Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. We’re all sort of in the same boat, isn’t it? We’ve likely put on the better part of a stone’s weight from holiday eating. Liver screaming for help to anyone who will listen, begging to avoid further punishment. Oh…right, football. Sounders FC go on their ultimate Spring Break odyssey to Guatemala, if by ultimate Spring Break odyssey you mean playing football in front of 10,000 people whose 100% justified hostility will probably make our lads eager to return hame to The Evergreen. It’s the start of the 2025 Season. Oh here we go.
What: CONCACAF Champions Cup First Round 1st Leg, Antigua GFC v. Seattle Sounders FC.
Where: Estadio Pensativo, 22 Avienda 5-28 Zona 15, Antigua, Guatemala.
When: 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Wednesday 19 February 2025 CE.
At Stake: Well. What the bloody hell are we talking about here?! It’s the CONCACAF Champions Cup. To have a shot at winning it you have to advance past the First Round, isn’t it.
Where to Watch: Fox Sports 2, ViX+, and the CONCACAF YouTube channel.
Where to Listen: No radio coverage for the United States was listed at press time. If KJR and the El Rey are broadcasting the match, I don’t know anything about it.
Well it’s been a minute, Fam. We haven’t qualified for this tournament since 2022 when we triumphantly hoisted the, then named, CONCACAF Champions League trophy, adorned by ribbons in the colours of the bank that sponsors the tournament rather than the eternal blue and forever green that it should’ve been, after getting the better of Pumas in front of a packed house of over 68,000 fans who made such a racket it tripped the local seismological sensors. Twice.
I think our return to CONCACAF play is long overdue. So brace yourselves rest of CONCACAF. We’re back.
If you’re heading down to Guatemala for the match, stick together, be cool, and be super loud at the ground. Look after one another, and tie your scarves proper. For those of us that remain here, you know the drill. Focus all your psychic energy that’s not required to keep you alive into the lads and their efforts. I’ve looked over their squad, and I know for a fact we can do this. We can get a result at Antigua, return hame and advance to the next round. I feel it in my bones. Let the chips fall where they may.
It’s CONCACAF Champions Cup football, under the lights at the Pensativo. GO ON YOU SOUNDERS!!! GET IN!!!
Before kick-off, please join me in the auld toast: “TO THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS FOOTBALL CLUB…AND VICTORY!!!”
The Good News
Antigua has played only four matches in this tournament in their history. They have yet to win a match (0-2-2), and were eliminated in the Group Stage of the 2016-17 edition.
Sounders have only been defeated by a Guatemalan club once. A 2:0 defeat at Comunicaciones in Guatemala City in 1997.
Total estimated transfer value of the Antigua GFC squad: €4.23M. Total estimated transfer fee of the Sounders FC squad: €51.6M. Although I would generally root for the scrappy underdog in this scenario, because Late-Stage Capitalism isn’t helping the likes of us, Fam. It would appear, on paper, assuming that asset value rules all (it doesn’t) we have the better squad. I’ve just wondered why I wrote this bit. It’s kind of gross. Nevertheless, you know, no stone unturned.
In an effort to shore up the squad, Sounders FC added high-profile signings Jesus Ferreira, and Paul Arriola. We also added Travian Sousa from our Reserve team, Leo Burney from Ballard FC via Sounders FC Academy and Sounders FC Reserves, and re-acquired Korean centre-half Kim Kee-hee. Ferreira and Arriola add a bit of goal scoring and playmaking punch. The rest will provide depth to our defence. In the words of my maternal Grandfather in his old skool Brooklyn accent: “It couldn’t hoit”.
Sounders FC have faced clubs from Central America in the………tournament (they keep changing the bloody name) and have a record of 10-5-8 as tabulated by CONCACAF. Sounders FC have played 50 matches in the CONCACAF Champions Cup/League/Cup and have an all-time record of 21-11-18. That’s a fair amount better than average in my reckoning.
We return our first-choice goalkeeper and back four, who together, ably aided by our holding midfielders, posted the best defensive record in the league last season. Although veteran goalkeeper Stefan Frei is 38 years-old, and doing his best Peter Shilton impression, he appeared to be fit, quick, and spry in pre-season highlight videos. Conclusion: We’re far better than just competent at defending, and when the stars line up correctly, good at turning that defence into a decisive counter-attack.
Sounders played well in pre-season. We didn’t lose a match, and did reasonably well against decent opposition. We could stand to tighten up at the back a bit, but I think that will come with match sharpness, repetition, and getting back to basics in training.
The Bad News
Rusnak had a minor injury which was described as a “tweak in his quadriceps”. The Gaffer has described him as being recovered enough to “have a good chance” at playing in the Wednesday night CONCACAF Champions Cup tie in Guatemala. Let’s hope that Albert remains fit and is fully recovered. Preferably in time to play in this match, but ideally not if he requires more recovery time. I ask myself who will play the #10 role if Rusnak is injured for any length of time. Cristian, Leyva, Arriola, Joao Paulo, Ferreira? Yeh, I don’t know. Maybe we should have thought that through a bit.
Baker-Whiting is out with a hamstring issue. Let’s hope he regains fitness soon, we’re playing in as many as four competitions this season, and we’re going to need him to play. A lot.
Although Kim will add depth at defence, he’s 35 years-old, and thus closer to the end of his career than the beginning. It would have made more sense to have Stuart Hawkins play those minutes and maybe added a true old skool target man centre-forward instead.
Ferreira has seen his goalscoring production decrease over the last three seasons from 18 in 2022, to 12 in 2023, and last season only five goals. Let’s hope he plays a bit more like his old self this season. Counterpoint: Ferreira is also a very good playmaker, so he’s not a one-trick-pony and has versatility and nuance as a part of his game.
The leading scorers for the Sounders FC in this competition are Montero (9 goals), Lodeiro (7), Fucito (5), Evans (4), Neagle (4), Morris (4), and Fernandez (4). Of the aforementioned footballers, only Morris is still with the club.
In addition to the sale of Josh Atencio to Colorado Rapids for €1.24M, Chris Aquino, who scored 10 goals last season for the Sounders Reserves has been sold to FC Juarez of Mexico’s Liga MX. The terms of Aquino’s sale were undisclosed. The overarching theme seems to be that Sounders FC are in the business of selling off young talent who can’t seem to find their way into the Sounders squad or team and instead purchasing players that are at or near the end of their careers. Both Atencio and Aquino are United States youth internationals. I get that Aquino probably wasn’t going to take minutes away from Rusnak, or de la Vega, even if he was offered a senior contract - which he wasn’t to the best of my knowledge. With Atencio though, it’s extremely confusing why he was sold. Atencio is extremely versatile can can play an attacking or holding role in midfield, and can also deputise at centre-half in a pinch. This leaves me wondering if Josh wanted to leave the club, because he was getting stifled playing behind Cristian, Joao Paulo, and Vargas. Atencio in his six years with Sounders FC, playing primarily in the defensive midfield, has made 91 appearances in the league (average of about 15 appearances per year) and was in the team for league matches only 48 times (average of 8 selections per year) If it’s going to be Cristian and Vargas getting most of the minutes at the #6 and #8, their cover is going to be Joao Paulo and with Atencio gone, Danny Leyva. Leyva has made 66 appearances in the league for Sounders FC over his six years with the senior team. That’s an average of 11 appearances a season. Guess how many times Leyva was in the team at kick-off in the league? 27 times. That’s an average of 4.5 times a year that Leyva was selected in the team for league matches. Leyva went out on loan at Colorado Rapids in 2023 and made 16 appearances for them, including making it into the team six times. It should also be pointed out that Leyva is also a United States youth international (22 caps and two goals over four different age levels). So in the final analysis, we’ve sold a talented and versatile 23 year-old in Atencio, who was recently on the United States U23 team for the Olympics (the de facto U23 FIFA World Cup), and an 18 year-old in Aquino who scored 10 goals for the reserves last season and is also a United States youth international. We have purchased Kim, a 35 year-old defender, and Arriola, a 30 year-old midfielder. Why can’t young Sounders Academy and Reserves players get in the team at the senior level other than the obvious exception of Obed Vargas? Make it make sense. Why does Sounders FC excel at pissing away young talent, either allowing them to waste away on the bench or selling them on to make room for 30-something mercenaries to take their places? It’s not sustainable from a footballing or a business perspective.
The Side I Would Select
With the goal being to win everything, you’ve gotta play your top players in the CONCACAF Champions Cup for sure. Apparently de la Vega has been playing at lot at the #10 during pre-season. I guess we’ll see.
GK Frei
RB Nouhou
RCH Ragen
LCH Gomez Andrade
LB Alex
LDM Vargas
RDM Cristian
LF Morris
CAM de la Vega
RF Arriola
CF Ferreira
The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select
Rusnak trained in full recently, and the Gaffer said in his presser that Albert is making the trip to Guatemala. I doubt he’d travel for an international club match, and then sit the bench. Although you never know with Schmetzer, who may use Rusnak as a substitute or have him in the team and then substitute him with the match under control, or after reaching a minutes cap if one has been set by the club’s medical staff. Too many questions, and as always, no firm and concrete answers.
GK Frei
RB Nouhou
RCH Ragen
LCH Gomez Andrade
LB Alex
LDM Vargas
RDM Cristian
LF Morris
CAM Rusnak
RF Arriola
CF Ferreira
Intangibles
Altitude. Antigua, Guatemala has an elevation of 5069 feet. That’s almost as high as Colorado Rapids’ Victory Way ground (5164 feet), and significantly higher than Salt Lake’s State Street ground (4450 feet). There are two strategies to prepare for pro athletics at altitude. One is acclimation over several days. The other is to arrive as close to the match as possible. Schmetzer will definitely choose the second option, as he and his staff (erroneously) think the affects of altitude are psychological. Seriously, Schmetzer actually said that. Out loud.
Refereeing. In matches that feature American clubs playing away matches in Central America the officiating is sometimes heavily biased in the favour of the hosts. So we’ll see how that sorts out, and whether or not we get a fair shake.
Politics. America has been interfering with governments in Central America for a very, very long time. And “interfering with governments” is the most charitable way to state it considering that what actually happened was regime changes and sometimes getting mercenaries to murder, disappear, or smear political opposition and anyone who would get in the way of American corporate profits. As a result, we are hated. This of course extends to sport. I wouldn’t expect a warm welcome at the Estadio Pensativo. I hope I’m wrong about that. The warm welcome I mean. The rest is a matter of public record.
Form. Sounders have had 6½ pre-season matches against Puskas Akademia (Hungary), Aalborg BK (Denmark), IFK Norrkoping and Hammarby IF (Sweden). The training match against Aalborg BK consisted of three 45 minute periods. Sounders then returned home for two matches against Louisville City FC of the USL Championship. Sounders finished with a pre-season record of 4-2-0. In stark contrast, Antigua GFC are already 8 matches into the Liga Nacional’s Torneo Clausura, with a record of 5-1-2, and definitely will have the edge in match sharpness.
General notes on personnel
Antigua GFC transfers IN:
Apaolaza (Carabobo FC) free
Flores (Metropolitanos) free
Diego Santis (Suchitepequez) free
Lang (Coatepeque) free
Prillwitz (Guastatoya) free
Rosales (CSD Municipal)
Oscar Santis (Dinamo Tbilisi) free
Sican (CD Marquense) free
Diaz (San Benito FC) free
Espinoza (Zacapa) undisclosed
Gomez (Pereira) loan
Franco (Oaxaca) end of loan
Ramirez (Achuapa) end of loan
Mora (Quiche) end of loan
Antigua GFC transfers OUT:
Linares (CSD Municipal) free
Gamboa (UMECIT FC) free
Alas (Guastatoya) free
Grajeda (Communicaciones) free
Mora (Juventude Copalera) free
Williams (Hapoel Raanana) loan
Macareno (Real Esteli FC) loan
Paz (Malacateco) loan
Trigueros (Xinabajul) loan
Caicedo - released
Gomez (Pereira) end of loan
Comparison against common opponents
n/a
Know Thine Enemy
Antigua GFC as they lined up in their 6:0 victory over Xinabajul at the Estadio Pensativo on 12 February.
GOALKEEPER
Estuardo Sican, 29
Guatemala
Notable Clubs: Xinabajul (22/0), Municipal (2/0), Marquense (9/0), Antigua GFC (1/0)
Estimated Transfer Value: €75,000
Notes: Full name: Estuardo Santiago Sican Avila.
DEFENCE
Angel Diaz, 25
Argentina
Notable Clubs: Coban Imperial (24/0), Antigua GFC (17/0)
Estimated Transfer Value: €175,000
Notes: Full name: Angel Santiago Diaz.
Kevin Grijalva, 30
Guatemala
Notable Clubs: Comunicaciones (31/1), Antigua GFC (59/0)
Estimated Transfer Value: €150,000
Notes: Full name: Kevin Josue Grijalva Gonzalez. Won seven Guatamalan league titles, and a CONCACAF League title with Comunicaciones.
Alexander Robinson, 36
Costa Rica
Notable Clubs: Saprissa (161/13), Juventude (8/0), Antigua GFC (33/1), Grecia (14/0), Comunicaciones (29/0)
Estimated Transfer Value: €50,000
Notes: Full name: Alexander Robinson Delgado. Developed by Saprissa. Won five Costa Rican league titles with Saprissa. Won a Guatemalan league title with Antigua GFC. Won a CONCACAF League with Comunicaciones.
Jose Galvez, 25
Guatemala
Notable Clubs: Antigua GFC (97/4), Iztapa (11/0)
Estimated Transfer Value: €200,000
Notes: Full name: Jose Miguel Galvez Ruiz. Won two Guatemalan league titles with Antigua GFC.
MIDFIELD
Diego Fernandez, 19
Guatemala
Notable Clubs: Antigua GFC (19/4)
Estimated Transfer Value: Not listed
Notes: Diego Andre Fernandez Chinchilla.
Jose Rosales, 31
Guatemala (6/1)
Notable Clubs: Malacateco (29/0), Xelaju (12/0), Deportivo Petapa (19/1), Municipal (179/1), Xinabajul (14/0), Guastatoya (15/1), Antigua GFC (6/1)
Estimated Transfer Value: €125,000
Notes: Full name: Jose Mario Rosales Marroquin. Won a Guatemalan league title with Municipal.
Selvin Sagastume, 17
Guatemala
Notable Clubs: Nueva Concepcion (6/0), Antigua GFC (10/2)
Estimated Transfer Value: €100,000
Notes: Full name: Selvin Saul Sagastume Morales. Developed by Nueva Concepcion. Has played for Guatemala (9/3) at youth levels.
Cristian Hernandez, 29
Argentina
Notable Clubs: Sanarate (34/8), Comunicaciones (35/4), Perez Zeledon (9/0), Iztapa (59/18), Antigua GFC (109/24)
Estimated Transfer Value: €225,000
Notes: Full name: Cristian Alexis Hernandez.
FORWARD
Oscar Santis, 25
Guatemala (38/11)
Notable Clubs: Suchitepequez (23/0), Comunicaciones (109/28), Antigua GFC (35/10), Dinamo Tbilisi (29/3)
Estimated Transfer Value: €100,000
Notes: Full name: Oscar Alexander Santis Cayax. Developed by Suchitepequez. Won a CONCACAF League and a Guatemalan league title with Comunicaciones. Won a Georgian Super Cup and Georgian Cup with Dinamo Tbilisi. Named CONCACAF League Best Young Player 2021.
Dewinder Bradley, 30
Guatemala (2/0)
Notable Clubs: Comunicaciones (19/1), Nueva Concepcion (21/9), Antigua GFC (102/34)
Estimated Transfer Value: €200,000
Notes: Full name: Dewinder Deesmith Bradley Jolon. Won a Guatemalan league title with Comunicaciones.
Familiar Faces
None.
Squads
Antigua GFC from:
Moran, Sican, Cabrera, Grijalva, Juan Guillermo Carbonell, Ardon, Diaz, Diego Santis, Castellanos, Robinson, Juan Fernando Carbonell, Galvez, Rosales, Vasquez, Oscar Santis, Espinoza, Fernandez, de Leon, Sagastume, Lang, Franco, Hernandez, Apaolaza, Bradley, Guerra, Prillwitz, Flores, Romario Luiz, Avila.
Sounders FC from:
Frei, Thomas, Baker, Bell, Burney, Gomez Andrade, Hawkins, Kim, Nouhou, Ragen, Alex, Sousa, Joao Paulo, Leyva, Cristian, Rusnak, Vargas, Arriola, de la Vega, Ferreira, Morris, Minoungou, Musovski, Rothrock.
Note: Injury and squad information for Sounders FC is based solely on the Gaffer’s Tuesday presser, there is no ability to cross-reference or confirm as there is no media support from the club or MLS for non-league matches. CONCACAF released match notes, but it mostly contains talking points for commentators and studio presenters. As for Antigua GFC there is no information that I could find, so I really have no idea what their injury situation is.
Injury List
Antigua GFC -
OUT: none (as far as I know).
MATCHDAY DECISION: none (as far as I know).
Sounders FC -
OUT: Baker-Whiting (hamstring).
MATCHDAY DECISION: Rusnak (quadriceps).
Discipline
First match in the tournament, so the disciplinary slate is clean for all players.
Fun Fact
Sounders FC Reserves saw a burst of transfer activity towards the end of January, signing five players to MLS Next Pro contracts. Goalkeeper Mohammed Shour (Sounders FC Academy), defender Birame Diaw (Standard Liege), and midfielders Omar Hassan (Sounders FC Academy), Rafferty Pedder (Queens Park Rangers), and Danny Robles (re-signed). Welcome back, Danny, and a warm welcome to our new signings. Make us proud, lads.
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