Hosting a championship match is a rarity in professional sports, but when the Seattle Sounders kick off Leg 2 of their Concacaf Champions League Final series against Pumas UNAM at Lumen Field on Wednesday, it will be the second time they’ve hosted such a match since 2019.
Everyone knows what happened the last time around: Seattle emerged victorious with a 3-1 score over Toronto FC at MLS Cup 2019 at Lumen, securing their second-ever league title in front of a delirious record crowd of nearly 70,000 onlookers.
On Wednesday, the stakes are even higher than that, with a shot at continental glory and a place in MLS lore as the league’s first-ever CCL winner on the line. Speaking to reporters at Starfire Sports Complex on Sunday, Sounders Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said that some nerves are to be expected, but that he believes his veteran group is well-equipped to manage the emotions of the moment.
“It’s human nature,” Schmetzer said. “It’s going to be a big game. We actually talked about it on film day yesterday and I even brought up 2019. Because that was a big game. Full stadium and, Toronto, some people said played better than us the first half, bits of that first half. So, were we pressing? Did we feel the pressure of the crowd? I think those are things that we can discuss and talk openly about. But what I agree with you on is that’s a very senior team.”
An outright win by any margin would deliver Seattle the historic trophy thanks to a comeback 2-2 result in Leg 1 in Mexico City, delivered by two massive second-half penalty kicks from captain Nicolás Lodeiro that leaves the sides level on aggregate.
Concacaf Champions League Final Tickets On Sale Now
The Seattle Sounders are going to the Concacaf Champions League Final for the first time in club history. Come support the team as we take on Liga MX's Pumas UNAM and try to become the first MLS club to win CCL and go to the FIFA Club World Cup!
Ahead of the second leg, Schmetzer said the positive result in the series opener served as ideal preparation for what promises to be a raucous home crowd on Wednesday, with the club expected to break the single-match CCL attendance record.
“The lesson for me was, it was a really big, lively, loud crowd, pressure-packed atmosphere down there,” Schmetzer said. “And so that helped us prepare for this game, which I think the team was a little rushed, I think they were so amped up, so ready to just win, win, win, that we didn’t play up to our potential.
“So, that’s been the messaging, that, enjoy the moment, you should have butterflies in your stomach before the referee blows the first whistle, and then just play. Play the way I know you can play.”
Sounders veteran forward Fredy Montero has played in a lot of big games in his illustrious career, many of them with Seattle, where he’s in his second stint with the club.
Like the rest of his teammates, Montero is in uncharted territory in his first-ever CCL Final, but the 34-year-old Colombian said that he feels as though the team is prepared as can be for a match of this magnitude.
“Every single emotion is running through my mind: Happy, pressure, stress, motivation. A lot. I can’t describe only one,” Montero said. “But all that I know – and I want to tell you all – is that we are ready. We’re prepared for this game.”
While Seattle was pleased to end the first leg on level terms, Montero said the team must also be cognizant of the reality that only “half of the job was done”, leaving everything to play for come Wednesday.
“We know that the championship was going to be [decided] here and we are looking forward to the game,” Montero said.
“This is an opportunity, it’s a big one for us to be the first one in MLS [to win it]. …A big opportunity for us in MLS, in the continent, for the franchise as well.”
