely, Pumas would be intent on enacting revenge after they were trounced 5-2 across the two-legged final. Coming into this fixture, Seattle defeated the LA Galaxy 3-1, while Pumas defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps by a score of 2-0. The excitement at Lumen Field was palpable. These two teams have short, but meaningful history so Monday’s game had all the makings of an intense, yet entertaining matchup.
For the early part of the first half, Pumas did an excellent job pressing the Sounders, who were just unable to get out of their own end with sustained possession of the ball. It appeared like wherever and whenever Pumas wanted to take the ball, they could.
In the 25th minute, Pumas seemed to have taken the lead. Midfielder Piedro Quispe tapped the ball in after a clinical sequence by Pumas. The tally seemed quite fair at that moment, given that Pumas was creating solid chances for themselves thanks to the press. The goal, however, did not stand as it was ruled offside.
The match took a positive turn for the Sounders in the 32nd minute when Paul Rothrock scored a towering header from the center of the box, which went off the post and into the back of the net. The goal was assisted by Albert Rusnák, who continues to be an assist machine for Seattle. Rusnák now has 13 assists across all competitions so far in 2024.
“[Albert] put in a really good ball. Then, [I] was just trying to focus on keeping it down and keeping that technique,” Rothrock said after the game.
In the second half, Pumas again began dominating the possession of the ball. Throughout the game, the team had 59% of the possession. This, however, did not stop the Sounders from continuing to grow their lead.
Jordan Morris scored a fantastic goal in the 58th minute. The forward had a wonderful first touch off his chest, thanks to a headed pass from Rusnák, and then slotted the ball home with a delicious finish.
The Sounders extended their lead in the 71st minute as Rusnák converted a penalty. With a goal and two assists on the night, the Slovak had himself a dominant and masterful game.
“I am really happy for Albert. He has obviously been doing incredible and makes everyone around him better, which is the sign of a really good player,” Morris said.
Things did not stop there for Seattle. In the 92nd minute, Morris made a great run in behind, and as he was about to take a shot, Pumas captain Lisandro Magallan fouled him inside the box. Magallan was given his second yellow and subsequent red card for the offense. Morris took the ball and buried the penalty shot — his first as a Sounder — giving the Sounders a resounding 4-0 victory and a ticket to the Leagues Cup quarterfinal round.
“When Pumas was on top of us…and things were going their way, we shifted that momentum,” Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said. “We brought it back to ourselves and that’s what I am most proud of…that was a statement by that group that you know what, we are going to do good things this year.”
The Sounders faced adversity at the beginning of the game. Pumas was all over them, suffocating any attack that the Sounders could muster. Yet, the team found a way to push through and win the game. Such resilience is what, not only will help in Leagues Cup, but also help as the team looks to accomplish great things in MLS play.
“There are certain people that might be shocked about this result. I am not… I think the club has performed very well,” Schmetzer said.“This is a group that can win more games…let’s see how the season ends.”
This confidence by Schmetzer, along with the confidence of his players, has been building in the last few matches, which is exactly what a team needs as it heads into the homestretch of the season.
Seattle now awaits the winner between LAFC and the San Jose Earthquakes. The Sounders will host the winner on Saturday, August 17th at Lumen Field.
Feature image by Earving Marquez / Area Sports Network
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