The Seattle Sounders launched their Leagues Cup campaign with a stunning and record-breaking 7-0 triumph over Cruz Azul on Thursday. This victory marks a significant turnaround, considering the Sounders were defeated earlier this year by the same opponent in the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16, with an aggregate score of 4-1.
In a breathtaking second-half display, Seattle managed to score all seven goals, setting a new benchmark for the largest win margin in the competition's history. The first half saw Cruz Azul's Omar Campos hitting the post, which was as close as the Mexican side got to scoring.
The floodgates opened after halftime, with Yeimar Gomez, Obed Vargas, and Jesus Ferreira all finding the net within the first 15 minutes. Osaze De Rosario, coming off the bench, added a fourth goal in the 69th minute. Fellow substitute Pedro de la Vega then scored a brace, including a spectacular volley that hit the post before going in, during stoppage time. Amidst this goal flurry, Nouhou Tolo also contributed with a goal.
The Sounders now lead Group A based on goal difference. Also, in the competition, LA Galaxy secured three points with a 5-2 win against Club Tijuana. Matheus Nascimento converted a penalty to give Galaxy the lead, but Gilberto Mora quickly equalized. Galaxy were awarded another penalty, but Joseph Paintsil's attempt was saved. However, Gabriel Pec restored Galaxy's lead before halftime.
Mora once again scored for Tijuana just before the hour mark, but Galaxy finished the game strongly. Paintsil scored twice, either side of Marco Reus’ goal. Despite Tijuana having 31 shots on goal compared to Galaxy’s 14, their efforts were in vain.
This victory for the Sounders is not just a Leagues Cup record, but also marks their largest win in club history across all competitions. After a cautious first half, Seattle’s second-half performance was devastating, concluding the match with an expected goals (xG) value of 2.32 from 16 attempts and limiting Cruz Azul to just 0.33 xG and two shots on target.
