SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC v. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP - ROUND OF 16 - 2ND LEG - ONE SPOKANE STADIUM, GARDNER AVENUE, SPOKANE, WASHINGTON

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Sounders FC head to Gardner Avenue in Spokane for their home match that isn’t a home match. Yet another thing amongst many in domestic and global affairs that is presented as the thing that it demonstrably isn’t. I guess that Memorial Stadium, Husky round Football Stadium, Husky American Football Stadium, Starfire Sports Complex main football ground, Championship Field, the Mariners baseball ground, and Cheney Stadium were somehow all either unsuitable to CONCACAF organisers, not considered at all, or unavailable for our use. I feel like something a bit closer to home could’ve been sorted out, or the laying of the natural surface at Royal Brougham Park could’ve been seen to before the start of the MLS season, and yet…here we are. Time to face our auld rivals Vancouver Whitecaps in the deciding match of our CONCACAF Champions Cup tie.

What: CONCACAF Champions Cup tie, Seattle Sounders FC v. Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Where: ONE Spokane Stadium, Gardner Avenue, Spokane, Washington.

When: 8:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Wednesday 18 March 2026 CE.

At Stake: Advancement to the CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarter-Finals.

Where to Watch: Fox Sports 2 and TUDN. I think a YouTube stream will also be available, but I’m not certain.

Where to Listen: Although I have no confirmation of this, you would imagine the usual suspects for radio coverage — KJR on either 93.3 FM or their AM frequency of 950 and the El Rey 1360 AM.

Last week at BC Place, we wedged the door open with a comprehensive 0:3 victory over Vancouver in the first leg. Now, the job is to walk through that door, and most importantly, close the door behind us. Firmly. Standing in the way of us doing that are our auld NASL rivals, Vancouver. That lot were quite grumpy that we spoilt their, up ’til then, perfect run in all competitions. So what did the ‘Caps do next? They took out their frustrations on the Loons, banging in six goals in a comprehensive 6:0 victory on Sunday.

Two clubs will line up Wednesday night. Only one will advance. This is the magic of Cup football when it’s done properly.

If you’re making the trip inland, link up with ours, tie your scarves proper, and prepare to be loud. Very loud. Like stupid, your voice won’t be right for 36 hours loud. For those of us who remain at home, it’s pubs and dwellings for stories and tellings, houses and flats for pints and cats, and boats and ships for pie and chips.

It’s Champions Cup football, under the lights in the Lilac Citeh. GO ON YOU SOUNDERS!!! GET IN!!!

Before kick-off, please join me in the auld toast: “TO THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS FOOTBALL CLUB…AND VICTORY!!!”

There’s a reason they call him Paulie Primetime. (photo credit: mynorthwest.com)

The Good News

In matches not played at altitude, the Sounders look nigh unstoppable. Despite six players sidelined with injury, and a manifestly stupid logjam of fixture clutter, we have prevailed over our opposition.

Management seems to be warming up to the idea that our youngers can absolutely be relied upon when needed. This should have been figured out long ago, but better late than never, and hopefully this trend is not just desperation due to injuries.

Paul Rothrock is scoring goals, seemingly at will, having hit three goals in all competitions. Paul Arriola hit a brace against the ‘Caps in the first leg and is looking like his old self again.

The Sounders defence is tied for third-best in MLS, and has kept clean sheets in four out of their five matches this season. This is a very good sign, even though it’s still early days.

Despite clear statistical advantages favouring the ‘Caps, Sounders were able to dish out a 0:3 thumping to Vancouver in the first leg. That statistical gap is widening, in favour of the ‘Caps, but maybe it doesn’t matter.

Alex Roldan has done a nice job at centre-half when called upon. Antino Lopez was impressive at centre-half against the San Jose on Sunday. We need more performances like these until Gomez Andrade regains full fitness.

The Bad News

That 6:0 battering of Minnesota United by the ‘Caps on Sunday shows that they are capable of scoring a tonne of goals. In all competitions, Sounders have scored eight goals in five matches, whilst Vancouver has hit 16 in seven matches. Given that the two teams are stingy in defence, allowing less than a goal per match each, it is concerning that Vancouver has doubled the Sounders goal output.

The ‘Caps will get Cubas and Ocampo back from suspension, which could help bolster their ranks, as we did not have to face either of them in the first leg.

Wednesday’s cup tie will be the Sounders’ fourth match in 11 days. That is a meat-grinder of a schedule. You have to feel that the overpacked schedule would ultimately extract a heavy toll through injuries, although, thankfully, the impact to the squad has been minimal thus far.

The Side I Would Select

Another two-day turn-around. Gotta lean in favour of those who played the least on Sunday. The competitiveness of athletes is unlimited, but the human body has very real limitations.

Rationale:

No help for it re: Nouhou and Ragen. They’re just going to have to play through the fatigue (unless we call up more reinforcements from the Sounders FC Reserves) and hopefully it won’t lead to injury. Reed Baker-Whiting and Jonathan Bell would be dead useful to have in the squad right now, but we sold Reed, and released Bell, so there went that. Alex will probably line up at right-centre-half, where he’s deputised well for the injured Gomez Andrade. I like Gomez in a central midfield role, plus he hasn’t played a single minute this season. Tsukanome can play the #10/withdrawn centre-forward role and also has played zero minutes this season. We need them, as Ferreira (122 minutes over two matches and four days) and Rusnak (122 minutes over two matches and four days) have been overused. We’ve deployed Brunell as a right-forward this season, and he did reasonably well, so it’s a good fit, as we need to select the players least likely to be injured from overuse.

GK     Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Alex

RB     Kossa-Rienzi

LDM   Gomez

RDM   Cristian

LF     Arriola

CAM   Tsukanome

RF     Brunell

CF     De Rosario

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

I give Brian Schmetzer credit for resting a decent-sized chunk of the squad for the San Jose match. He did unravel that concept a bit by playing Rusnak and Ferreira 45 minutes each, which sort of defeated the purpose of resting them. I get that if you need one of Rusnak or Ferreira to get fresh legs on in the San Jose match, but by subbing in both players, he’s sort of overused the top two #10s on the depth chart. This leaves Gomez (5 goals, 6 assists with Sounders FC Reserves last season) and Tsukanome (18 goals, 5 assists, with the Sounders FC Reserves last season), neither of whom have played a single minute this season, as the most likely replacements in this role. Regardless of these facts, I predict this will be the Gaffer’s selection for Wednesday night’s cup tie in Spokane.

GK     Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Alex

RB     Kossa-Rienzi

LDM    Brunell

RDM   Cristian

LF     Arriola

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Ferreira

CF     De Rosario

Intangibles

No idea who the Referee is going to be, because information gatekeeping.

Vancouver didn’t much care for the way we stuck it to them in front of their fans at their ground. They took out their frustrations on Minnesota United on Sunday, to the tune of 6:0. So, you know, they’re a bit riled up like. It is likely to be an incredibly difficult match.

General notes on personnel

Vancouver transfers IN:

Djordjevic - reserves

Gherasimencov - reserves

Larraz (Colorado Rapids) free

Caicedo (Barcelona SC) €1.1M

Jackson (Jagiellonia Bialystok) loan

Sabaly (Metz) €1M

Vancouver transfers OUT:

Anchor (Seattle Sounders FC) free

Chateau (Galway United) free

O’Neill - released

Rios (Guadalajara) end of loan

Nelson (Austin FC) €1M

Ahmed (Norwich City) €2M

Pupe (Sint-Truidense) loan

Bovalina (Orebro) loan

Pierre (FC Tulsa) loan

Comparison against common opponents

VAN 1:0 RSL

RSL 2:1 SEA

Know Thine Enemy

Vancouver as they lined up in their 6:0 demolition of Minnesota United at BC Place on 15 March.

GOALKEEPER

Yohei Takaoka, 30

Japan

Notable Clubs: Yokohama FC (41/0), Sagan Tosu (40/0), Yokohama F. Marinos (71/0), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (104/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3.5M

Notes: Developed by Yokohama FC. Won a J-League title with Yokohama F. Marinos. Named to J-League Best XI 2022. Won 3x Canadian Championships with Vancouver.

DEFENCE

Mihail Gherasimencov, 20

Moldova (3/0)

Notable Clubs: Cavalry FC (24/2), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €150,000

Notes: Developed by Calgary Blizzard SC, Whitecaps FC Alberta Academy Centre, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Played at youth levels for Moldova (9/1).

Ralph Priso-Mbongue, 23

Canada

Notable Clubs: Toronto FC (25/2), Colorado Rapids (32/0), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (46/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €800,000

Notes: Developed by Clairlea-Westview SC, North Toronto Nitros, and Toronto FC. Won a Canadian Championship with Toronto FC. Won 2x Canadian Championship with Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Played for Canada (10/0) at youth levels.

Mathias Laborda, 26

Uruguay

Notable Clubs: Nacional (83/6), Vancouver Whitecaps (81/9)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3.5M

Notes: Developed by Nacional. Won 2x Uruguayan Primera Division and a Supercopa Uruguaya with Nacional. Won 3x Canadian Championships with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Edier Ocampo, 22

Colombia

Notable Clubs: Atletico Nacional (44/3), Fortaleza CEIF (17/0), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (40/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3M

Notes: Full name: Edier Ocampo Vidal. Developed by Sur Oriente and Atletico Nacional. Won a Colombian Cup and Colombian Super Cup with Atletico Nacional. Has played for Colombia at youth levels (25/0). Won a Canadian Championship with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

MIDFIELD

Andres Cubas, 29

Paraguay (32/0)

Notable Clubs: Boca Juniors (28/0), Defensa y Justicia (21/0), Tallares (38/1), Nimes (48/2), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (100/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €4M

Notes: Full name: Adrian Andres Cubas. Developed by Boca Juniors. Won a league title and a Copa Argentina with Boca Juniors. Won 4x Canadian Championships with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Jeevan Badwal, 20

Canada

Notable Clubs: Vancouver Whitecaps FC (29/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €600,000

Notes: Developed by Surrey FC, Pacific United FC, Coastal FC, Supra Academy, B.E.S.T. Academy, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Has played for Canada (16/0) at youth levels.

Sebastian Berhalter, 24

United States (9/1)

Notable Clubs: Columbus Crew SC (9/0), Austin FC (18/0), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (110/10)

Estimated Transfer Value: €5M

Notes: Developed by Hammarby IF and Columbus Crew SC. Played his university football for North Carolina (16/0). Won an MLS Cup with Columbus Crew SC. Won 4x Canadian championships with Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Named to MLS Best XI 2025.

FORWARD

Aziel Jackson, 24

United States (1/0)

Notable Clubs: North Carolina FC (12/1), St. Louis City SC (41/1), Columbus Crew (27/4), Jagiellonia Bialystok (6/0), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (4/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.5M

Notes: Developed by New York RB, Toulouse, and Crossfire FC. Named to MLS Next Pro Best XI 2022. Won a Leagues Cup with Columbus Crew SC.

Brian White, 30

United States (8/1)

Notable Clubs: New York RB (47/15), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (140/67)

Estimated Transfer Value: €5M

Notes: Developed by PDA. Played his university football for Duke (73/23). Won MLS League Championship in 2018 with New York RB. Won 4x Canadian Championships with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Emmanuel Sabbi, 28

United States (1/0)

Notable Clubs: Hobro (69/13), OB (78/16), Le Havre (45/5), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (31/8)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Developed by Ohio Premier, Chicago Magic PSG, and Las Palmas. Won a Canadian Championship with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Familiar Faces

Vancouver midfielder Aziel Jackson played for Crossfire FC. He also trained with the Sounders in 2020.

Squads

(Based on information, from the last league match posted 14 March)

Sounders FC from:

Frei, Thomas, Baker, Kossa-Rienzi, Lopez, Nouhou, Ragen, Alex, Brunell, Cristian, Dotson, Gomez, Kingston, Petkovic, Rusnak, Arriola, De Rosario, Ferreira, Minoungou, Musovski, Rothrock, Tsukanome.

Notes: I’m assuming that Lopez and Kingston are still in the squad. The competition rules state that although short-term loan players may only play in a limited number of MLS league matches, they may play any number of matches in competitions outside of MLS.

Vancouver from:

Takaoka, Boehmer, Zendejas, Laborda, Blackmon, Johnson, Gherasimencov, Djordjevic, Priso, Ngando, Berhalter, Schonlau, Larraz, Badwal, Jackson, MacKenzie, Cubas, Sabaly, Cabrera, Ocampo, Caicedo, Sabbi, Muller, White, Elloumi.

Injury List

(as listed on mlssoccer.com on 14 March)

Sounders FC -

OUT: Gomez Andrade (hamstring), de la Vega (knee), Hawkins (quadriceps), Sailor (knee), Morris (quadriceps), Kim (calf).

MATCHDAY DECISION: Dotson (head).

Vancouver -

OUT: Adekugbe (Achilles), Gauld (knee), Halbouni (knee), Veselinovic (knee).

MATCHDAY DECISION: Blackmon (calf).

Discipline

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Sounders FC: No players suspended.

Vancouver: No players suspended. Larraz and Sabbi are each carrying a booking into this match, and would be out next match if booked, should the ‘Caps advance.

Fun Fact

In the history of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, whenever Vancouver has lost the first leg of a series, they have been eliminated. (per CONCACAF)