By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 1, 2023) US Soccer Players – The Seattle Sounders have already achieved plenty. There’s no denying, after all, that the Sounders’ victory in the 2022 Concacaf Champions League was a breakthrough moment for one of the world’s fastest-growing soccer leagues. It took until the 14th edition of the Champions League for a Major League Soccer club to win. Seattle’s march to the title last year saw them beat two Liga MX clubs along the way, speaking to MLS’s methodical efforts to improve its standing on the international stage.
For the Sounders themselves, conquering Concacaf gave the club one of the only trophies missing from its incredibly well-stocked case. Seattle was already a model MLS club and the envy of organizations across North America, but achieving Champions League glory solidified the Sounders’ standing. They joined DC United and the LA Galaxy, winners of the old Concacaf Champions’ Cup, with the Galaxy qualifying for the canceled 2001 Club World Cup.
Seattle proved what could be done in the Champions League era. The club will forever be tied to that historic achievement. Now for the next part. On Saturday, the Sounders will become the first MLS team to represent MLS at the Club World Cup. At world level, it’s Europe that is dominant.
The UEFA representative has won the Club World Cup nine consecutive times. No team from outside of Europe or South America (which last won the title via Corinthians of Brazil in 2012) has ever taken home the trophy. The results at the Club World Cup almost always reflect the reality of the modern game. With so much money and talent concentrated in Europe, the rest of the world will struggle to compete.
Concacaf’s history at the tournament is decidedly mixed. Liga MX clubs, the only league ever to represent Concacaf at the Club World Cup, have occasionally put in strong showings. In 2021, Tigres finished as runners-up in the postponed 2020 edition of the tournament to Bayern Munich. They beat Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea and Palmeiras of Brazil before narrowly losing 1-0 to the European champions. Liga MX clubs have finished third on five occasions, including in 2012 (Monterrey), 2017 (Pachuca), and 2019 (Monterrey).
Most often, however, Concacaf’s entry ends up missing out on a semifinal appearance. In February of last year, Monterrey lost to Egypt’s Al Ahly in the second round, the entry point for Concacaf teams. Seattle doesn’t need to win the Club World Cup to make a mark. Reasonable expectations are following the team on their journey.
Seattle faces that most MLS of problems: A calendar that puts the club at a distinct disadvantage as it hits international competition. That issue has long hampered MLS clubs trying to advance in the Concacaf Champions League. The Sounders themselves had to overcome early season rust to take home last year’s Champions League title.
Seattle’s 2022 Champions League campaign kicked off against Motagua of Honduras on February 17, deep into the club’s preseason and just a few weeks ahead of the start of the 2022 MLS season. By the time the Sounders hit the field for their first competitive game of 2022, they’d already been in training for more than a month and played multiple friendlies.
For the Club World Cup, the Sounders are going from a cold start directly into a fierce challenge. To prepare for the earliest-ever beginning to the competitive season, Seattle launched its preseason on January 7. The club spent the last week in Spain playing a pair of friendlies just a short flight away from where the Club World Cup will take place in Morocco in a bid to be as ready as possible for what’s coming on Saturday.
If Seattle was going up against clubs at a similar point in their seasons, the timing of the tournament wouldn’t be as much of a concern. Just as with the Concacaf Champions League, MLS team heads into a competition to face clubs that are already in the rhythm of their seasons.
With the return of Joao Paulo and Obed Vargas from the injuries that ended their 2022 seasons prematurely, head coach Brian Schmetzer has a full-strength squad available for selection for the first time since Seattle faced Pumas in the second leg of last year’s Champions League final. The Sounders core, including US internationals Christian Roldan and Jordan Morris, is healthy and ready for the challenge.
Seattle also strengthened in the winter, adding former NYCFC striker Heber to the depth chart behind Best XI forward Raul Ruidiaz. Stefan Frei is healthy. Yeimar Gomez Andrade and Xavier Arreaga remain one of the best center back pairings in North America.
Last May, the Sounders conquered North America. Now, it’s time to face the rest of the world.
Jason Davis is the founder of MatchFitUSA.com and the host of The United States of Soccer on SiriusXM. Contact him: matchfitusa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter.
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Photo by Imago via ZUMA Press – ISIPhotos.com
