Major League Soccer side Seattle Sounders have made history. Sounders beat Liga MX side UNAM Pumas 3-0 in front of a Concacaf Champions League record crowd of 68,741 at Lumen Field in Seattle thanks to goals by Raúl Ruidíaz (45′ & 80′) and Nicolás Lodeiro (88′). It is the first time an MLS side has lifted a continental title since the Concacaf Champions League was introduced in 2008.
It was a slow start to the affair in Seattle. The Sounders had rallied late in Mexico to rescue a 2-2 draw. But with no away goals in effect for the final, the game essentially started at 0-0 and Pumas were the better of the two sides to start the game. Furthermore, Seattle lost midfielder João Paulo and left-back Nouhou to injuries. The injuries only further added to a nervous start for the team in Rave Green but then in the 45th minute when Ruidíaz scored the first of his two goals. The Peruvian superstar benefitted from multiple bounces as the ball pinballed across the line just before halftime.
That goal changed the complexion of the game. Pumas now had to be more aggressive. The Sounders, in the meantime, could now rely on their speedy forwards to hit the Mexicans on the break. There were several opportunities to add a second but it took until the 80th minute for the second goal to arrive. Once again it was Ruidíaz, who would get it done for the Sounders, executing a beautiful attacking play that saw him score from short-range.
The second goal broke Pumas. The Sounders were now in the belief that they had made history securing that long-sought title not just for them but for the league. With the fans roaring them on, they would add a third in the 88th minute. This time it was superstar Lodeiro. A fitting end, the Argentine playmaker has very much reigned in a new era for the Sounders when he joined in 2016, making Seattle the closest thing to a dynasty the league ever had. A dynasty that has won two MLS Cups, an MLS Cup final appearance, and now finally a continental trophy, that will see the Sounders go to the FIFA Club World Cup.
