Sounders FC has an opportunity to advance out of the Leagues Cup group stage when the team takes on Liga MX side Club Necaxa on Sunday night (7:30 p.m. PT; Watch FREE on Apple TV, FS1, UniMás, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS).
“It’s a big tournament,” said forward Jordan Morris. “To have another tournament like this, another chance to win a trophy and put ourselves up against good competition – it’s an exciting opportunity.”
Seattle has the upper hand heading into its final group stage match, with Necaxa falling 1-0 to Minnesota United on Tuesday night. And with the Sounders’ previous 2-0 win over the Loons, only a loss of four goals or more would prevent them from moving onto the Round of 32.
“We want to keep the momentum going and finish top of the group,” said midfielder Paul Rothrock.
The main objective for the Seattle side is to lift the Leagues Cup trophy. In addition to collecting new hardware, the Sounders would receive a coveted 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup spot, a hefty amount of prize money, and bragging rights as one of the premier clubs in North America.
“The competition is really good and it’s bragging rights in the end between the two countries,” said Morris. “Obviously I’ve been part of national team games against Mexico, and winning [Concacaf] Champions League [with the Sounders] – there’s a lot of pride on the line.”
Seattle is aware of the change in playing styles that come with competing against Liga MX teams given their experiences in previous Leagues Cup runs and CCL play, but this will be the first time facing Necaxa since an international friendly back in 2017.
“They look like a good team, pretty physical team,” said Rothrock. “I think the No. 10 and No. 9 up top seem to be a good threat together…A lot of counter attacking stuff, a lot of crossing from outside the box. So, we've been working on our wide defending.”
It will be a change up from the competition the Sounders are used to playing in MLS, but the players are confident in their tactical preparation ahead of Sunday.
“I think there's areas that we can exploit too, so we're excited,” added Rothrock.
Despite Necaxa finishing Tuesday night’s match with 30 shot attempts – 14 of which were on target – the Mexican side left empty-handed. Desperate for a win, the away team is expected to come out firing over the weekend.
“Obviously it's a game they wanted to win,” said goalkeeper Andrew Thomas. “You could see that whenever they were given half a yard, they were trying to get a shot on target…They were 30 yards out or 10 yards out, five yards out.”
“So from a defensive standpoint, it's about being ready for anything and everything.”
It is a lofty task for Necaxa to secure four against Seattle’s elite defense, but the hosts recognize their need to remain composed and determined regardless of their advantage heading into the final group stage match.
“We're not through to the knockout round yet and we have a job to do ourselves,” said Thomas. “Both teams are coming in expecting to get through to the next round.”
