> ## 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 FC Eliminated from CONCACAAF Champions Cup, Drop Leg 2 to Cruz Azul - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/sounders-fc-eliminated-champions-cup-cruz-azul/ - Published: 2025-03-12T05:59:35.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:21:09.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: Sounders, Jordan Morris, Danny Musovski, Paul Arriola, Christian Roldan \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1080"\] ![ Sounders midfielder Christian Roldan glides downfield during a regular season match at Lumen Field. Credit: Christian Roldan/Instagram ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/460191811_1044206076871676_5007460340607235893_n-format-original-1.jpg) Sounders midfielder Christian Roldan glides downfield during a regular season match at Lumen Field. Credit: Christian Roldan/Instagram \[/caption\] Coming into the season, Seattle Sounders FC were heralded for their signings, which were expected to provide them with much needed depth, especially in attacking areas, to handle the early season schedule juggling both CONCACAAF Champions Cup and MLS. However, early in the match on Tuesday evening in Mexico City against Cruz Azul, that depth would be tested as both Paul Arriola and Jordan Morris went down with injuries sandwiched around halftime. Cruz Azul would go on to take advantage of tired legs without those two players available and punish the Rave Green for giving the ball away too many times in their own end, taking the second leg of this CONCACAAF Champions Cup round of 16 tie 4-1. “Do I think 4-1 is indicative of the two teams? No…I don’t think my team played as well as it could have tonight,” Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said in his post game press conference after the loss. “In the first half we weren’t able to establish any possession…we were tired, defending, and then we would give the ball away…so that eventually wore us down.” The match was anything but a Cruz Azul dominant performance, as Seattle looked bright early, getting a few chances to take the lead, but came out with nothing on those opportunities. After the early stretch of chances from Seattle, Cruz Azul would grow into the game and would make their possessions count with a Carlos Rodriguez headed goal in the 33rd minute and the home side would take the 1-0 lead in the match, and the tie, going into halftime. The Sounders would then be forced into substitutions perhaps before Schmetzer was ready to make changes, as Arriola was carted off the field just after halftime. Morris, the franchise’s new goal scoring leader, would also be forced to leave due to injury in the 66th minute as he pulled up in an attempt to run down a through ball, indicating a possible hamstring injury. Schmetzer had no further updates on their status, simply saying, “With Paul it is a left knee injury and we will assess him at home, and with Jordan it is a left leg injury and we will assess him at home.” As the status of two key figures in the Sounders squad lay in the balance, the Rave Green would battle on in the second half. Arriola’s replacement, Paul Rothrock, would find himself in the middle of many chances for the away side to level the scoring early in the second half, but it would be at the other end of the pitch, unfortunately, where he would make an impact on the score line, committing a penalty on a rash challenge on a breakaway to give Cruz Azul the chance for the all-important two goal cushion. Veteran striker Angel Sepulveda took advantage from the spot and gave the home side a two-goal lead in the 71st minute. That two goal lead would prove vital for the Mexican side, as Danny Musovski, Morris’ replacement, pounced on a rebound after a free kick to bring the Sounders within one goal just three minutes later. There was still hope for Seattle to keep their Champions Cup hopes alive. Pushing hard for the equalizer, Seattle threw caution to the wind and started committing more numbers forward, playing right into the hands of Cruz Azul as their attacking quality took over in the last 15 minutes. Seattle didn’t help itself either, giving the ball away cheaply on multiple occasions which led directly to Cruz Azul goals, as a quality front line proved their value and scored twice more to finish the round of 16 tie at 4-1. Questions can be asked on if it was this leg, or leg one in Seattle, that lost the tie for the Sounders. At home, Seattle had the majority of possession and chances, while Cruz Azul was without key offensive pieces in their trip to Lumen Field, but coming out of leg one at 0-0 would not be enough going down to Mexico City for the second leg. There was still opportunity for the Rave Green to move on in the second leg, however, especially early in the first 20 minutes after cutting the lead to 2-1. Schmetzer noted the importance of the first leg and how it put them behind the 8-ball coming in to the second leg in a tough environment. “Not scoring at home, we needed to score the first goal to put them under a little bit of pressure, because we knew this was a hard place to play,” Schmetzer said. Aside from the result, there are multiple concerns that fans will have coming out of the match in Mexico City between Cruz Azul and Sounders FC. How bad are Morris’ and Arriola’s injuries? Is this squad really deep enough to contend at the top of MLS, let alone the Club World Cup? Was the goal of adding depth in numbers opposed to one big signing to help the upside the right move in the winter transfer window? And most importantly, now without Champions Cup competition on the schedule, can we expect a fast start in the MLS season? The Sounders and their fans came out of Tuesday night’s match in Mexico City seemingly with more questions than answers, and hopefully the team can answer at least a few of them in the upcoming matchups against St. Louis and Houston in MLS play.