The Seattle Sounders face another familiar foe on Aug. 3 when the team hosts Santos Laguna in their second Phase One match of Leagues Cup at Lumen Field.
The history between the two teams dates all the way back to 2012, when the Seattle Sounders faced the Liga MX side for the first time in the Concacaf Champions League Quarterfinals.
It’s been a back and forth battle since the beginning; the Sounders grabbed a 2-1 win over Santos in their inaugural match-up before getting eliminated from CCL on aggregate following a 6-1 Leg 2 loss against the Mexican side.
Since then, the Sounders and Santos have gone head-to-head a total of five times with both teams recording two victories over the other, in addition to a draw.
Now, they battle it out once again in what is expected to be a competitive 90 minutes on Sunday night.
"We understand Santos is a very, very good team," said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. "We've watched enough film [to see that]. They're a good team with many quality players."
"But, Liga MX teams have to come here to Seattle to play, and that gives us a slight advantage, and we intend to use that advantage for as long as we can."
Their most recent meeting pushed the Sounders to the 2021 Leagues Cup finals for the first time in club history following a second-half stoppage time goal from Sounders legend Raúl Ruidíaz. The likelihood of the Rave Green producing a similar, if not better, result in their upcoming match is high, following their 7-0 demolition of reigning CCC champs Cruz Azul on July 31.
“The way the guys are playing with confidence, I think they'll be ready,” said Schmetzer.
Whether it be the quality of goals scored or the chemistry displayed in Thursday’s match, the team is in peak form and will need to maintain that same energy heading into Sunday.
“The guys that started the game did well, and the guys that came on did even better,” said midfielder Obed Vargas. “I think that's the strength of this team is that we have such a deep team, and guys come on and do [well]. So, we have to keep that standard high.”
On the flipside, it has been a difficult start for Santos Laguna, who fell 2-1 to the Colorado Rapids in their opening Leagues Cup match and lost their starting keeper and captain Carlos Acevedo to a red card during added time. Still, with top talent like U-23 Mexican national team midfielder Jordan Carrillo or Honduras’ captain Choco Lozano, Santos is sure to bring some intensity to Lumen Field.
"Santos is a high tempo [team]. They want to press," said Schmetzer. "You watch some of the goals they've scored in their league play. You know, the game against Colorado, they're going to come out and be aggressive. They need to win this game."
A challenging clash awaits both teams, and the Sounders are primed to deliver another thrilling performance come Sunday.
“That group in there is completely together, motivated,” said Schmetzer. "We're not going to let our foot off the gas."
