2024 Leagues Cup action is underway as the Seattle Sounders and Major League Soccer are set to square off against Liga MX teams in a North American showdown. The only two-league tournament sanctioned by Concacaf, all 29 MLS clubs and 18 Liga MX clubs will go head-to-head in what will be a can't miss, month-long event. Here are five of our favorite Sounders matches from previous battles against Liga MX teams:
Sounders 1, CF Monterrey 0 (August 23, 2011)
The Sounders defeated reigning Concacaf Champions League winners CF Monterrey 1-0 during group-stage play. The Seattle side solidified the victory in the 38th minute when Pat Noonan placed a through ball past Monterrey defenders for Álvaro Fernández to run onto and rocket into the top-bin of the goal. Monterrey had chances to come back in the second half, but the Sounders' lockdown defense stood resolute. It was a historic occcasion, marking the first time the Sounders had won a competitive match in Mexico.
Sounders 3, Tigres UANL 1 (March 12, 2013)
The Sounders entered the second leg against Tigres in the CCL quarterfinals trailing 1-0 on aggregate. Their task became even more difficult after conceding the opening goal in the 23rd minute of the return fixture in Seattle. Despite the adversity, the Sounders managed to formulate three second-half goals to push past the Liga MX side. First, it was DeAndre Yedlin who struck a venemous volley from distance to tie up the match. Then, it was Dijimi Traoré, just six minutes later, who produced one of the best goals in club history to take the lead on the night and pull level on aggregate. But, it was Eddie Johnson who iced the match and booked passage ot the CCL semifinals, dribbling past defenders on the left flank and toward the near post for him to eventually drive the ball across Monterrey's goalkeeper and into the far-post corner of the net. It was the first time in 5 years an MLS team managed to advance past a Liga MX opponent in the CCL knockout rounds.
Sounders 3, Tigres UANL 0 (August 10, 2021)
The Sounders advanced to the Leagues Cup Semifinals after dismantling Liga MX powerhouse Tigres 3-0 at Lumen Field. In the 23rd minute, Raúl Ruidíaz gave the team the lead with a cheeky Panenka penalty. Montero came up clutch in the 64th minute, tapping in a João Paulo corner kick at the far post. And to secure the victory, it was Nicolás Lodeiro who, just minutes after subbing in, produced a moment of magic with a beautiful curled finish that sailed into the top corner from 30-yards out.
Sounders 3, Club Léon 0 (March 8, 2022)
The Sounders defeated Club Léon 3-0 in the first Leg of the 2022 CCL quarterfinals with goals from Fredy Montero (2) and Jordan Morris. Montero found the score sheet first, rocketing a penalty kick into the top corner of the net in the 30th minute. Eight minutes later, Montero came up clutch once again, one-timing a driven cross from Cristian Roldan passed Léon's goalkeeper to extend the lead to two. Morris closed out the match in dominant form with a late, 90th minute finish off another Roldan cross to give the Sounders the upperhand heading into Leg 2 of the quarterfinal series. The team later advanced to the semifinals after their Leg 2, 1-1 draw against the Liga MX side to win the series on aggregate (4-1).
Sounders 3, Pumas UNAM, 0 (May 4, 2022)
For the first time in club history, the Sounders advanced to the 2022 CCL Final, where they took on Liga MX sider Pumas UNAM with a chance to become the first-ever MLS club to win the regional tournament. In the first leg in Mexico City, the Sounders trailed 2-0 for much of the match before a pair of Lodeiro penalties late in the match sent the series back to Seattle level on aggregate at 2-2.
The proposition was simple: a win at Lumen Field in front of a sold-out crowd of nearly 70,000 fans would see the Sounders make history. It was Ruidíaz once again who came through for the Rave Green, scoring goals either side of halftime before Lodeiro iced the match at the death to make for a 3-0 win (5-2 on aggregate). Ruidíaz's first goal came in the 45th minute, when his shot inside the box deflected off a Pumas defender to push Seattle's lead to one. Then in the 80th minute, the striker one-time finished a lay-off pass from Lodeiro to double the advantage. Lodeiro delivered the CCL trophy and immortality for the club after Jordan Morris' intial shot deflected off the left post and landed toward the midfielder to one-time volley into the back of the goal.
