Sounders use big second half against Motagua to advance

Nico Lodeiro celebrates his goal, with a tribute to his yet to be born daughter

Seattle, WA – The Seattle Sounders put four goals away in the second half to beat Motagua in the second leg of the round of 16 CONCACAF Champions league. The game would be tight in the first half, highlighted by a Nico Lodeiro goal to give Seattle the halftime lead. The flood gates opened in the second half, as Cristian Roldan, Jordan Morris, Kelyn Rowe, and Leo Chu all recorded goals. Seattle advances to face Club Leon in the quarterfinals 

Staying healthy

There were a number of positives in the win, but perhaps the most important in the grand scheme of the season being that Seattle stayed healthy. The lone exception to that statement being that the Sounders pulled Raul Ruidiaz in the 50th minute due to hamstring tightness. Luckily, this substitution came out of caution. Due to the barrage of second half goals, the Sounders were able to get several key players rest, and give minutes to players on the bench.  

Fresh faces making an impact

For the latter half of this game, the Sounders looked like what is expected of them this season. Their veterans made their presence known, as Nico Lodeiro, Jordan Morris, and Cristian Roldan were all over the field. On that note, some of the fresher faces to the club made their impacts known as well. Obed Vargas once again played all 90 minutes. Leo Chu got on the board. Samuel Adeniran logged some valuable minutes. I asked Nico Lodeiro and Cristian Roldan about their thoughts on the younger players impact in these last two contests, and here is what they had to say. 

“Obed was fantastic in both games. He’s gonna grow and he’s gonna learn. There are things that he is needs to improve on and he has a really good personality, so he will be that sponge and learn really fast. Obviously getting Leo on the field, scoring a goal, getting his confidence up. We’ll need him throughout the season. Guys come in and out of the lineup, injuries happen. We’re gonna need guys like him,” Roldan remarked.  

Obed Vargas played 90 minutes in both games against Motagua

“It’s very important to have all of our players available. It was great to see Joao coming back, Samuel getting some minutes in, it really is a long season. We will have to play MLS, but also champions league. It is very important to have all of our players and rotations during this long season,” Lodeiro stated.  

Leo Chu scored in the 74th minute

What’s next for Seattle?

Seattle’s next contest is Sunday, February 27th against Nashville SC at Lumen field with a 5PM PST start time. In regards to the Concacaf Champions league, Seattle will get a rematch of the final of last year’s Concacaf Champions league. Club Leon will come to town, as the Sounders will host the first leg. That matchup takes place on March 8th, with a 7:06PM PST kickoff.

Photos taken by Emma Ottosen and Melissa Levin! Thank you, Emma and Melissa!