The outcome of last week’s CONCACAF Champions League match between CD Olimpia and Vancouver Whitecaps FC was exactly what Sounders FC needed in its quest to win Group F.
Thanks to Vancouver’s 1-0 victory at BC Place, Seattle controls its own destiny and can clinch a spot in the Knockout Round with a win over the Whitecaps at CenturyLink Field on Wednesday (7 pm PT; FOX Sports 2). The two Cascadia rivals are now tied atop the group at four points apiece – and Vancouver has a game in hand – but the first tiebreaker is head-to-head results. Sounders FC earned a draw at BC Place in the opening game, so a victory this week would clinch the club’s advancement.
2015-16 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League
Had the Whitecaps and Olimpia played to a draw or the visitors taken three points, the Honduran side would be in the driver’s seat due to its away goal at Seattle on August 19.
Olimpia is now a point behind the two MLS sides with one match remaining, a home fixture against Vancouver on October 22. That game will be meaningless if Sounders FC wins on Wednesday. But if the Rave Green lose or draw, they will be eliminated from the competition.
Sounders FC is 9-5-0 all-time at home in the Champions League. The club is trying to advance to the Knockout Round for the third time, as Seattle won its group in 2011-12 and 2012-13.
D.C. United is the only team in the 2015-16 edition of the tournament to have already clinched its group. The Black and Red have won all three of their Group Stage matches, scoring six goals and conceding none. Real Salt Lake and the LA Galaxy are also in first place in their groups.
