By Charles Hamaker

Seattle, WA – The Seattle Sounders defeated NYCFC in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions League semifinal. Two first half goals gave Seattle the early lead, but a third penalty goal in the second half closed the door. New York’s lone goal was scored on a bouncing ball by Thiago Andrade that the Sounders failed to clear. Outside of the goal by Thiago, New York never had a scary opportunity on net. Seattle now carries a two-goal aggregate advantage into leg two, which takes place on April 13th, at Red Bull Arena.

Offensive firepower shows up

The Sounders needed a big showing in this one, as carrying a solid lead into the second leg was critical towards advancing. The team’s offensive prowess was on display, as Jordan Morris, Nico Lodeiro, and Albert Rusnak were all able to put balls into the back of the net. Rusnak’s goal was his first as a Sounder. Seattle beat New York in total shots, big chances, accurate passes, and corners. This sort of showing was the most ideal scenario for the Sounders, as New York is sure to be gunning for more in the second leg on their turf. With the squad mostly healthy and the offensive weapons playing well together, high scoring is the name of the game for Seattle. With Lodeiro, Morris, Ruidiaz, and Rusnak all getting more integrated into the offense again in addition to the play of Cristian Roldan, the Seattle attack is mighty.

Defense holds up, for the most part

The Seattle defense did its job for the majority of the match, holding the New York to zero big chances and zero corners. The goal by Thiago Andrade in the 27th minute was a sloppy play by the Seattle backline on a cross into the box by Malte Amundsen. The Sounders failed to contain the cross in, and Andrade would be left wide open to put away an easy ball in front of net. Seattle holding the reigning MLS champions to one goal off of sloppy defense should be considered a small victory. New York failed to really challenge Seattle keeper Stefan Frei all game, outside of the goal. While it is not currently known if Yeimar will be good to go for the second leg, he was seen jogging at the last practice. Adding him into the mix helps Seattle greatly on the defensive end.

What to look for in the next matchup

Seattle has all of the talent in the world on their roster, so that part is not in question. The Sounders look healthy for the most part, with the exception of defender of the year finalist Yeimar. With the leadership in the locker room and Brian Schmetzer at the helm, don’t expect Seattle to look ahead to the final. The Sounders need to play how they did in the second leg of the quarterfinals. Smart defensively, but with an eye on adding more goals to their total.

When’s the next match?

The Sounders will come into their second leg match up against New York on April 13th, with a 6PM PST kickoff at Red Bull Arena. Valentin Castellanos and New York will be in a two-goal hole. In order to advance to the Concacaf Champions League final, Seattle will need to win, draw, or lose leg two by one goal. If Seattle loses by two goals, but scores at least two goals, the Sounders advance.

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