The Seattle Sounders’ journey toward their first-ever Leagues Cup title recommences on Wednesday, Aug. 20 as the team takes on Club Puebla at Lumen Field in the tournament’s Quarterfinals.
Whether it be the grit and resilience it took for the Rave Green to reach this point or the milestones that came with it, Phase One was full of exciting moments. To better understand the significance of the Sounders’ opening phase of Leagues Cup, here are nine highlights worth looking back on:
1. Record-breaking win
The Seattle Sounders defeated Cruz Azul 7-0 in the club’s first Phase One match of the tournament on July 31. The result marked the Sounders’ biggest win in club history across all competitions and the largest margin of victory for a MLS team over a Liga MX opponent.
2. CCL rematch
The Seattle Sounders were eliminated from the Concacaf Champions Cup earlier this year after falling to Cruz Azul in the Round of 16 on 4-1 aggregate. The Liga MX side went on to win the overall tournament, but were no match for the Rave Green less than six months later as they overpowered Cruz Azul in the two teams’ opening match of Leagues Cup.
3. de la Vega’s rocket from distance
While winger Pedro de la Vega managed to get a brace in the team’s 7-0 victory over Cruz Azul, it was his second goal of the night that could arguably go down as one of the top Sounders’ goals in 2025. de la Vega managed to get a one-time shot off defender Alex Roldan’s cross-field diagonal ball, executing an out-of-this-world volley into the far post of the goal.
4. Brunell makes first appearance as contracted player
Just two days after Snyder Brunell signed to the First Team on a Homegrown deal, the 18-year-old made his first appearance as a contracted player in the team’s match against Cruz Azul. The midfielder made the most of his 10 minutes on the pitch, showcasing an 100% success rate in dribbles and pass completions.
5. De Rosario gets first career First Team start
Forward Osaze De Rosario earned his first career start with the Seattle Sounders in the team’s final Phase One match versus Club Tijuana. Not only did he score the equalizer in the 56th minute, the second half goal marked his third in four consecutive matches.
6. Musovski game-winner
The Sounders’ secured their final Phase One win over Club Tijuana and a ticket to the League Cup Quarterfinals with an 87th minute header goal from forward Danny Musovski. This comes as no surprise as the Henderson, Nevada native has been all over the score sheet this year, recently tying midfielder Albert Rusnák for most club goals across all competitions this season just one match later (12).
7. Everyone contributing
The Sounders finished Phase One with a total of 11 goals in three matches. Of those 11 goals, eight different players scored for the Rave Green. De Rosario and de la Vega contributed to two goals each, while Yeimar, Obed Vargas, Jesús Ferreira, Nouhou, Georgi Minoungou and Musovski made the score sheet once.
8. Only unbeaten team in Phase One
The Sounders’ became the only team from both the MLS and Liga MX’s rankings to come away with three wins in Phase One. Following their massive 7-0 victory over Cruz Azul, the team defeated Santos Laguna and Club Tijuana, 2-1, to earn the first place spot in the MLS standings of the tournament.
9. Schmetzer’s solid record vs. Liga MX
Following the Sounders' Phase One victories, Brian Schmetzer now has a total of 9 wins over Liga MX teams since he took over as the interim head coach on July 26, 2016. This includes wins in both Leagues Cup and Concacaf Champions Cup. His record against Liga MX teams now stands as 9 wins, 5 losses and 3 ties.
