Seattle Sounders He is the first champion CONCACAF from United State With direct access to clubs World Cup. It took 22 years for a team of Ml He once again dominated North and Central America and the Caribbean, but this time the feeling was different from what you achieved DC United In 1998 and galaxy In 2000, where there is now a direct ticket to the highest international club competition on the planet.
The Washington-based team has checked its local standings to get the long-awaited title Concachampions. Before it could seat 68,741 fans, which is an attendance record for the final of this tournament, they dedicated themselves with a resounding 3-0 score. cougarswho until the 80th minute hoped to send the match into overtime because they were barely losing 1-0, but the last 10 minutes were stormy for the American team.
Two of the three goals were the work of an old Mexican soccer acquaintance, the Peruvian striker Raul Ruediazwho saved five years ago Monrash Morelia From the drop in the last minute goal in Monterey. However, the final return of the Concchampions 2022 against cougars It represented a unique opportunity in his career that he was not willing to miss. So it was. Two goals more than one Nicholas LodeiroBoth form the first international title in the history of sounding.
“I’ve been through everything: I won the championship, I saved from relegation, I lost the finals and it was a very hard blow, I don’t think my heart can beat another defeat (…) I know this is the most important match of my career, and I know that. And I just hope to celebrate after this match, I planned everything, but we have to play it,” said Ruediaz before the match against Pumas, in which he was applauded as a champion.
The Sounders’ team play is based on their international personalities, such as Ruidíaz himself, who was even a World Cup player with Peru at Russia 2018; Nicolas Lodeiro, captain, ex-team player Ajax Amsterdam the choice of Uruguay; In addition to Xavier Arreaga, a strong central defender who has been signed from Barcelona de Guayaquil and is currently a key player with Ecuador national team eve World Cup Qatar.
Add to that the local talent Jordan MorrisAnd Kelly Rowe s Christian RoldanBut also international personalities such as the Swiss goalkeeper Stephen Frywho saved two shots from Juan Ignacio Denino s Diogo de Oliveira When the score is still 1-0 and anything can happen.
For the Sounders, it was necessary to save the tie in their visit to University City In the first leg, where despite losing 2-0 before the 50th minute, he managed to recover from two penalty kicks that capitalized well by Nico Lodeiro. Thanks to that, everything came even in terms of celebrating the big date in Washington, despite the advantage of having nearly 70,000 souls supporting them.
In this way, the United States obtained its third star in the CONCACAF championships dating back to 1962. The first was achieved. DC United In 1998 and the second Los Angeles Galaxy in 2000, but in a completely different format as all matches from the quarter-finals were played in the United States; Furthermore, at that time, the hero had no right to be present clubs World Cup.
Today things are different. Seattle can boast being the first MLS team to go to Mundialito and they did so by breaking the undefeated 16-year streak in MX . League Become the Conchachampion Champion. On their way they tried Royal Salt Lake (lost to Monterrey in 2011), Montreal effect (He lost to America in 2015), Toronto FC. (lost to Chivas in 2018) and Los Angeles FC. (He lost to the Tigress in 2020).
For her part, Pumas will go on to extend his 11-year streak without being a champion in any tournament, as it was in 2011 when he won the World Cup Finals. MX . League From there they took two places in second place (also in Liga MX).
As for CONCACAF, the university students were able to return to the final 17 years later, when they were runners-up against Sabrisa. Costa Rica in 2005. Interestingly, this was the last time a Mexican team lost the Concampón Cup, and again with Pumas, they lost it in 2022 at the hands of their first MLS champion.
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