Across club and international play, the competition between the USA and Mexico has always been fierce. In addition to the U.S. Men’s National Team and Mexico’s even 3-3-4 record over the last 10 meetings, the bouts between MLS and Liga MX sides in the CONCACAF Champions League have heated up in recent years.
That rivalry will be on full display in Tuesday’s international friendly, as the current leaders of the Mexican first division will clash with the defending MLS Supporters’ Shield champions when Sounders FC hosts Club Tijuana.
“There will always be that border rivalry. I think it’s just ingrained in us at this point,” Seattle captain Brad Evans said. “It will be a chippy game. But at the same time, we’ve got to be smart and realize that we’ve got a game four days afterwards.”
Club Tijuana, also known as Xolos, sits atop the Liga MX table with seven matches remaining in the 2015 Clausura. Seattle, on the other hand, is just a couple of games into its 2015 MLS campaign. The Rave Green will play their first away match of the year on March 28 at FC Dallas.
Sounders FC midfielder Gonzalo Pineda, who played professionally in Mexico for 10 years, expects Tuesday’s match to be a competitive battle between two strong teams. Much like Sounders FC, Club Tijuana has been successful in recent years despite being fairly new to its league.
“They are a dangerous team,” Pineda said. “I think we have to be smart. We have to be careful with their forwards – They are fast and will try to put pressure on us from the first minute.
“It’s a good preparation for us, and we have to take it seriously.”
Thanks to a historic 2014 season that included two major trophies, the Sounders qualified for the 2015-16 Champions League, where they could face teams similar to Xolos. Club Tijuana reached the semifinals of the 2013-14 Champions League, defeating Seattle’s MLS rival LA Galaxy in the quarterfinals.
Champions League is a high priority for Sounders FC General Manager & President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey, hence why he thought it would be a good idea to face Xolos in a friendly.
In addition to the opportunity of hosting a Mexican side, Tuesday’s contest will help Head Coach Sigi Schmid and his staff devise a plan for the roster as Seattle prepares to participate in three different competitions during the 2015 season.
“When you get into Champions League and so forth, you’ve got to rely on more players,” Schmid said. “You’ve got to make sure that guys are ready to play, so you want to see who can step up in that type of a game and do well. That lets you know how you can move your team around and what rotation you can use as you move forward in league play and Champions League play.”
Kickoff for Tuesday’s match is at 7:00 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field. The international friendly is included in all season ticket packages.
