Seattle Sounders beat Pumas – Become first MLS club to win Champions League

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History made! 

Major League Soccer side Seattle Sounders have made history. On Wednesday, Sounders beat Liga MX side UNAM Pumas 3-0 in front of a Concacaf Champions League record crowd of 68,741 at Lumen Field in Seattle thanks to goals by Raúl Ruidíaz (45′ & 80′) and Nicolás Lodeiro (88′). It is the first time an MLS side has lifted a continental title since the Concacaf Champions League was introduced in 2008. 

Club Comparison

£43.27m

Market Value

£25.11m


First Tier

League Level

First Tier


£2.29m

Expenditures 21/22

0


Brian Schmetzer

Managers

Andrés Lillini

Full Club Comparison

It was a slow start to the affair in Seattle. The Sounders had rallied late in Mexico to rescue a 2-2 draw. But with no away goals in effect for the final, the game essentially started at 0-0 and Pumas were the better of the two sides to start the game. Furthermore, Seattle lost midfielder João Paulo and left-back Nouhou to injuries. The injuries only further added to a nervous start for the team in Rave Green but then in the 45th minute when Ruidíaz scored the first of his two goals. The Peruvian superstar benefitted from multiple bounces as the ball pinballed across the line just before halftime. 

That goal changed the complexion of the game. Pumas now had to be more aggressive. The Sounders, in the meantime, could now rely on their speedy forwards to hit the Mexicans on the break. There were several opportunities to add a second but it took until the 80th minute for the second goal to arrive. Once again it was Ruidíaz, who would get it done for the Sounders, executing a beautiful attacking play that saw him score from short-range. 

Sounders win Concacaf Champions League – A dynasty crowned 

The second goal broke Pumas. The Sounders were now in the belief that they had made history securing that long-sought title not just for them but for the league. With the fans roaring them on, they would add a third in the 88th minute. This time it was superstar Lodeiro. A fitting end, the Argentine playmaker has very much reigned in a new era for the Sounders when he joined in 2016, making Seattle the closest thing to a dynasty the league ever had. A dynasty that has won two MLS Cups, an MLS Cup final appearance, and now finally a continental trophy, that will see the Sounders go to the FIFA Club World Cup. 

Thiago Almada, Martínez, Castellanos & Co. – The 25 most valuable MLS players

Santiago Sosa | Atlanta United | Market value: $6.6m

&copy Concacaf

Jesús Ferreira | FC Dallas | Market value: $6.6m

&copy imago images

Efraín Álvarez | Los Angeles Galaxy | Market value: $6.6m

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Ryan Gauld | Vancouver Whitecaps | Market value: $7.15m

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José Cifuentes | Los Angeles FC | Market value: $7.15m

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Xherdan Shaqiri | Chicago Fire | Market value: $7.7m

&copy Chicago Fire FC

Carles Gil | New England Revolution | Market value: $7.7m

&copy Matthew Stith/MLS

Sebastián Driussi | Austin FC | Market value: $7.7m

&copy imago images

Brenner | FC Cincinnati | Market value: $7.7m

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Talles Magno | New York City FC | Market value: $7.7m

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Dániel Sallói | Sporting Kansas City | Market value: $8.25m

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Raúl Ruidíaz | Seattle Sounders | Market value; $8.8m

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Alan Pulido | Sporting Kansas City | Market value: $8.8m

&copy Sporting Kansas City

Alejandro Pozuelo | Toronto FC | Market value: $8.8m

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Lucas Zelarayán | Columbus Crew | Market value: $8.8m

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Hany Mukhtar | Nashville SC | Market value: $8.8m

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Marcelino Moreno | Atlanta United | Market value: $8.8m

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Adam Buksa | New England Revolution | Market value: $9.9m

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Luiz Araujo | Atlanta United | Market value: $11m

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Emmanuel Reynoso | Minnesota United | Market value: $11m

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Alan Velasco | FC Dallas | Market value: $11m

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Valentín Castellanos | NYCFC | Market value: $13.2m

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Josef Martínez | Atlanta United | Market value: $13.75m

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Thiago Almada | Atlanta United | Market value: $19.8m

&copy Atlanta United


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