By Emor Villa
The Seattle Sounders secured their second straight win to remain the top team in Leagues Cup Phase One. The Rave Green defeated Santos Laguna 2-1 at Lumen Field, taking sole possession of first place in the MLS standings after two matches.
Seattle struck in both halves, starting with an early own goal by Santos that set the tone. While the Liga MX side pushed to equalize, their open defense left space for Seattle to capitalize, and Georgi Minoungou sealed the win in the second half.
The scoring began in the 8th minute, when Santos defender Haret Ortega attempted to block a cross from the right side. His deflection, however, ended up in the back of his own net, giving the Sounders a 1-0 lead.
Chasing the game, Santos committed numbers forward, but Seattle found chances on the counter. In the 72nd minute, Danny Leyva broke through and set up Minoungou, who fired home to double the lead. However, Minoungou received a second yellow card for his celebration and was sent off, forcing Seattle to finish the game with 10 men.
Santos continued to fight and eventually found a goal in stoppage time. Cristian Dájome’s strike marked the first goal conceded by Seattle in Leagues Cup 2025, but it came too late to change the outcome.
With the win, Seattle stays atop the MLS group standings with six points, nine goals scored, and just one conceded. They’ll look to clinch a spot in the Knockout Stage in their final group game against Club Tijuana. Santos, still winless, has now been eliminated in the group stage for the third straight Leagues Cup.
REACTIONS
- Seattle Head Coach Brian Schmetzer
- “Leagues Cup it’s a tournament that is really hard to win. Games are never easy against Liga MX teams. They have a lot of quality. It’s MLS, Liga MX, Concacaf, we are a very competitive region and all games have been exciting”.
PLAYERS OF THE MATCH
- Seattle Sounders
- Midfielder Danny Leyva was the key player for Seattle. He completed 90% of his passes, one of which ended as the game-winning assist.
GAME NOTES
- After six different players scored for Seattle in the first match, the Sounder added a new goal scorer in this tournament, but Georgi Minoungou won’t play in the last game of Phase One against Club Tijuana.
- Santos Laguna remains winless in Leagues Cup history. The Mexican side has four defeats and two ties in the tournament.
- The Sounders remain unbeaten in their last 8 games with five wins and three ties. They will try to clinch a spot in the Knockout Stage for the second time in Leagues Cup.
- Danny Leyva got his first assist of the season. The Las Vegas native had his first start in the last 15 games.
CARDS/INJURY REPORT
- Yellow Cards
- Seattle: None
- Santos: Haret Ortega, Anthony Lozano, Kevin Palacios
- Red Cards:
- Seattle: Georgi Minoungou
LOOKING AHEAD
- Seattle Sounders will try to clinch a spot in the Knockout Stage in the next match against Club Tijuana on August 6th. The Rave Green needs two points to secure a place in the playoff.
- Santos Laguna will play against LA Galaxy on August 7th at Dignity Health Sports Park. The Mexican side will try to eliminate the Californian Galácticos as they need to win to keep chances.
