To some, the Seattle Sounders reaching the Leagues Cup Final is a grandiose occasion, an accomplishment in itself that should be celebrated with all the fanfare a final normally carries. But to the Sounders themselves, Sunday’s title match against Inter Miami (5:00 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+, Univision, TUDN, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360AM, SiriusXM FC 157 | TICKETS) is just another match exemplifying the club’s DNA.
“We’re an organization that is always fighting for titles,” said Sounders defender Alex Roldan on Wednesday after defeating the LA Galaxy 2-0 in Southern California in the Leagues Cup Semifinals. “We’ve been in many finals before, and this is another objective and goal that we’ve set for ourselves, to be the best in the league, the best in the continent. We’re going out there to prove a point and hopefully finish that game with a trophy.”
The Sounders have four U.S. Open Cup titles, two MLS Cups, a Supporters’ Shield and a Concacaf Champions Cup title to their name since they entered MLS in 2009. Their trophy cabinet is overflowing but still lacks one elusive title in the Leagues Cup, something the club is hoping to rectify on Sunday in front of a packed Lumen Field crowd.
“It’s a big deal of course, just the atmosphere alone,” said Sounders forward Osaze De Rosario, who scored against LA on Wednesday. “It’s going to be everything that we expect it to be. It’s going to be everything that the fans expect it to be.”
By advancing to the title game, the Sounders booked their spot in the 2026 edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup, giving themselves another opportunity to show out even further on the regional stage and potentially qualify again for the FIFA Club World Cup. Seattle has been on an absolute tear since exiting the global tournament earlier this summer, posting a 10-1-3 record in 14 matches while unleashing a club-record-setting attack in the process.
“The Club World Cup was certainly part of it, playing top-level teams,” said Roldan. “You focus in, you zone in a little more. We came together collectively. It’s our team, the way we’re built, the way we’re set up. It’s a great group of guys, we’re all in this together. We all bought into our goals and objectives of the year. We all gave a little bit more after that Club World Cup. We’re riding on it now and on the wave, and hopefully we can continue to build and improve on that.”
Despite playing “the greatest player of all time\],” as [Head Coach Brian Schmetzer noted of Miami’s Lionel Messi, the moment is not too big for the Sounders, nor the lights too bright. It doesn’t matter who lines up across from them on Sunday, the mentality to do their job remains the same.
“This is what the club is built on,” said De Rosario. “We’re built on championships. To win the Leagues Cup would be just a step in our direction.”
The club announced earlier today that it has opened up additional inventory in the upper bowl at Lumen Field to expand capacity for Sunday's final. You can get your tickets HERE.
