The Seattle Sounders’ performances in this year's Concacaf Champions Cup and FIFA Club World Cup helped put the team on the map.
Now, the Sounders have one final opportunity to showcase their stature on the world stage in this year’s edition of Leagues Cup, beginning on July 31 when the team faces reigning CCC champs Cruz Azul in their first of three Phase One matches at Lumen Field (7:30 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, Apple TV+, FS1, UniMás, TUDN, TSN, Televisa, El Rey 1360AM).
“We're looking forward to a fast tempo, high energy, exciting game,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer.
A competition between all 18 Liga MX’s teams and 18 qualified MLS sides, Leagues Cup is about securing North American dominance. The regional rivalry kicks off immediately under the new tournament format, as each Phase One match will pit MLS and Liga MX teams head-to-head. Along with the Sounders’ battle against Cruz Azul, the team will face Santos Laguna on Aug. 3 and Club Tijuana on Aug. 6.
“We're going to put out a strong lineup for each of the three games,” said Schmetzer. “[And] we want to start well…[Thursday] is a big game.”
Leagues Cup 2025
The battle for North America is back and it’s bigger than ever.
This summer, 36 of the best — all 18 clubs from Liga MX and the top 18 qualifying teams from MLS — will clash for regional supremacy, with the top three finishers punching their ticket to the Concacaf Champions Cup.
The Sounders are among the winningest teams in MLS, with a trophy case containing four U.S. Open Cups, one Supporters' Shield, two MLS Cups, and one Concacaf Champions League title. But, the Leagues Cup is the one piece of silverware missing. The Rave Green came close to winning the competition when the team advanced to the final in 2021, but ultimately fell to Club León 3-2.
This year has potential to be different. In addition to the team’s current league success as the No. 4 team in the West, the Sounders’ stalwart display against teams like 2024/25 UCL winners Paris Saint-Germain has proven them to be promising contenders of the upcoming competition.
“Every tournament, every game, is important for this club,” said Schmetzer. “They'll be ready.”
Another chance for continental glory starts tomorrow, and the Sounders are determined to finally take what’s theirs.
“It's going to be a challenging game, but these are the games that we want to play, and these are the types of teams and players we want to go up against,” said midfielder Albert Rusnák. “If we can beat [Cruz Azul], then it will set [us] up good for the remainder of Leagues Cup.”
