Seattle Sounders FC welcomes Club Necaxa with knockout round implications for all three teams in the West 6 group, which includes Minnesota United FC, when the MLS-Liga MX clash takes place on Sunday at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington.
“We want to continue to win games,” said Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer. “I've gone on the record many times that this club has always put importance in every tournament that we enter. And that's going to stay the same.”
“We want to win the group,” he added.
The summer tournament has also allowed the Emerald club to reincorporate one of its big offseason signings, Pedro de la Vega, after an injury earlier in the year. The Argentine played 56 minutes in his Leagues Cup encounter against Minnesota, his most since March.
“Obviously I'm happy, first of all, to be back on the pitch,” said de la Vega. “We've played several games at home, and the truth is, it's also very good for me because it's good to get to know the people better. And I also think that right now it's very important to get to know my teammates and understand the idea of what the coaching staff wants from me.”
Seattle became the third-ever MLS club to win the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2022, breaking a 16-year winning streak for Liga MX. Sounders FC will participate in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup as a result, but before that it looks to add the Leagues Cup to its trophy case.
“They are generally strong at home,” said Necaxa head coach Eduardo Fentanes. “They know how to take advantage of their synthetic pitch, and, above all, they take advantage of the long process they have had with the coach, almost eight years.”
The Sounders have only lost two of 14 matches, across all competitions, at Lumen Field this year. Necaxa is coming off a 1-0 loss to Minnesota United, and a 1W-1D-2L in league play before that, but a win would send the club to the next round of the Leagues Cup.
Knowing what’s at stake, Fenantes has his team focused on getting the victory. The Mexican manager led Los Rayos to a 7W-6D-4L record in the Clausura 2024 season and participation in the play-in round in the playoffs.
Necaxa had a golden era during the 1990s, winning three Mexican league titles and a CONCACAF Champions League. While recovering those glory days won’t happen overnight, the club can return to the CCC by playing top three in the Leagues Cup – one of the reasons they look to stay alive in the tournament.
“It is an experience that gives us all a lot,” said Necaxa goalkeeper Ezequiel Unsain. “This competition, or international competitions like we are playing, gives us a lot of prestige.”
“We really want to continue in it,” Unsain added. “We really came to the United States with great hope and we will work hard and try to do things on the field in the best way possible so that Necaxa can continue this competition and both the young and the older players can continue enjoying this.”
