The Sounders defeated Queretaro at home in the second match of the 2026 Leagues Cup Phase One, taking the lead at the 5th minute after Sebastian Gomez opened the scoring and marking his first professional first-team goal.
Pedro de la Vega made his return from injury at the 77th minute after replacing goal-scorer Albert Rusnák; however, de la Vega lasted less than ten minutes after going down due to a quad injury. Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said that de la Vega will be evaluated in the week to determine the details.
“The focus was on them believing that they could win,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “That was the best way to start. If you want to back up a message like that, is to score an early goal by a young kid who’s got a ton of energy,” Schmetzer praised his young defender after his standout performance as he attributed the moment to the team’s continued positive momentum throughout the game.
Ryan Hampton / House of Sounders
Pre-Game
The Sounders entered this match on a club record seven-game losing streak, desperate for something positive to re-establish momentum. The most recent victory came on May 14, before the World Cup break, when the team defeated the San Jose Earthquakes at home. In Leagues Cup, the Sounders faced a tough battle at Toluca FC’s home ground and, despite a vintage Stefan Frei performance, saving 16 shots and facing 40 in total, lost 3-0. Consequentially, given the Leagues Cup format, advancing past Phase One with a loss on record makes it highly improbable that Seattle can advance.
Key moments:
- 5’: Goal SEA 1-0, Sebastain Gomez (Paul Rothrock)
- 41’: Goal SEA 2-0, Danny Musovski (Paul Rothrock)
- 68’: Goal SEA 3-0, Albert Rusnak (Sebastian Gomez)
- 77’: Injury, Pedro de la Vega
Ryan Hampton / House of Sounders
Post-Game
“I was very happy with the clean sheet,” Brian Schmetzer highlighted about the result as the top takeaway. Queretaro increased pressure on the Sounders defense in the closing stages of the game, which added to the sweetness of a shutout: “Even going down a man for the last seven, eight minutes, we were actually able to control the game with some possessions. You know, they weren’t that long, but just enough to relieve pressure, determination.”
Goal-scorer Danny Musovski talked about one of the key differences in the Seattle’s performance, pointing out that “a lot of these games we’ve lost, we’ve given up the first goal, so to be able to get a goal early, just to kind of set the tempo of the game dictated a little bit.”
Ryan Hampton / House of Sounders
Sebastian Gomez had a dream performance for Seattle, earning an assist alongside his goal in his sixth appearance for the Sounders first team. Gomez’s contributions to the scoreline enabled the 20-year-old to win player of the match and will be a huge boost to his confidence and role within the squad.
Paul Rothrock once again showcased his impactful presence on the pitch, finding both Gomez and Danny Musovski from the low cross to set up their goals. Rothrock’s assist on the first goal was particularly a class setup, placing a perfectly executed pass across Queretaro’s back line to find Gomez at the far post.
Peter Kingston put in a powerful through ball to catch Rothrock on the run to set up his second assist, finding the space behind fullback Sergio Garcia to knock the ball first time to Musovski’s shins and catching goalkeeper Jose Hernandez out of position.
Ryan Hampton / House of Sounders
“(Rothrock) likes to put in those crosses and when he put in the cross, it just kind of happened in slow mo,” said Gomez, reflecting on his first professional goal for the first team. “I saw the ball coming across and it was a great feeling when it hit the back of the net.”
Takeaways
As the second games are being played across the USA and Mexico, this victory moved the Sounders roughly mid-table in the Leagues Cup MLS standings, though they could still be among the bottom few teams depending on results. Morale-wise, the 3-0 victory will be a significant boost to snap the team out of its worst slump in club history. Using the Leagues Cup period as an opportunity to regroup, the Sounders can then focus on picking up wins as the MLS regular season resumes and transitions into the final stretch.
The Sounders still have a lot of work to do in both terms of form and fitness, as defeating Queretaro was the easier match on paper in the month of August, and Pedro de la Vega’s muscle injury is an obvious regression for player availability.
Ryan Hampton / House of Sounders
Match Stats
- Score: SEA 3-0 QRO
- Venue: Lumen Field
- Weather: Cloudy, 23°C (73°F)
- Attendance: 28,306
- Referee: Luis Enrique Santander Aguirre
- Possession %: 60-40
- Shots (on target): 8 (5) – 10 (4)
- Saves: 4-1
- Fouls: 5-12
- Yellow Cards (Red): 1 (0) – 1 (0)
What’s Next
The Sounders will begin preparations to face Chivas Guadalajara at home for the last Phase One match and after will resume MLS play, assuming a maximum of possible six points will not be enough to progress to the knockouts. Chivas will enter Wednesday winless in this year’s Leagues Cup campaign, losing a penalty shootout draw against LAFC and falling to Dallas 1-0 in the second match.
Cover Photo: Ryan Hampton / House of Sounders
