CONCACAF Champions League: Tough Opponent Awaits Seattle Sounders In Quarterfinals

by Jeremiah Oshan on Oct 20, 2011 11:53 PM PDT in Sounders: CONCACAF Champions League

The full field is set for the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, and while we don't know who awaits the Seattle Sounders, we know it won't be easy. The Sounders will face one of the three group winners, one of two Mexican teams or the Los Angeles Galaxy. Last year, the draw was released on Nov. 1.

If I were a betting man, I'd guess the Sounders will be facing either Santos Laguna or UNAM Pumas. Monterrey, the other group winner, is the one team the Sounders can't play, as both were in Group D. Let's take a look at the Sounders' possible opponents:

Santos Laguna: No team looked as dominant in the group stage as Los Guerreros. Their 4-1-1 record was the best of any team and their +10 goal-difference was four goals better than any other team. Oribe Peralta, Carlos Quintero and Christian Suarez combined for 11 goals and formed the most effective strike force in CCL. In two group stage matches against the Colorado Rapids, they won 6-1 on aggregate.

In Mexican Primera play, they are currently leading the Apertura with 23 points through 12 matches. Peralta already has nine goals and leads the league. They play in Estadio Corona, one of the newer stadiums in Mexico, having been built in 2009. A quarterfinal against Santos Laguna probably represents a worst-case scenario for the Sounders.

UNAM Pumas: The Mexico City-based reigning champions of the 2011 Clausura, Pumas were not quite as dominant as Santos, but finished off group play strong. After opening with a loss at home against FC Dallas and a surprising tie against Tauro, they finished with three wins in their final four matches, outscoring their opponents 8-1 in that time.

Pumas are off to a bit of slow start in the Clausura, going 6-5-2 and sitting in seventh place with a -3 goal-difference. Martin Chavez has been and continues to be their top scorer, bagging three goals in CCL group play after leading the team with 10 goals in last year's Apertura winning campaign.

The good news for the Sounders is that MLS teams did fairly well against Pumas in group play. Aside from FC Dallas' win in Mexico City, Toronto FC pulled out a tie at home.

LA Galaxy: This seems to be the least likely opponent that the Sounders would face, mainly because it would seem to make the most sense to have them play Toronto. Whether or not that's a good thing for the Sounders is certainly an open question.

The Sounders have not beaten the Galaxy in MLS play since 2009, going 0-5-1 including the playoffs during that time. On the plus side, the Sounders have beaten the Galaxy twice in U.S. Open Cup play.

Playing the Galaxy would be a lot easier from a travel perspective, as it would be more than 1,000 miles closer than Mexico City. Flying commercial, it's also about five hours less of travel time.

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Comments

Morelia

I thought Los Angeles finished second so wouldn’t we have a chance to face Morelia ???

by alexyepz on Oct 21, 2011 2:01 AM PDT via mobile reply actions

The Galaxy, Alajuelense and Morelia all finished with 12 points

But the Galaxy finished first due to goal differential. Alajuelense, on the other hand, was eliminated.

by Boz86 on Oct 21, 2011 2:31 AM PDT up reply actions

thats harsh.

by Sandra_R on Oct 21, 2011 8:32 AM PDT up reply actions

I'll be very worried if we get pulled with Santos

I just cannot beat them in FIFA with the Sounders :/

by Aasenb on Oct 21, 2011 4:51 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs

I can beat them

I think we’re all right

Recessionproof since 2009.

by 253Sounder on Oct 21, 2011 12:14 PM PDT up reply actions 3 recs

Either or

Either the Sounders are the best team on the Continent or they are not. I do not want the Sounders to win the CCL because they got a lucky draw. I want the Sounders to simply win the CCL because they played better than any other team in the tournament.

by Abbott Smith on Oct 21, 2011 7:20 AM PDT reply actions 6 recs

I would take a win due to a lucky draw six days a week and twice on Sunday.

So much in sports comes down to luck, why shouldn’t I root for good luck in terms of what happens off the field?

by Aaron Campeau on Oct 21, 2011 9:13 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

That's a very macho attitude and everything...

But even the best team in the CCL is going to lose a 2-leg competition with the second-best team in the competition at least 30-40% of the time. Just like I want the Sounders to improve their odds of advancing by making smart player acquisitions, I like to see it when their odds improve because of a favorable draw.

by ubelmann on Oct 21, 2011 9:54 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

Winning the CCL

I will take a win of the CCL anyway it comes. Yes, luck is a factor in football.

But I also want the Sounders to elevate their game to the point where they are a perennial continental powerhouse that is challenging themselves on the global World Club Cup stage and elevating the caliber of that competition. The World Club Cup is currently not as big as UEFA because UEFA and the South American teams have dominated the competition. The CCL is not as big as UEFA because the Mexican league teams have dominated. If the MLS can continue to gain ground in the CCL, the caliber of the CCL winner will rise elevating both the profile of the tournament and ultimately the profile of the World Club Cup.

The Sounders team next Spring should be a very solid squad. AH and the FO have given every indication that the team will continue to build upon its current foundation. I expect the squad to be competitive with any team in the QFs.

by Abbott Smith on Oct 21, 2011 12:54 PM PDT up reply actions

On the flip side, a first-place finish in the group..

…would have given us either Morelia, Isidro Metapan(!), or TFC. Based on what I saw from them last year, I’m having a hard time believing that Metapan went through to the quarters, but there it is.

I know last year there was a lot of speculation that the draw was rigged to get all Mexico on one side of the bracket. But last year, there were two Mexican teams that finished first and two which finished second. That gave, say, Monterrey a 2/3 chance of drawing an FMF opponent, which would have left Santos with a 1/2 chance of drawing an FMF opponent. So unless I’m missing something by not going through all the permutations, I think there was about a 33% chance that all the FMF teams were on one side of the bracket just by random chance.

So while I would never rule out anything underhanded when we’re talking about CONCACAF, there remains the distinct possibility that we have an even chance of facing any of the three teams mentioned in the post.

by ubelmann on Oct 21, 2011 10:07 AM PDT reply actions

here's the thing...

The rules say nothing about the draw being random. It’s just an assumption we all make. No reason to think that CCL just draws up what they believe is the best bracket of 1s and 2s.

Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.

by Jeremiah Oshan on Oct 21, 2011 11:32 AM PDT up reply actions

Draw date?

I’m stressing out over the draw. For the UEFA Champions League, they have the draw the day after the previous round ends. Is there any word from the Sounders or CONCACAF when the draw will be held?

Fan of: Cardinals, Blues, Sounders, Yellow Jackets, Wolverines, Rams, and Blazers.

by ColinMacLeod on Oct 21, 2011 11:28 AM PDT reply actions