The Seattle Sounders are taking on New York City FC on Wednesday in Leg One of the Concacaf Champions League semifinals. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff for Leg One is at 7 p.m. PT at Lumen Field (TICKETS). Leg Two will be at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., on Wednesday, April 16, at 6 p.m. PT.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be televised on FS1 and TUDN.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on 1090 KJR AM and El Rey 1360 AM.
2022 MLS RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders: 2-2-1 (7 points, 9th West), NYC: 1-3-1 (4 points, 11th East)
PREVIOUS MEETING: Due to COVID pandemic scheduling, the Sounders and NYCFC have not met since July 3, 2019. NYC defeated Seattle 3-0 at Yankee Stadium.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Seattle: Defeated Honduras’ F.C. Motagua 5-0 on aggregate in the Round of 16 and Mexico’s Club León 4-1 on aggregate in the quarterfinals. NYC: Defeated Costa Rica’s Santos de Guápiles 6-0 on aggregate in the Round of 16 and Guatemala’s Comunicaciones on away goals after a 5-5 aggregate score in the quarterfinals.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMIFINALS TICKETS ON SALE NOW
We take on reigning MLS Cup champions New York City FC on April 6 at Lumen Field in the Leg One of Concacaf Champions League semifinals. Get your tickets today!
WHAT’S AT STAKE: The winner of this semifinal series will become just the fifth MLS team to advance to the CCL final since the tournament restructured in 2008. The Sounders are looking to become the first MLS team to win CCL and represent Concacaf at the FIFA Club World Cup.
REINS ARE OFF: The Sounders won 2-1 at Minnesota United last weekend due in large part to the long-awaited returns of Designated Players Nicolás Lodeiro and Raúl Ruidíaz. Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said that the “reins are off” for the pair, which is a promising sign for the Sounders heading into this two-legged series.
JOÃO PAULO MASTERCLASS: The Sounders’ Brazilian midfielder was an MLS MVP finalist last season and has picked up where he left off this year. João Paulo punctuated his early-season performance with a majestic one-timed finish for the opener in Minnesota and dominated on both sides of the ball in the center of the park.
HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE: This semifinal is a matchup of arguably the two best and deepest teams in MLS. The Sounders have been a beacon of consistency, making the postseason in every season since entering the league in 2009. NYCFC, meanwhile, is coming off its first MLS Cup title since joining MLS in 2015.
SIMILAR STARS: Part of why the Sounders and NYCFC are so good is because they have plenty of talent on every line. Each sports a ruthless goalscoring No. 9, an elite playmaking No. 10, a strong central midfield, a firm center back partnership and a veteran, match-winning goalkeeper.
THE TATY SHOW: NYC forward Valentín “Taty” Castellanos is the reigning MLS Golden Boot leader and has already struck four times in as many matches in CCL this season. The 23-year-old Argentine is a nightmare to track in front of goal and will be the No. 1 player Seattle needs to deal with on Wednesday.
