Seattle Sounders were Second-Best as they Stumbled against Tigres

The Seattle Sounders were defeated 2-0 by Tigres on Wednesday evening. A Sounders squad that has spent the majority of the season on the road already were met with their biggest test of the season thus far. Winning away in MLS is difficult, but getting a road result in Mexico feels seemingly impossible.

Atmosphere. It is what Mexico does better than almost anyone else. Estadio Universitario was rocking from the very moment fans entered the stadium. A sea of gold and blue filled the arena, their voices willing their team forward.

From the opening kickoff, Tigres were applying the pressure. Stefan Frei forced into making a save just 20 seconds into the match. In the 3rd minute, Angel Correa sent a shot just wide from outside the box.

The Sounders were unafraid to go forward into the attack. A couple of half chances created by Paul Arriola showed that the Sounders were here to play. Jordan Morris applied pressure early on against the Tigres’ backline. Forcing them to drop deeper into their own half.

In the 18th minute, Tigres got a chance to strike. Midfielder Cesar Araujo took aim from outside the box. His effort was driven hard and low, but Stefan Frei was able to react fast enough to parry the ball out wide. Frei was fully stretched diving to his right to deny the opening goal for Tigres.

Photo Credit: Mike Fietchner / Sounders FC Communications

Jonathan Ozziel Herrera was the first player in the referee’s book in the match. A rather lazy tackle near midfield to trip Snyder Brunell earned Herrera an early yellow card. The tackle was just a simple stuck-out leg to trip Brunell before he could get too far away. About as clear-cut of a yellow card that you can earn.

A slip from a defender gave the Sounders their biggest chance of the first half. At the half hour mark, Jordan Morris got onto the ball in a 3v2 in favor of the Sounders. Morris laid the ball off to Paul Arriola who was in behind, but his shot was saved by all-time great keeper Nahuel Guzman. The rebound fell to Morris, but he could not get the ball out of his feet to attempt a shot.

Tigres immediately found themselves on the counter attack. A long ball over the top was launched to the aforementioned “Ozzy” Herrera. Herrera was able to rip a shot at goal, but once again Stefan Frei was up to the task. Another big save required from the Sounders’ legend and former CCL Player of the Year.

In first half stoppage-time, things appeared to be heading south for the Sounders. Following a VAR review, Tigres was awarded a late penalty after Nouhou caught Diego Lainez late with a cleat into the ankle. A pretty textbook foul and penalty, earning Nouhou a yellow card along with the shame of conceding a penalty.

Former Atletico Madrid starter Angel Correa stepped up to take the penalty. The stadium is now quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Stefan Frei waiting in goal, he can only be the hero in this situation. Correa steps up, fires left, and SKIES IT OVER THE CROSSBAR. Stefan Frei had guessed the right way, perhaps causing Correa to over-correct at the last moment, but the ball sailed over the goal and into a disappointed crowd.

The first half would come to an end scoreless following the missed penalty. The Sounders had been under attack nearly the entirety of the first half, except for a few attacking chances. Tigres go into their locker room feeling as though they should be in front. All things considered, a good first half on the road in Mexico for the Rave Green.

Photo Credit: Mike Fietchner / Sounders FC Communications

The first chance of the second half came in favor of the team from Seattle. Paul Arriola got in behind and crossed the ball into the box following a set piece. Jackson Ragen was in the area and he dummied the ball along to Paul Rothrock. Rothrock’s effort curled towards the top right of the net but went just over.

The deadlock was broken just minutes later in the 51st minute. A poor clearance from Alex Roldan allowed for Tigres to get in behind. Ozziel Herrera was in behind the defense and curled his effort past Stefan Frei. The crowd finally got their chance to erupt and Tigres got a lead they surely deserved. Now the Sounders were on the hunt for a vital away goal.

Tempers began to flare in the 58th minute after a late challenge from Rodrigo Aguirre on Cristian Roldan. An ensuing clash of heads resulted in yellow cards issued to Roldan and Fernando Gorriaran, as well as a yellow to Aguirre for the initial foul. Both squads needed to regain composure to get back into the flow of the match.

The Sounders should’ve had their goal in the 63rd minute. Cristian Roldan sent a fantastic through ball to Paul Arriola who got in behind the Tigres centerbacks. Arriola rolled the ball across to a seemingly wide open Paul Rothrock. Rothrock got his foot on to the ball, yet the veteran goalkeeper in goal for Tigres denied the chance with a world class save. The Sounders now felt as though they were the unlucky ones in this match.

It was all Tigres from that moment on. Half chances and glimpses of goal, but still looking for a real clear chance. That moment came for Tigres in the 76th minute. A corner kick whipped in by Juan Brunetta found the head of center back Joaquim to give the Mexican club a 2-0 lead. Now an away goal was even more crucial for the Sounders. At the bare minimum, keeping the scoreline at 2-0 would be important. (The goal was later changed to an own goal by Jackson Ragen. Joaquim’s header deflected off of Ragen before hitting the net.)

Photo Credit: Mike Fietchner / Sounders FC Communications

Tigres nearly had their third goal off another set piece. This time the game’s first goal scorer was found again in the box, but his header came off the post and was cleared. The Sounders desperately tried to prevent a killer third goal.

The remainder of the match played out as expected. Tigres pushed for a third goal while the Sounders held on defensively. The Seattle-side eventually shifted to a back-five to defend for the final minutes of the match. Tigres were unable to find a third goal on the night, but they will take a 2-0 lead into Seattle. No road goals for the Sounders is also a tough outcome, because if Tigres get one goal in Seattle, they will need to score four to advance because of the away goals tiebreaker.

The Sounders will have a week off before hosting the Second Leg on Wednesday, April 15 at Lumen Field. The match is slated for an 8:30 p.m. kickoff time, a late night match with the CCC on the line. Brian Schmetzer will be hoping for a better night of footy next week.

Seattle will return to MLS action on Saturday, April 18 when they host St. Louis CITY for their first home MLS match since the season opener. The Sounders have lost just one match in MLS through their first six matches. The match that was originally scheduled for April 12 against Real Salt Lake has been rescheduled to Wednesday, September 23rd, during the September FIFA international window.

(COVER PHOTO CREDIT: Mike Fietchner / Sounders FC Communications)

Sounders Starting XI:

(4-2-3-1)

Frei

Kossa-Rienzi

A. Roldan

Ragen

Nouhou

C. Roldan ©

Brunell

Arriola

Rusnak