Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Time for a trip to the rarefied air of Mexico City, as we have unfinished business with Cruz Azul in the Champions Cup.
What: CONCACAF Champions Cup, Round of 16 2nd Leg, Cruz Azul v. Seattle Sounders FC.
Where: Estadio Olimpico Universitario, Coyoacan, Ciudad de Mexico.
When: 5:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Tuesday 11 March 2025 CE.
At Stake: The winner of this cup-tie will advance to the CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarter-Finals and face either Club America or CD Guadalajara, also known as the Chivas. So…you know…high stakes indeed.
Where to Watch: Sounders website says match available on FS1 and ViX. ViX requires a subscription. I’m fairly certain that the FA of the home team in international matches has the right to determine who gets access to broadcast/stream the match. Personally, I’ll be looking to see if the CONCACAF YouTube channel has the stream. I often find it useful to use this website to find out where to watch the football.
Where to Listen: If there’s local radio covering this match, I don’t know anything about it, and the Sounders website mentions nothing about it.
There’s not much to say about this one. Well, actually there’s a tonne to say, but that would be a chapter in a very long book. Suffice it to say that advancement in this tournament depends on a result in Mexico City on Tuesday night. A midweek fixture played at the stadium of UNAM Pumas. We’ve gotten a draw there once before, so hope springs Eternal Blue Forever Green. Not gonna lie. This match is going to be incredibly difficult. The opposition is skilful, the altitude is high, and the atmosphere will likely be, and rightfully so, a bit hostile.
The competition format uses the away goals rule. So if Sounders get a 1:1 draw (or any draw provided goals have been scored), we win the tie. If Sounders get a 0:0 draw we get extra-time and, if necessary, a penalty kick tie-breaker. Ah, it’s nice to see the old skool. So much better than the constant format fuckery by MLS, propelled by the mistaken notion that corporate ‘Murica knows how to do it better. Counterpoint: Not thrilled with the UEFA Swiss rounds format either for their club competitions. Honestly. Letting a computer pick the opponents. Wot even is that? But I digress.
Support is vital. If you’re making the trip down to Mexico, stick together, behave yourselves in town, look after each other, and tie your scarves proper. Most of us don’t have the time or the means to make that voyage. We’ll be here in The Evergreen to support the lads, crowded ‘round the telly, faces lit up with its bluish glow, mustering every bit of psychic energy possible to see our Boys in Green through this.
It’s CONCACAF Champions Cup football, under the lights at the Estadio Olimpico Universitario. Don’t miss it. THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE, HIGHLANDER!!! (cue Queen blasting out Princes of the Universe). GO ON YOU SOUNDERS!!! GET IN!!!
Before kick-off, please join me in the auld toast: “TO THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS FOOTBALL CLUB…AND VICTORY!!!”
Last week, we battled Cruz Azul, a club that outspent us 50:1 in the off-season transfer
window, to a stalemate. You know what that result gives me…?
The Good News
We absolutely strafed LAFC last Sat. That’s gotta be worth bags of confidence for the lads.
You might want to sit down for this. I’m actually going to give the Gaffer some credit re: substitutions and selection last Sat. Although he did not rest Ragen and Gomez Andrade as we might have liked him to, the Gaffer showed restraint and for the most part didn’t play first-choice players in the team, with the notable exceptions of de la Vega, Ragen, Gomez Andrade, and Ferreira. True, Rusnak came on as an early substitute, but only because de la Vega had taken a knock and had to come off. Morris and the Roldans came on later, but only after LAFC had inserted Martinez and Bouanga into the match. This was a measured response, and after a bit of jogging it around in my head it made all the sense to put them in the match in that context. It was also good to see that Schmetzer showed enough trust in Musovski, Leyva, Rothrock, Bell, Thomas, and Kossa-Rienzi to select them in the team, not just seeing them as substitutes to make a 10 minute cameo at the end of a match. We can only hope that that trust will be extended to Sousa, Baker, and Baker-Whiting, as we’re going to need everyone playing a heap of minutes so that we don’t break down over our five competitions this season. Has the Gaffer turned a corner when it comes to trusting our youngers in the team? If so, I enthusiastically welcome it.
We were able to hold Cruz Azul, a club with vastly greater resources than our own, to a standstill in the 1st leg last week. All things being equal, it looks like we can hold our own just fine against these.
Sounders defence is generally holding up quite well, averaging 1.33 goals conceded/match in all competitions.
Cruz Azul’s form has dipped a bit, and they’ve only been able to manage a draw for their last three matches. The opponents were: Mazatlan, Sounders FC, and Monterrey.
The Bad News
All things are not equal. Cruz Azul has not yet been defeated (3-3-0 in all competitions) in their temporary home ground. Sounders road form is spotty at best (1-0-1 in all competitions), although to our credit we did win away at Antigua, Guatemala. However, results weren’t forthcoming from our trip to the Salt Lake.
Cruz Azul are conceding an average of less than a goal per match (0.79) in all competitions.
Cruz Azul’s supporters want to beat us, all of Central and South America, rightfully, want to see them beat us, and no matter how hard match officials try to be unbiased, they probably also want to see them beat us. Maybe if the American government kept its sticky fingers out of the region, international relations might be more amicable, potentially promoting a less hostile sporting environment. However, that would require respecting the sovereignty of our neighbours, and Washington (D.C.) seems incapable of manifesting that level of respect. I suppose it wasn’t considered profitable. Typical.
History paints a bleak picture for Sounders FC when playing against Liga MX teams in Mexico. We are currently in a seven-match winless streak (0-3-4) playing against Liga MX teams in Mexico. When closing out a series as the away team in Mexico, we have never won (0-2-3). Of those five series, we were eliminated four times, twice by Santos Laguna, and also by Club America and Guadalajara (Chivas). We did get past Leon in the Quarter-Finals in 2022 though, by getting a 1:1 away draw and advancing on aggregate 4:1 (per CONCACAF match notes).
The Side I Would Select
I don’t think any of Gomez Andrade, Ragen, and Bell should play on Tuesday night. Or rather, they shouldn’t have played on Sat, so they could have been fresh for Tuesday night. If you had to play one of the three, you would imagine Ragen or Bell would best withstand the extra wear. It would be an extraordinarily dopey move to play Gomez Andrade on Tuesday night because he’s 32 years-old, played 90 minutes on Sat, and the away ground is at an elevation of 7,400 feet. Kim might be fit to play now, but as he’s been in zero matches, he’s not match-fit. Technically the same is true for Hawkins; it’s a harsh ask for his first match action this year to be trying to shut down the hardened, veteran forwards that play for Cruz Azul. That said, Hawkins’ youth would be an advantage at altitude, and as a United States youth international, his quality can’t be denied.
GK Frei
LB Nouhou
LCH Ragen
RCH Hawkins
RB Alex
LDM Vargas
RDM Cristian
LF Arriola
CAM Ferreira
RF de la Vega (if he’s fit, if not then Minoungou)
CF Morris
The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select
Depends on the availability of Pedro de la Vega. He was hurt badly enough to come off on Sat, but that may have just been precautionary. The Gaffer played three of our five centre-halves for 90 minutes. This would leave Hawkins and Kim as the choices, but I highly doubt Schmetzer would select either of them, Hawkins because Schmetzer doesn’t trust him to be more than a substitute, and Kim due to fitness reasons…maybe? Expect both Ragen and Gomez Andrade to play, despite playing 90 minutes last Sat. True, we won 5:2 against LAFC and I loved every bit of it, but you have to wonder if playing our veterans in the defence last Saturday may see us eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Tuesday night.
GK Frei
LB Nouhou
LCH Ragen
RCH Gomez Andrade
RB Alex
LDM Vargas
RDM Cristian
LF Arriola
CAM Rusnak
RF de la Vega (if he’s fit, if not then Minoungou)
CF Morris
Intangibles
Altitude + 2 day turn-around.
We don’t train at altitude. There isn’t time before our matches at altitude for proper acclimation.
Economic inequalities.
Sounders off-season transfer spend: €1.45M.
Cruz Azul off-season transfer spend: €50.78M.
Estimated transfer value of entire Sounders FC squad: €51.6M.
Estimated transfer value of entire Cruz Azul squad: €91.55M.
Officiating.
CONCACAF gonna CONCACAF.
General notes on personnel
Cruz Azul transfers IN:
Chiquete (CD Guadalajara) €10.74M
Giakoumakis (Atlanta United FC) €9.33M
Bogusz (Los Angeles FC) €8.5M
Romo (Monterrey) €6.5M
Campos (Los Angeles FC) €3.8M
Montano (Mazatlan FC) €3.72M
Romero (AC Milan) €3.3M
Sanchez (Ajax) €3M
Ochoa (San Jose Earthquakes) €1.9M
Gutierrez (San Luis) free
Garcia (UNAM Pumas) undisclosed
Samano (UNAM Pumas) undsiclosed
Rubio - reserves
Cambindo (Necaxa) end of loan
Escobar (Toluca) end of loan
Lotti (Lanus) end of loan
Jurado (FC Juarez) end of loan
Tabo (UNAM Pumas) end of loan
Cruz Azul transfers OUT:
Antuna (Tigres UANL) €7.21M
Romo (CD Guadalajara) €6.3M
Cambindo (Necaxa) €3.9M
Huescas (FC Copenhagen) €1.85M
Salcedo (FC Juarez) free
Lotti (Platense) free
Tabo (Liverpool FC Montevideo) free
Jurado (FC Juarez) undisclosed
Guerrero (Tigres UANL) undisclosed
Candido (Atletico Nacional) loan
Escobar - released
Levy - reserves
Jimenez (Necaxa) end of loan
Comparison against common opponents
n/a
Know Thine Enemy
Cruz Azul as they lined up in their 1:1 draw with Monterrey at the Estadio Olimpico Universitario on 8 March.
GOALKEEPER
Kevin Mier, 24
Colombia
Notable Clubs: Atletico Nacional (86/0), Valledupar (16/0), Cruz Azul (55/0)
Estimated Transfer Value: €8M
Notes: Full name: Kevin Leonardo Mier Robles. Developed by Oro Negro and Atletico Nacional. Won a league title, two Copa Colombias, and a Columbian Superliga with Atletico Nacional.
DEFENCE
Rodolfo Rotondi, 28
Argentina
Notable Clubs: Newell’s Old Boys (2/0), San Luis (17/4), Santiago Wanderers (28/7), Defensa y Justicia (49/8), Cruz Azul (101/18)
Estimated Transfer Value: €6M
Notes: Developed by Newell’s Old Boys. Won a Recopa Sudamericana with Defensa y Justicia.
Gonzalo Piovi, 30
Argentina
Notable Clubs: Velez Sarsfield (2/0), Argentinos Juniors (35/0), Racing Club (47/7), Gimnasia La Plata (18/0), Defensa y Justicia (8/0), Colon (37/2), Cruz Azul (51/0)
Estimated Transfer Value: €3M
Notes: Developed by Velez Sarsfield. Won an Argentinian second division league title with Argentinos Juniors. Won a Trofeo de Campeones with Racing Club.
Erik Lira, 24
Mexico (5/0)
Notable Clubs: UNAM Pumas (57/0), Cruz Azul (120/1)
Estimated Transfer Value: €7.5M
Notes: Full name: Erik Antonio Lira Mendez. Developed by UNAM Pumas and Necaxa. Won a Supercopa with Cruz Azul. Named to Liga MX Best XI 2021 Apertura.
Willer Ditta, 28
Colombia (2/0)
Notable Clubs: Barranquilla (43/1), Atletico Junior (86/1), Newell’s Old Boys (29/1), Cruz Azul (64/2)
Estimate Transfer Value: €6M
Notes: Full name: Willer Emilio Ditta Perez. Won a Columbian league title and two Colombian Super Cups with Atletico Junior.
Jorge Sanchez, 27
Mexico (47/2)
Notable Clubs: Santos Laguna (32/0), Club America (125/2), Ajax (17/2), Porto (14/0), Cruz Azul (25/1)
Estimated Transfer Value: €2.8M
Notes: Full name: Jorge Eduardo Sanchez Ramos. Developed by Santos Laguna. Won a Liga MX title with Santos Laguna. Won a Liga MX, Copa MX, and Campeon de Campeones with Club America. Won a Taca de Portugal with Porto. Won a CONCACAF Gold Cup with Mexico. Named to CONCACAF Best XI 2021. Named to CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI 2023.
MIDFIELD
Mateusz Bogusz, 23
Poland (2/0)
Notable Clubs: Ruch Chorzow (32/5), Leeds United (1/0), Los Angeles FC (60/18), Cruz Azul (6/1)
Estimated Transfer Value: €10M
Notes: Developed by Gwiazda Ruda Slaska and Ruch Chorzov. Won an EFL Championship with Leeds. Has played for Poland (44/7) at youth levels. Won a US Open Cup with LAFC.
Lorenzo Faravelli, 31
Argentina
Notable Clubs: Newell’s Old Boys (24/1), Union Espanola (30/2), Gimnasia La Plata (84/13), Huracan (8/0), Independiente del Valle (106/18), Cruz Azul (52/10)
Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M
Notes: Developed by Newell’s Old Boys. Won an Argentinian league title with Newell’s Old Boys. Won an Ecuadorian league title and Copa Sudamericana with Independiente del Valle.
Carlos Rodriguez, 28
Mexico (55/0)
Notable Clubs: Monterrey (110/4), Toledo (30/3), Cruz Azul (118/6)
Estimated Transfer Value: €6M
Notes: Full name: Carlos Alberto Rodriguez Gomez. Won a Liga MX title, Copa MX, and two CONCACAF Champions Leagues with Monterrey. Won a Supercopa with Cruz Azul. Won two CONCACAF Gold Cups with Mexico. Named Liga MX Best XI Apertura 2019. Named to CONCACAF Champions League Team of the Tournament 2019.
Ignacio Rivero, 32
Uruguay
Notable Clubs: Central Espanol (68/13), Defensa y Justicia (55/3), Tijuana (80/6), Cruz Azul (175/19)
Estimated Transfer Value: €2M
Notes: Full name: Jose Ignacio Rivero Segade. Won a Liga MX title, Campeon de Campeones, and Supercopa with Cruz Azul.
Angel Sepulveda, 34
Mexico (9/2)
Notable Clubs: Morelia (62/9), Queretaro (171/34), CD Guadalajara (5/0), Necaxa (29/2), Tijuana (19/2), Cruz Azul (63/21)
Estimated Transfer Value: €750,000
Notes: Full name: Angel Baltazar Sepulveda Sanchez. Won a Copa MX with Queretaro.
Familiar Faces
None.
Squads
Cruz Azul from:
Mier, Gudino, Ochoa, Sanchez, Campos, Ditta, Orozco, Rubio, Carlos Vargas, Piovi, Suarez, Esparza, Lira, Bogusz, Faravelli, Montano, Gutierrez, Rivero, Garcia, Rodriguez, Morales, Duran, Velazquez, Sepulveda, Giakoumakis, Romero, Fernandez, Rotondi, Valdivia, Gamboa, Levy.
Note: This is the entirety of the Cruz Azul squad that I can verify. If there are any injuries, I would be the last to know about it.
Sounders FC from:
Frei, Thomas, Baker, Bell, Burney, Gomez Andrade, Hawkins, Kim, Kossa-Rienzi, Nouhou, Ragen, Alex, Sousa, Joao Paulo, Leyva, Cristian, Rusnak, Vargas, Arriola, de la Vega, Ferreira, Morris, Minoungou, Musovski, Rothrock.
Note: I’m not certain if Sounders FC extended Kalani Kossa-Rienzi to another short-term loan or not, so he may or may not be available for selection.
Injury List
(best guess)
Cruz Azul -
OUT: No information.
MATCHDAY DECISION: No information.
Sounders FC -
OUT: Baker-Whiting (hamstring).
MATCHDAY DECISION: none.
Note: Pedro de la Vega’s injury status was not available as of 9 March 7:51 p.m. PDT. He may or may not be available for selection.
Discipline
Cruz Azul: Garcia, Fernandez, and Faravelli out next match if booked.
Sounders FC: Nouhou, Musovski, and Rusnak out next match if booked.
Fun Fact
Last Saturday 8 March, Jordan Morris scored his 87th goal, in all competitions, making him the Sounders FC all-time leading goal scorer, surpassing Raul Ruidiaz’ former record of 86.
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