SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC v. TIGRES UANL - CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP QUARTER-FINAL 2ND LEG - ROYAL BROUGHAM PARK, OCCIDENTAL AVENUE, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. It takes two legs to win a CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarter-Final, and Tigres UANL travel to The Evergreen in an attempt to do just that. That said, if I were the Tigres, I wouldna expect a particularly hospitable environment at Royal Brougham Park after the way they jammed us up at El Volcan. In the mean time, we’ll be working on that warm welcome for ye.

What: CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarter-Final 2nd leg, Seattle Sounders FC v. Tigres UANL.

Where: Royal Brougham Park, Occidental Avenue, Seattle, Washington.

When: 8:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Wednesday, 15 April, 2026 CE.

At Stake: Sounders must defeat Tigres on aggregate goals or in a penalty kick tie-breaker to advance. It’s that simple. It’s that complicated.

Where to Watch: Fox Sports 2, TUDN, OneSoccer, and ConcacafGO.

Where to Listen: I’ve not seen any confirmation that there will be radio coverage for this fixture. If there is, it will likely be from the usual suspects, KJR 93.3 FM or 950 AM and El Rey 1360 AM. That said, it’s possible that it’s a CONCACAF exclusive and nobody gets radio coverage. No one tells me anything. There’s nothing in print about it as of Sunday night. I live in the back.

There’s been some great Sounders upsets and comebacks over the years. The one I can most clearly think of is our 7:0 pasting of Cruz Azul in the league stage of last year’s Leagues Cup. But I know the list has to be longer than that. A lot longer.

It would be easy enough to wilt in despair. To question whether or not we’re good enough. Any objective reckoning of the first leg showed us to be hopelessly outclassed. Another objective reckoning is that few teams in United States domestic football are more dangerous with their backs to the wall and when playing at home as the Seattle Sounders Football Club.

For our supporters, self-confidence is not a problem. You can see it in the composition of the ECS match previews as we trundle on through the fixture list of every season. There is never any doubt, reflection, empirical assessment, worry, or hand-wringing. Only the self-assurance that is provided by the club’s achievements in the MLS-era. No MLS club has won more domestic trophies than our Sounders FC since we entered the league in 2009, and our supporters are not shy about telling anyone within earshot all about it. As it should be.

Are we good enough to upend this lopsided cup tie and stand it on its head? Let’s find out.

It’s CONCACAF Champions League Quarter-Finals football, under the Wednesday night lights of Royal Brougham Park. GO ON YOU SOUNDERS!!! GET IN!!!

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

So shiny, yet so difficult to win. Especially when private equity would rather have the club be

more efficient on a spreadsheet than dominant on the pitch.

The Good News

Tigres do not really travel well, totalling a 7-6-7 record on the road. This record includes every away match from the Apertura, Liguilla Apertura, Clausura, and CONCACAF Champions Cup. Tigres are 1-0-5 in their last six competitive away matches in all competitions.

Fatigue: Tigres had to play the team with the best record in the Clausura on a two-day turnaround. Sounders have had zero fixtures since the 1st leg. Looks like, barring a few exceptions, Tigres played the same team selection on Sat as they did Wednesday last. The human body has limitations. Edge: Sounders.

Royal Brougham Park and ECS will massively shift the dynamic from what Tigres experienced at EL Volcan. Our support will mercilessly troll that lot. Let’s hope it’s enough to spur our lads to victory.

Tigres can look forward to what will likely be an evening of “Seattle Sunshine”. The local weather forecast (as of 12.22 a.m. 13 April) predicts a high temperature of 48ºF (roughly 9ºC), and a low of 38ºF (3.3ºC) with the possibility (locals read: expectation) of rain as well. Far different from the weather at El Volcan nearly a week ago of a 77ºF high (25ºC) and low of 61ºF (16.1ºC). Edge: Sounders.

The Bad News

Trailing 0:2 on aggregate means that Sounders have a veritable mountain to climb. Only a result where we exceed Tigres by enough goals to lead on aggregate (3:0, 4:1, 5:2, etc.) will allow our Boys in Green to advance to the Semi-Finals. A 2:0 Sounders victory would mean extra-time, and possibly a penalty kick tie-breaker should extra time not produce a winner. A 3:1 Sounders victory wouldn’t be enough, as with a tied aggregate, the away-goals tie-breaker would be in effect.

In the four previous times that Sounders have reached the Quarter-Final stage of CONCACAF Champions Cup, they have only advanced one time. It was 2022, the year we won the Cup. Previous Quarter-Final eliminations by aggregate goals: Santos Laguna 3:7 (2012), Club America 3:5 (2016), and Guadalajara 1:3 (2018).

Tigres hosted the Chivas last Sat. Guadalajara is leading the Liga MX Torneo Clausura with a 10-1-3 record. Tigres sent them packing, with the full-time result from El Volcan Tigres 4:1 Chivas.

That lot ate us for lunch down in Mexico. They had 57% of the possession, outshot us 23:4 (or 22:4 if you prefer Soccerway’s statistics). On top of it all, Tigres actually hit a penalty kick over the bar, rattled one off the post, and benefitted from a Jackson Ragen own-goal. All in all, a forgettable evening for ours.

In the CCC Quarter-Final stage all-time, Tigres are 12-5-2 with 34 goals and 13 goals conceded. Sounders are 4-2-5 with 14 goals and 20 goals conceded.

The Side I Would Select

I’d have this lot in the team.

Rationale:

For whatever reason in the 1st leg, we weren’t managing very much in terms of attack, we were outclassed in terms of possession, etc., etc. Let’s have Lopez at right-centre-half, as Alex had a very forgettable match in that department against Tigres and it’s Antino’s natural position. I’d say Dotson over Brunell, because experience and hopefully the ability to win contested balls in midfield to disrupt the Tigres attack. Brunell did not have a good match in the 1st leg, so perhaps a rest until the next league match is in order. I like Arriola on the left over Rothrock (not as a permanent solution, but as a temporary stopgap), and Ferreira on the right, which should help with both possession and experience, and also add a bit of on-the-ball quality. Morris looked well out of his depth at centre-forward, so Musovski is the better choice at playing that position as he’s a better finisher of late, and also a better passer in this role. I like Morris (at right or left-forward) and Rothrock off the bench at some point in this match for a bit of offensive punch and fresh legs say around the 70th minute if needed. Same goes for Alex.

GK     Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Lopez

RB     Kossa-Rienzi

LDM    Dotson

RDM   Cristian

LF     Arriola

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Ferreira

CF     Musovski

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

I expect Schmetzer to select the same team as last Wednesday, expecting different results.

GK     Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Alex

RB     Kossa-Rienzi

LDM    Brunell

RDM   Cristian

LF     Rothrock

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Arriola

CF     Morris

Intangibles

This is the first hiccup in form that Sounders have experienced since the away defeat at the Salt Lake. It will be interesting to see how we recover from the disappointment in Nueva Leon.

Aggregate squad estimated transfer value -

Sounders FC: €44.55M

Tigres UANL: €73.45M

General notes on personnel

Tigres transfers IN:

Correa (Atletico Madrid) €8M

Araujo (Orlando City SC) free

Aguirre (Club America) undisclosed

Farfan (FC Dallas) undisclosed

Carrera (FC Dallas) undisclosed

Lopez (Toluca) loan

Francisco Reyes (Atlante) loan

Guerrero - reserves

Tigres transfers OUT:

Caetano (Al-Najma) €5.1M

Cordova (Toluca) free

Diego Reyes (Queretaro) free

Quinones (Pachuca) free

Antuna (UNAM Pumas) undisclosed

Fulgencio (Juarez) undisclosed

Ibanez (Cruz Azul) undisclosed

Tapia (Club America) undisclosed

Parra (Queretaro) undisclosed

Aquino - released

Flores (San Luis) undisclosed

Pizzuto (Atlante) loan

Carioca - released

Tercero - released

Ayala - released

Comparison against common opponents

n/a

Know Thine Enemy

Tigres as they lined up in their 4:1 victory over Guadalajara (Chivas) on 11 April at El Volcan.

GOALKEEPER

Nahuel Guzman, 40

Argentina (6/0)

Notable Clubs: Newell’s Old Boys (81/0), Independiente Rivadavia (30/0), Tigres UANL (452/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €250,000

Notes: Full name: Nahuel Ignacio Guzman Palomeque. Developed by Newell’s Old Boys. Won an Argentine league title with Newell’s Old Boys. Won 5x Liga MX titles, 4x Campeon de Campeones, a CONCACAF Champions League, 2x Campeones Cup with Tigres UANL. Named 4x Liga MX Best XI. Liga MX Save of the Season 2015-16. CONCACAF Champions League Golden Glove 2020. Named to CONCACAF Champions League Team of the Tournament 2020.

DEFENCE

Jesus Angulo, 28

Mexico (19/0)

Notable Clubs: Santos Laguna (30/0), Atlas (64/0), Tigres UANL (162/4)

Estimated Transfer Value: €4.5M

Notes: Full name: Jesus Alberto Angulo Uriarte. Developed by Aguilas UAS and Santos Laguna. Won a Liga MX title with Santos Laguna. Won a Liga MX title with Atlas. Won a Liga MX title, Campeon de Campeones, and Campeones Cup. Won a CONCACAF Nations League with Mexico. Named Liga MX Best Full-back 2023-24.

Rafael Guerrero, 23

Mexico

Notable Clubs: Cruz Azul (25/0), Tigres UANL (4/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €600,000

Notes: Full name: Rafael Guerrero Ramirez. Developed by Tijuana and Cruz Azul. Won a Campeon de Campeones with Cruz Azul.

Joaquim, 27

Brazil

Notable Clubs: Cuiaba (28/1), Botafogo SP (13/0), Santos (62/4), Tigres UANL (67/4)

Estimated Transfer Value: €6M

Notes: Full name: Joaquim Henrique Pereira Silva. Developed by Comercial de Nova Era and URT. Won a Brazilian Serie B title with Santos. Named Liga MX Best XI Apertura 2025.

Jesus Garza, 25

Mexico (1/0)

Notable Clubs: Tigres UANL (109/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Full name: Jesus Angel Garza Garcia. Won a Liga MX title, Campeon de Campeones, and a Campeones Cup with Tigres UANL.

MIDFIELD

Cesar Araujo, 25

Uruguay (1/0)

Notable Clubs: Montevideo Wanderers (58/0), Orlando City SC (120/4), Tigres UANL (10/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3.5M

Notes: Full name: Cesar Nahuel Araujo Vilches. Developed by Marconi FC and Montevideo Wanderers. Won a US Open Cup with Orlando City SC. Named to Uruguayan Primera Division Team of the Year 2021.

Juan Brunetta, 28

Argentina

Notable Clubs: Belgrano (36/4), Godoy Cruz (23/6), Parma (40/5), Santos Laguna (54/19), Tigres UANL (94/34)

Estimated Transfer Value: €7M

Notes: Developed by Boca Juniors, Estudiantes, and Arsenal de Sarandi. Liga MX Balon de Oro 2023-24. Liga MX Best Offensive Midfielder 2023-24. 2x Liga MX Best XI.

Fernando Gorriaran, 31

Uruguay (7/0)

Notable Clubs: River Plate Montevideo (86/6), Ferencvaros (52/4), Santos Laguna (119/18), Tigres UANL (128/9)

Estimated Transfer Value: €4M

Notes: Full name: Fernando Gorriaran Fontes. Developed by River Plate Montevideo. Won a Hungarian league title with Ferencvaros. Won a Liga MX title, Campeon de Campeones, and Campeones Cup with Tigres UANL. Named to Liga MX Best XI 2021.

FORWARD

Ozziel Herrera, 24

Mexico (7/0)

Notable Clubs: Atlas (89/10), Tigres UANL (98/18)

Estimated Transfer Value: €6M

Notes: Full name: Jonathan Ozziel Herrera Morales. Developed by Pachuca and Atlas. Won 2x Liga MX titles and a Campeon de Campeones with Atlas. Won a Campeones Cup with Tigres UANL. Won a CONCACAF Gold Cup and CONCACAF Nations League with Mexico.

Rodrigo Aguirre, 31

Uruguay (10/3)

Notable Clubs: Liverpool Montevideo (57/16), Udinese (17/1), Empoli (1/0), Perugia (17/3), Lugano (9/1), Nacional (26/13), Botafogo (22/1), LDU Quito (42/17), Necaxa (38/12), Monterrey (59/8), Club America (44/15), Tigres UANL (9/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Full name: Rodrigo Sebastian Aguirre Soto. Developed by Liverpool Montevideo. Won a Copa Ecuador and Supercopa Ecuador with LDU Quito. Won a Liga MX title and Campeones Cup with Club America.

Angel Correa, 31

Argentina (28/3)

Notable Clubs: San Lorenzo (48/10), Atletico Madrid (335/68), Tigres UANL (36/14)

Estimated Transfer Value: €9M

Notes: Full name: Angel Martin Correa Martinez. Developed by Alianza Sport, Tiro, and San Lorenzo. Won a Argentine league title and a Copa Libertadores with San Lorenzo. Won a La Liga title, a UEFA Europa League title, and a UEFA Super Cup with Atletico Madrid. Won a FIFA World Cup and Copa America with Argentina. Won a Leagues Cup Golden Boot (5 goals) in 2025 with Tigres UANL. Named to Liga MX Best XI Apertura 2025.

Familiar Faces

None.

Squads

(best guesses from old data)

Sounders FC from:

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

Tigres from:

Guzman, Felipe Rodriguez, Carrera, Joaquim, Angulo, Purata, Guerrero, Reyes, Osvaldo Rodriguez, Ordonez, Garza, Romulo, Gorriaran, Correa, Araujo, Vigon, Brunetta, Flores, Sanchez, Lainez, Herrera, Aguirre, Lopez, Gignac.

Injury List

(best guesses from old data)

Sounders FC -

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

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

Tigres -

OUT: Farfan (thigh), Lorona (undisclosed, we’ll say sprained testicle)

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

Discipline

Sounders FC: Nouhou, Cristian, and Kingston are carrying one booking each and would be out next match if booked.

Tigres: Herrera, Aguirre, and Gorriaran are carrying one booking each and would be out next match if booked.

(Not So) Fun Fact

Sounders FC Reserves took a field trip to Burnaby, BC on Sunday afternoon. Although Leonardo Flores put our lads ahead on 49 minutes, Wright would level on 68 minutes for the home team. A stoppage-time dagger from Ittycheria ultimately sank our lads in the 96th minute. Full-time from Swangard, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Reserves 2:1 Seattle Sounders FC Reserves. Sounders FC Reserves have scored only three goals in six matches (0.50 goals/match) conceding 10 goals over the same period (1.67 goals conceded/match). They find themselves in 26th place (0-2-4 record) out of 30 clubs in MLS Next Pro. The new coaching staff of Brazilians Paulo Nagamura and former Sounders FC midfielder Joao Paulo are struggling out of the gate. We wish both the coaching staff and the lads better luck going forward. As for now though, the ship is in a rough state and taking on water.