> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Sounders Head into Leagues Cup Quarterfinals Clash Against Unpredictable Puebla - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/seattle-sounders-league-cup-quarterfinals-unpredictable-puebla/ - Published: 2025-08-20T03:25:14.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:18:44.000Z - Author: Qasim Ali - Tags: Analysis, Sounders, Leagues Cup \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2048"\] ![ Seattle Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas dribbles during a Leagues Cup game against Santos Laguna on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Wash. (Maddy Grassy / Sounders FC Communications) ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/54698564221_acd24cae10_k-format-original.jpg) Seattle Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas dribbles during a Leagues Cup game against Santos Laguna on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Wash. (Maddy Grassy / Sounders FC Communications) \[/caption\] The Seattle Sounders will continue their busy summer slate with a Leagues Cup quarterfinals match against Liga MX side Club Puebla at home on Wednesday night. Seattle is coming off a loss to Minnesota United in MLS play, but has been the only perfect team in Leagues Cup play. Seattle won its three group stage games by a combined score of 11-2, including a signature 7-0 blowout of Cruz Azul on July 31\. The recent form makes 2025 seem like as good a chance as any for Seattle to go where it hasn’t gone before — atop the Leagues Cup. First things first, as Seattle prepares to face a changing Puebla team it has never played before. ### Club Puebla Overview Puebla isn’t as storied of a franchise, at least recently, as Cruz Azul or some other prominent Liga MX squads. Puebla has only finished higher than 10th in Mexican top-flight league play three times since 2003 and hasn’t earned a finish higher than fifth in that span. Puebla went 2-1-0 in the group stage of the Leagues Cup, but is in worse form in the weeks since. With a 1-4-0 record in Liga MX play this season, Puebla has lost its last two games by a combined score of 9-0. Seattle may be coming off a [1-0 loss to Minnesota United](https://sunfish-smilodon-3p8h.squarespace.com/home/missed-opportunities-doom-seattle-sounders-loss-minnesota?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com), but Puebla’s form is a major concern coming into a Lumen Field venue that has proved detrimental to many visitors. Add to the fact that Puebla parted with coach Pablo Guede last week and will be managed in the interim by skipper Martin Bravo, and you have a recipe for a possibly disjointed performance. "We won't know exactly what influence the new coach has had, whether they continue to play the way they have because they've had good results in Leagues Cup, or do they change and do something different because it's the quarterfinal, we won't know that," Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said. Puebla employed a 3-5-1-1 formation twice in Leagues Cup and a 4-3-3 once earlier this month, but is giving up the second-highest expected goal total in Liga MX thus far. That result has translated to 18 goals allowed in eight games, including Leagues Cup play. In its first five Liga MX games, the team has used a five-man backline just once, but Schmetzer won't have much of a sample size to plan on against Bravo. Let’s look at what Puebla has done right in Leagues Cup play thus far, though. In its two wins, the squad downed New York City and Montreal. Puebla beat New York City 3-0 thanks to a second-minute goal and got a 73rd-minute game-winner in Montreal against a team playing with nine men after red cards. 23-year old Uruguayan forward Emiliano Gómez scored in both matches and led Puebla with five goals last season — his first with the club. His six shots on target through the three games are tied for the third most in the tournament thus far. Midfielder Raúl Castillo will miss the match due to a red card in previous action, but Chilean defender Nicolás Díaz Huincales will look to continue his strong campaign with 30 progressive passes in just four appearances. Owen González and Edgar Guerra have been dynamic with 36 combined progressive runs in just five games. Puebla's offense, which has managed just four goals in five games in Liga MX play, has the fourth-highest expected-goal total in the league at 7.7\. For reference, Pachuca and Atlas also have 7.7 expected goals but have each capitalized to score 10. The identity of this Puebla offense has been to generate solid opportunities, but it hasn't broken through nearly as much as other squads. Despite all the negatives floating around, this is a Puebla side actively trying to reshape its image and competitive outlook. According to Schmetzer, Puebla traveled to Seattle early to get three practices in at Lumen Field before the match. "We cannot take this game lightly, we must play up to our potential because they're a dangerous team," Schmetzer said. ### Sounders Outlook The Sounders have been in excellent shape since the Club World Cup, but lost their only game in the last 11 matches on Saturday against Minnesota. With the general fixture congestion associated with the Leagues Cup running parallel to MLS play, Seattle has had to keep a short memory regardless of wins or losses. Schmetzer only had stars Danny Musovski and Pedro de la Vega play the final 20 minutes against United, as both players should be in good condition for another physical matchup. The Sounders have been vocal about their preparation for the heightened intensity that Liga MX sides operate with throughout the tournament, and Wednesday should be no different. Puebla has committed the fourth-most fouls in Leagues Cup play (47) while Seattle has absorbed the most fouls (52). It’ll likely be another Andrew Thomas game in the net with 39-year old Stefan Frei, who played his first game in over a month on Saturday, still being eased back into what has been a seriously busy few weeks for Seattle. Obed Vargas and Cristian Roldan will have to manage a decently dynamic Puebla midfield as well. But more importantly, it’ll be up to steadying forces like those two, and defenders like Yeimar, to navigate a game that Schmetzer can’t fully prepare his team for thanks to Puebla’s changing image. The Sounders have shown they can adjust, employing a five-man backline on Saturday to halt chances for a strong Minnesota side. But Schmetzer is looking to get back to creating opportunities more often on Wednesday, and with Kim Kee-hee dealing with a calf injury, he may want to save the number of defenders he has to play. "I don't think that we're going to switch to a backline of five against Puebla. We're playing at home, we're going to try to be on the front foot. Pedro is able to play again, we'll have options on the wings," Schmetzer said, explaining how Minnesota specifically struggles against five-man backlines. "We're going to go back to what we've had success with and just play to our potential." ### The Verdict This is a tough one to call. Seattle is certainly in better form, but a single-elimination tournament against an unpredictable team like this recently changed Puebla side is danger for the Sounders. Add to the fact that Puebla has shown an ability to generate opportunities against Liga MX teams and score in the Leagues Cup, and this is a squad with more potential than its current form may indicate. With home-field advantage though, Seattle should be able to notch a win, considering key pieces like Musovski and de la Vega will be rested. The Sounders will just need to get back to scoring like they have all summer to give themselves the best shot.