The Seattle Sounders are hosting FC Motagua on Thursday in Leg Two of the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Round of 16. Here is everything you need to know
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7:45 p.m. PT at Lumen Field (TICKETS).
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be televised on FS2 and TUDN.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on KJR on the iHeart Radio app and El Rey 1360AM in Spanish.
PREVIOUS MEETING: The Sounders battled Motagua to a scoreless draw in Honduras on February 17 in Leg One of this home-and-away series.
GETTING UP TO SPEED: Seattle’s scoreless draw on the road at Motagua marked the club’s first match of the 2022 season. While the hosts already had several league matches under their belt, the Sounders were shaking off a bit of rust in their first CCL clash.
FUTURE IS BRIGHT: One of the standout performances in Leg One came from Homegrown Player Obed Vargas, who was making just his second start with the First Team. Lined up next to Cristian Roldan in the Rave Green’s midfield double-pivot, the 16-year-old Academy graduate put in an excellent two-way shift, showcasing his defensive bite and dribbling ability.
FIRST GLIMPSE: Leg One served as an introduction for the Sounders’ newest Designated Player signing, Albert Rusnák. Signed as a free agent from Real Salt Lake in the offseason, the attacking midfielder showed flashes of his undeniable attacking quality in the draw with Motagua. With the first match and another week of training under his belt, look for Rusnák to take on a bigger role in Leg Two.
FAMILIAR FORMATION: After spending all of 2021 utilizing a new three-man backline, the Sounders reverted back to their usual 4-2-3-1 formation for the first leg against Motagua. With Jordan Morris and Rusnák manning the wings, and Nicolás Lodeiro playing centrally underneath Raúl Ruidíaz, it’s a system that promises plenty of attacking firepower.
NEW YEAR, NEW ROLE: With the new formation and addition of Rusnák, Cristian Roldan moved back to his preferred holding midfield spot after spending much of last year in an attacking role last year.
KEY RETURNS: Midfielder João Paulo and left back Nouhou, both of whom arrived late to preseason, should be available for selection on Thursday.
SCENARIOS: Since the first match ended in a scoreless draw, the Sounders will need to win the second leg outright in order to advance to the SCCL Quarterfinals. Due to the away goals tiebreaker, any type of scoring draw would see Motagua advance, while another scoreless draw would send the match to penalties.
