There is revenge, and then there is what the Seattle Sounders did to Liga MX’s Cruz Azul on Thursday night at Lumen Field. After falling 4-1 on aggregate to La Máquina earlier this year in the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16, the Sounders posted a historic 7-0 humbling of Cruz Azul in their opening match of Phase One of the 2025 Leagues Cup.
Behind six different goalscorers, the Sounders tied the most goals scored in franchise history and set the largest margin of victory by an MLS club over their Mexican counterparts in the Leagues Cup. All seven goals came in the second half, and Seattle also had two additional goals wiped off the board for offside decisions.
“I didn’t actually know what I was going to say to them in the locker room because it was such a tremendous win for the club,” said Sounders Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “In this club’s history, it ranks right up there with all of the big wins that we’ve had. It’s not a championship match, so I would probably temper it with that, but it certainly was a hell of a performance.”
The Sounders have been flying since their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this summer. Despite their three losses to some of the biggest teams in the world in Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid and Botafogo, the Sounders showed out on the global stage and proved they belong. Seattle is unbeaten in seven matches since (4-0-3) and has scored a staggering 21 goals.
“After the Club World Cup, we told the group, ‘You guys have set a standard, and that standard is here,’” said Schmetzer.
It’s not just the score line that will turn heads around the region, but who it was against. Cruz Azul is one of the most successful clubs in North America and is tied with Club América for the most continental titles with seven. It is the reigning champion after dominating the Vancouver Whitecaps in a huge 5-0 win in the Concacaf Champions Cup Final on June 1.
Cruz Azul is also one of the highest spenders in the region. The club has spent over $40M in the past year in new acquisitions including a recent eight-figure deal for midfielder José Paradela earlier this month.
“We played against the CCC champions,” said Schmetzer. “They’re the best team in Concacaf, and we scored seven. So, let that sink in. My job as a coach is to let them enjoy this moment because they deserve it. Everybody played up to a higher level.”
Even substitutes came on and made an instant impact. Pedro de la Vega scored with his first touch three minutes after coming on before sealing the win with a Puskas Award contender. Osaze De Rosario scored his second goal in as many matches, this time just four minutes after entering following a goal six minutes after his entrance last weekend.
“We’re a team that’s relentless,” said De Rosario. “We want more. We want to put the dagger in deeper.”
Seattle will relish in the gravity of this moment and what it means for both the franchise and the league, but the team knows this is just one match of three in its Leagues Cup Phase One journey. Of the 36 teams competing, only the top four MLS teams and the top four Liga MX teams will advance to the quarterfinals. But as of Thursday evening, the Sounders sit in first place with their plus-seven goal differential.
The Sounders will look to channel this momentous win into their next two matches starting Sunday against Santos Laguna (7:30 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV | TICKETS) before closing out the group stage with Club Tijuana next Wednesday (8 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV | TICKETS).
“We will come back tomorrow, and we will make sure that they stay grounded because this is just the first game,” said Schmetzer. “[The players] are driving us. That group in there is completely together, motivated. They know they’re a good team.”
