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Sounders top Santos Laguna in CONCACAF Champions League quarters

SoundersCCL (Getty)

If the Seattle Sounders were supposed to be the underdog in their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series against Santos Laguna, they sure didn't show it on Wednesday.

The Sounders outplayed the Mexican powerhouse on their way to a vital 2-1 victory at CenturyLink Field on Wednesday night.

Goals from David Estrada and Brad Evans provided the difference, offsetting a beautiful goal from American striker Herculez Gomez to give the Sounders a 2-1 edge heading into the second leg in Torreon next Wednesday.

Seattle played a composed and effective match, neutralizing the dangerous Santos Laguna attack while creating chances of their own. Estrada opened the scoring in the first half to give the Sounders control. Gomez equalized with his third goal in three matches, but Brad Evans responded just two minutes later by heading home a Mauro Rosales free kick past Osvaldo Sanchez.

The night provided an impressive debut for Sounders newcomers Michael Gspurning and Adam Johansson looked good in their first officials starts for Seattle since joining the club this winter. Another newcomer to the starting lineup, David Estrada, made the most of his start, scoring the opening goal off a beautiful pass from Fredy Montero in the 12th minute.

Gomez equalized in the 61st minute off a nifty run, touch and finish for his third goal in three matches. The goal could have shaken Seattle, but the Sounders needed just two minutes to respond, courtesy of Evans' header.

Gomez' road goal could prove costly for Seattle, with Santos Laguna needing either a 1-0 victory or multi-goal victory in the second leg to advance to the Champions League semifinals. Seattle can advance with a win, draw or any one-goal loss other than 1-0 or 2-1. A 2-1 Santos win would force extra time.

Comments

  1. Speaking as someone who was actually at the match, I can tell you that there were roughly 30-40 Santos supporters in the “Away” section, and then a few sprinkled here and there throughout the stadium. If there were 100 total, I’d be shocked. When Monterrey was here a couple of years ago, there was easily 4-5K.

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  2. I was at the game,4 rows from the field , between the keeper & the corner flag, when EJ came on there was definitely a buzz. He was aggressive (he mixed it up with Santos from min 1) , held the ball well & even showed flashes of speed ,touch & vision. EJ knows he’s got lots to prove, it looked to me like he’s going about doing just that.I fully expect him to score 15+ goals across all competitions.

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  3. In my experience, compared to other “top” Mexican teams, Santos doesn’t have a huge following in Seattle. América, Chivas, and Monterrey seem to have the biggest following. Additionally, the Mexican clubs don’t seem to draw in the nationalist crowds in the same way that the Central American teams do. That’s not to say that those elements weren’t there though. A did see a number of Mexican flags around the stadium, but it was less (proportionally) than I’ve seen for the Panamanian, Costa Rican, or Salvadorian clubs. And there were definitely pockets of Santos fans spread around, but it was less than I’ve seen for either Monterrey or Chivas.

    Also, while a crowd of 23k+ is disappointing, the fact that we are seeing it that way is hugely encouraging. Obviously, the Sounders marketing people dropped the ball on this one, but the fact that expectations are so high is a positive sign for the long term.

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  4. For a while, I was staring at the FSC HD feed and asking myself… “is this really HD?”

    Then again, the streamers hanging in front of the camera definitely looked high res…

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  5. Removing the collars would help marginally. I generally like collars, but with an obnoxious color scheme, the retro look doesn’t work.

    Honestly, I liked the electricity yellow.

    Excited to see what my Dynamo debut as a 3rd kit for next season in CCL. Hopefully a “space city” blue.

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  6. I thought he showed well, holding up possession and distributing. Often he was behind the play because he held possession and passed to somebody running past him. I think a “lack of effort” criticism is wrong.

    Frankly, I thought he did good work in his short stint. And I’d rather not have him sprinting everywhere like a rookie with his hammy still recovering.

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  7. I don’t think the Sounders are built to bunker right now. Best chance to win will be to press Santos and take the game to them.

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  8. He’s probably months away from fitness right now–and who knows what kind of player he will be. Nerve damage issues have me concerned that he’ll never be the Zakuani of 2010 and early 2011.

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  9. good result, but man, a third goal would have been nice. 2-1 going to mexico is dangerous. they need to score early.

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  10. Is that all there were in attendance. Sure looked like more on TV, seemed like a normal Seattle crowd. A well-disguised “weak” number for Seattle, in my opinion. Great win nonetheless. I was sad that Alonso’s juggle-back to himself, then volley at goal never got a chance to materialize, would have been an epic goal… and very important 2 goal advantage.

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  11. some advertizing of the match but I think the club dropped the ball (ha!) on not including the match in the season ticket package.

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  12. 23,433 for a CCL quarter final in Seattle against one of the best teams from Mexico? I realize some MLS teams would be happy with this, but I expected more from Seattle, especially with the added kicker of Santos fans showing up. In my experience, ex-pat Mexicans tend to turn out in droves when their team comes to town. Was it just not marketed well?

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  13. When you are brought on with 10 minutes to play, you are expected to work your a** off. EJ got into 4th gear on his first run, and then hardly broke a sweat the rest of the game. On at least three counter-attacks Rosales was looking to spring EJ in the box and EJ was behind the play and/or making a casual jog to the corner. Good luck with that Seattle…

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  14. Nice possession oriented play by Seattle. They practically needed a third goal to give them more breathing room. Hope they win in Mexico.

    The cyan kits are very different from the norm so people will always looking at something extreme and have a polarizing opinion. I thought they were pretty sick looking. Seattle brands itself as a digital Tron-like outfit with it’s uniforms, jersey sponsor (XBOX) etc. Everyone else is after a classic FC euro look and on top of that you have the Mexican clubs whose kits are chalk full of advertisers logos.

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  15. yes. definitely. I remember watching the CCL 5 years ago, partly because of interest, partly to support the cause. But over the last two years I’ve become more passionate about it then euro champions league. Some of it is due to the success of MLS teams (and their decision to take CCL seriously) and some of it is due MLS fans taking it seriously. In the end, it’s just nice to have a quality continental league to be excited about!

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  16. Psychological warfare. This was as ugly as they could go without causing seizures on the field.

    On the plus side, they aren’t blaring Justin Bieber over the sound speakers, no one would live.

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  17. For as long as I’ve been a fan of US soccer, I’ve cared about this competition more than any other in club soccer (including MLS). It’s the only real measuring stick for the progress our league is making and there’s much more at stake in these games. I really hope the CCL’s popularity and prestige are growing among all North Americans, and I hope that someday it will be taken seriously like the UEFA Champions League and Copa Libertadores.

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  18. I am a little nervous about MG too, but we will see soon enough, huh ?

    Remember when SLC was the clearly the class of the league and the only team capable of winning CCL ? That was last year. There are a lot of good teams in MLS. Seattle is just the best of them.

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  19. Great win. All I have to say is Seattle better not go into bunker mode in Mexico. Come out and play when it looks like the series is going to be won then go into bunker mode.

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  20. yes! They are terrible. And imo, they would look equally bad on a women’s team. Bad color combination and cheap-looking.

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  21. It’s not that I care less for the UEFA CL, but I do care about CONCACAF CL more than I did in the past. For me it isn’t mutally exclusive. But I think more and more fans (and front offices!!) care more, and that’s a great thing.

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  22. With both the coverage and the success that US teams have shown the past 2-3 years in Concachampions, my girlfriend and I care less and less for the Euro champions league.
    Wondering if other americans/canadians/mexicans are trending this way for this or other reasons.

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  23. The Sounders aren’t in a great position going into the second leg, but I give ’em props for looking pretty good, especially given that they’re in preseason shape. Watching Toronto and LA, you could tell the players just aren’t sharp yet. Couldn’t tell that with Seattle.

    In the larger picture, the Gals and the Sounders are clearly the class acts in MLS. The Eastern teams aren’t really at the same level (though I have great hopes for my beloved DC United). One thing I’ll ask — Gspurning looked good? I admit I didn’t watch the whole game, but I didn’t notice anything that Gspurning did that “looked good” and I think his positioning and reactions on the goal could have been a lot better.

    (SBI-Way too harsh on Gspurning. No, he didn’t have any super acrobatics saves to make, but his positioning was solid the whole match. As for the goal, Gomez made a great play taking a touch and finishing well. Perhaps it’s just the cynic in you but that goal was far more Gomez than it was Gspurning’s fault.)

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  24. I know but Messi seems hardworking and likeable too. It’s just over shadowed by how good he is. Anyway, you are right about Herc. He is a class guy and I hope he gets a deserved call up to the USMNT.

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  25. 🙂

    I was talking about his overall likeability, positive attitude (he’s a great Twitter follow btw), and can-do attitude. He seems to be getting better with age too.

    Cheers,

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  26. And it’s just great to see Herc doing so well. If there is any better guy in professional soccer, I don’t know of him. Just an all around hard-working stud.

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  27. This Sounders team definitely has the talent to win in Mexico. They outplayed Santos for most of the game. Gspurning and Estrada look like they will be very solid additions. I’m very optimistic that an MLS can win it all this year. Great games to watch last night.

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  28. I agree, but its better than heading to Mexico needing a win! The second leg will be tough. Just waiting for the other refereeing shoe to drop next week.

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