Men's Soccer: Sounders Trying to Avoid Early Champions Cup Exit

4/14/26

(Seattle, WA) The Sounders got a first round bye in the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup. They took care of Vancouver in the round of 16 with a 5-1 aggregate win. A duo of Pauls’ led the way with Arriola getting a brace in leg one and Rothrock scoring in both matches. Danny Musovski also scored against the Whitecaps.

Quarterfinals First Leg in Mexico on 4/9

Tigres 2 Sounders 0

The first leg of the quarterfinals against Tigres didn’t have that same spark. Los Auriazules came out of the gates hot, firing a shot on frame less than a minute into the match. The Sounders were able to settle things down and played a consistent first half. Just before halftime Nouhou got called for a take down in the box and Tigres had a chance to take the lead. Angel Correa stepped up and sailed the penalty shot over the cross bar for the 0-0 halftime score.

Tigres kept up the pressure and it paid off in the 51st minute on a goal by Ozziel Herrera. It looked like the Sounders were going to get the answer in the 63rd on a close range shot by Paul Rothrock but a spectacular save by Nahuel Guzmán shut them down. The final goal of the match came on an own goal by Jackson Ragen in the 76th minute for a 2-0 Sounders deficit going into the second leg. The Sounders have to find a way to slow down Tigres who took 22 shots to Seattle’s 4. Los Auriazules controlled the match 57% of the possession.

The Second leg of the Quarterfinals is on 4/15 in Seattle. The Sounders were in a very similar situation against Tigres back in 2013. They trailed after the first leg 1-0 but got a 3-1 win at home to become the first MLS team to beat a Mexican opponent in the Champions Cup. Seattle hopes there is still enough magic left in the Emerald City for another comeback win.