Where four other MLS clubs had failed over the past 22 years, the Seattle Sounders stayed the course and made history.
Dealt blow after blow across the two-legged CONCACAF Champions League final, the Sounders produced a historic performance in front of a record crowd at Lumen Field, with a 3-0 win seeing Seattle become the first MLS team to win the CONCACAF Champions League, and the first MLS team since 2000 to win a continental title.
Much has been made over the years about the Mexican dominance of the continental club tournament, with a Liga MX side winning every single year since 2005, until Pumas came to Lumen Field in front of the largest crowd in CONCACAF Champions League history.
The weight of the CCL duck weighed heavily on MLS, growing heavier with each successive failure. Where other MLS clubs crumbled under the weight of the moment or the pressure of adversity, Seattle managed to stay on course. Two early injuries to Nouhou and Joao Paulo looked like more MLS bad vibes in the continental competition, but Raul Ruidiaz scored twice and Nicolas Lodeiro finished it off to make sure the Sounders shook off all that stood in its way.
Albert Rusnak was the best player on the field the whole match, given extra weight after Joao Paulo’s departure. The Slovakian international controlled the midfield and moved Seattle’s buildup forward, cropping up all over the pitch on multiple occasions.
Goalkeeper Stefan Frei made a huge save midway through the second half to keep…
