Clint Dempsey was the Seattle Sounders’ hero in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal round. The former USMNT star netted both goals and allowed Seattle to escape with a draw in a game where they struggled far more than expected against America at CenturyLink Field.
With the second leg set to be played on Thursday, does Seattle have a chance against the Liga MX giants? The score might be tied, but it must be remembered that this pivotal game will be played away from home so the Sounders will have to travel to Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, a venue located at exactly 2,278 meters above sea level.
To make things worse, the defending CCL champions hold the away-goal tiebreaker since they netted two goals in US soil. It doesn’t look like a bright scenario for Sigi Schmid’s boys.
With that being said, it’s not over for Seattle. They still have a chance to pull the upset against America on the road but they must know they missed a great chance to pull away on the aggregate score. In this second leg Seattle needs to be far more effective in front of goal as every missed opportunity could doom their chances of reaching the Semifinals.
Seattle will need Dempsey to come up big once again but the rest of the team will have to chip in as well. It’s hard to ask European-born players like Andreas Ivanschitz to perform at a high level in conditions they’re not used to play so the South-American born players will have to appear. Seattle will need much more from Nelson Haedo Valdez, for instance, as the Paraguayan striker was a non-factor in the first leg.
The defensive zone is another area where Seattle needs to be sharper in this second leg. The defenders struggled massively against the pace of Oribe Peralta, Carlos Quintero and Rubens Sambueza in the first leg and all those traits are even more difficult to stop in altitude, although fortunately for Seattle, Sambueza has been ruled out of Wednesday’s clash. They need to be as concentrated as possible because one inch not covered can easily transform into a goal against them.
Expect Seattle to repeat the 4-3-3 system they had in the first leg although it could easily transform into a 4-4-1-1, with Dempsey assuming a playmaker role and leaving Valdez all alone up top when the team doesn’t have the ball. It will be pretty interesting to see how the manager will surprise America knowing a draw – or a loss – won’t be enough.
Seattle needs to win this game not only for them, but for the MLS as well. They always say they are the best team in the league and now they have to show it. The road will be complicated, but they have enough weapons on their squad to pull the upset.