Sounders provide fireworks, beating Pumas 3-0 to win CCL Final in front of sellout crowd
This is why Seattle brought Raul Ruidiaz to town in 2018. For all the qualities soccer teams value in their players, one quality trumps all: the ability to score goals. Time and time again, Ruidiaz finds the back of the net for the Sounders.
Twice, he found the back of the net in Seattle’s Concacaf Champions League Final against Mexican side Pumas UNAM. Twice, he sent the sellout crowd — the largest crowd in CCL tournament history — into a frenzy. Twice, he showed why he’s one of the most dangerous goal scorers in North America.
“Raul is a killer,” Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said postgame.
The first Ruidiaz goal came just before halftime, on a ball crossed into the box. Xavier Arreaga held the defender off his back and flicked a pass to an unmarked Ruidiaz, who fired a shot toward goal. It took a deflection off a defender and bounced into the back of the net.
The second came in the 80th minute on a perfect team goal, Jordan Morris streaking down the sideline, passing to Nicolas Lodeiro who redirected the ball to a waiting Ruidiaz. He made no mistake, burying the effort. Lodeiro added a third goal for good measure to erase any doubt, following up a Jordan Morris shot attempt that bounced off the post.
It sealed a 3-0 win and the Concacaf Champions League title for Seattle, which made history, becoming the first MLS team to win the tournament in its current format. Seattle played to a draw in the first leg in Mexico City a week earlier, giving Seattle a final 5-2 advantage on aggregate scoring. Both Jordan Morris and Christian Roldan — franchise cornerstones and U.S. Men’s National Team players — said this trophy ranked at the top for them, even perhaps topping the 2019 MLS Cup win at home.
“This is the best one for me,” Roldan said. “Making history, right? Something that the MLS has tried and tried again to do, and being able to be the first MLS side to win a trophy makes it all that more special.”
Morris couldn’t help but agree with his longtime teammate and friend.
“I think it’s at the top, as well,” he said. “To be the first MLS team to win this tournament is incredibly special. I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet, the magnitude of this moment. We have an amazing team here and an amazing culture at this club. I’m grateful for this.”
Seattle had to weather a storm in the first half after a pair of key players left the game with injuries. Left back Nouhou Tolo was subbed out in the 11th minute with a right quad injury and midfielder Joao Paulo was subbed out in the 29th minute with a right knee injury, putting Kelyn Rowe and Obed Vargas into action early.
“Look, you have to credit Kelyn, he’s an experienced guy,” Schmetzer said. “That was not an issue. He played left back for me a couple of times. That one’s an easy storyline because he wanted to come back to Seattle, finish his career here. He wouldn’t tell you, but he told me he was fighting a little bit of an injury. He was a little bit 50/50 on whether he’d be able to actually play. He gutted it out because he wanted to participate in the game.”
And the 16-year-old Vargas? Schmetzer felt comfortable playing him in front of the raucous crowd, too, despite his youth.
“The kid has played some big games for us,” Schmetzer said. “He stepped in and performed — I mean you guys tell me. The kid played pretty damn well. Happy to have a good, deep squad. That’s what is required to win a tournament like this and to compete in MLS.”
Seattle seemed out of sorts midway through the first half after the injuries, but kept Pumas off the scoresheet before re-discovering a rhythm and breaking through with the Ruidiaz goal just before half.
The second goal was the best, a true team goal built from the back. It all started with Albert Rusnak keeping possession, beating a couple Pumas defenders and finding an outlet pass.
“He had three guys around him, stopped, turned, connected with Christian, then Alex who then laid to Jordan,” Schmetzer said. “Albert’s composure in that moment is exactly what we needed. Pumas came out in that second half, when it was 1-0, and they were on top of us. We couldn’t get a hold of the ball. How are we going to get that little bit of composure that we need and Albert delivered in that moment. So credit to him for starting that sequence for that second goal.”
Alex Roldan played a through ball to Morris, streaking behind the Pumas defense. Morris could have opted to attempt a shot, but instead passed it back to Lodeiro, who redirected it to Ruidiaz, who finished the shot with his usual calm demeanor.
Once Seattle went up 3-0, Schmetzer subbed out his dynamic attacking trio, allowing Ruidiaz, Lodeiro and Morris a chance for a special ovation from the fans.
“Hearing the roar of the crowd was amazing,” Morris said. “We have the best fans in the league, so to have 68,000 out there was unbelievable.”
The attendance: 68,741, the largest ever for a CCL match. Seattle now owns every available trophy to the club: MLS Cup, the CCL, the U.S. Open Cup and the Supporter’s Shield.
This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 8:59 PM.
