Comeback draw in Leg 1 sets up winner-takes-all Leg 2 of CCL Final at Lumen Field

It all comes down to May 4 at Lumen Field. 

When the Seattle Sounders went down to Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City to face Pumas in Leg 1 of the Concacaf Champions League Final, they had one objective: take a positive result back to Seattle for the second leg.

Players and coaches spoke at length in the days leading up to the match about how they wanted to go toe-to-toe with one of Liga MX’s most storied clubs. In fact, the Sounders were pretty explicit that they were not looking to bunker down in the first leg and take a 0-0 draw back home for the crucial Leg Two. 

As is often the case in CCL matches, chaos ensued in a topsy-turvy match. But when the dust settled, the Rave Green had erased a two-goal deficit in the final 10 minutes of the match courtesy of a Nicolás Lodeiro brace to earn a crucial 2-2 draw.

“It might take me until we’re halfway back home to really understand what happened in the game,” Head Coach Brian Schmetzer quipped in his post-match press conference. “It certainly was an interesting game.”

With the road result secured, the next objective becomes simple: win at home in Leg 2 and make history as the first MLS club to lift the CCL trophy.

“Now it goes back to 90 minutes to decide the winner,” said Schmetzer.

Two-legged finals are always tricky. A win or loss on the road, depending on the scoreline, can drastically alter the nature of the second match. But the task at hand for the Sounders is relatively simple. If they win Leg Two at Lumen Field on May 4 (7:00 p.m. PT; FS1, TUDN, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS), they will win the Concacaf Champions League and book their ticket to the FIFA Club World Cup.

“Anything can happen in a final,” said Schmetzer. “Anything can happen in Concacaf.”

The objective may be crystal clear but achieving it will be extremely difficult. As Pumas showed in Leg 1, they are a talented side equally capable of generating moments of magic in the attack as they are at coming up with crucial defensive stops. While the comeback at Estadio Olímpmico Universitario was truly unforgettable, all it does is provide the Sounders an opportunity.

“What we will try and do is take what we learned from this game and apply it to the game in Seattle,” added Schmetzer. “We have to be careful… I know that [Pumas] will never quit. But our team won’t quit either. So, it should be a good final.”

Tickets and premium seating options for Leg Two of the Concacaf Champions League Final at Lumen Field on May 4 are available HERE.