Everyone gets a goal: Sounders hang seven on Cruz Azul

SEATTLE — Facing the defending Concacaf Champions Cup winners, the Seattle Sounders turned in a performance for the ages.

After a scoreless first half in which they traded blows with Cruz Azul, the Sounders simply couldn’t stop scoring in the second half. Once the dust had settled on Thursday, they claimed a 7-0 win over Cruz Azul in Leagues Cup. The match will go down in history as the biggest demolition of a Liga MX team in the history of the two leagues.

The Sounders got goals from six players, with Pedro de la Vega scoring two, including an absolutely outrageous capper on what the referee mercifully deemed the final play just as regular time expired.

The first half went about how most probably expected. In the third competitive meeting between these two teams this year, the first 45 minutes was physical and tightly contested with little room between them. The Sounders did have a goal waved off for offside and Cruz Azul had a shot hit the post.

The second half went very differently. As if offended that Cruz Azul made them wait on the field for two minutes to start the half, the Sounders came out firing.

First, Yeimar rose above his defender to head in an Albert Rusnák corner. On their very next possession, the Sounders added a second. This time, Obed Vargas took a pass from Alex Roldan at the top of the box and fired on goal, the shot taking a deflection that beat goalkeeper Kevin Mier. 

It only took four more minutes before the Sounders appeared to add a third after Jackson Ragen played Nouhou into space on a free kick. Nouhou took a couple dribbles and then crossed to Jesus Ferreira who tapped it in. But after a three-minute review, the on-field call of offside was confirmed and the goal disallowed. It was Ferreira’s second goal of the night to be taken off the board after the player who passed to him was deemed offside.

Ferreira would not be denied, though. In the 58th minute, Ferreira got on the end of Cristian Roldan’s redirected header off a Rusnák corner to make it 3-0.

Rather than take their foot off the gas, the Sounders reserves punched it into the floor. First to get in on the action was Osaze De Rosario, who put away a Ryan Kent cross. Then it was de la Vega scoring off a Ferreira pass in the 76th minute. Next up was Nouhou, who headed in a rebound after Danny Leyva’s free kick was saved off the crossbar.

The capper was easily the best of the bunch. With the clock ticking toward the end of regulation, Alex Roldan sent a switching cross to de la Vega about 40 yards away. De la Vega timed it perfectly, and hit a fully volley from the edge of the penalty area that pinged in off of the far post.

Lineups

The Sounders made two changes from their previous league game on Saturday, with Ryan Kent replacing Pedro de la Vega and Nouhou returning to the starting lineup in place of Reed Baker-Whiting. Snyder Brunell, who just signed a first-team contract, and teenage Defiance goalkeeper Mo Shour were also on the bench.

Key moments

8: Rusnák plays a gorgeous ball over the top to Musovski, who brings it down and forces a good save but it’s flagged offside.

10: Roldan drives forward and puts his shot just barely wide.

12: Offside! Jesus Ferreira scores off an Alex roldan cross. But the flag goes up, indicating that Roldan was offside when Vargas played him in.

19: POST! Cruz Azul get out on counter. Sounders do a good job of covering it but Campos’ shot rings the post.

29: Cruz Azul get out on a break but Ragen heads it out for a corner.

32: Ragen plays a great ball over the top, Alex Roldan crosses it to Moose who seems to get tackled as the ball comes in. Both Willer Ditta and Musovski are shown yellows after they get into a shoving match.

43: Sounders get out on the break with Nouhou playing Ferreira in. He plays it to Musovski, but with no pace. Musovski is able to get it back to Ferreira, but by then the defense caught up and the chance goes wanting.

48: GOAL! Yeimar heads in an Albert Rusnák corner. It’s the first goal the Sounders have scored directly off a corner kick this season. 1-0, Sounders.

50: GOA! Obed Vargas lines one up from the top of the box, it takes a deflection off a defender and settles into the goal. 2-0, Sounders.

54: OFFSIDE! Ferreira finishes a Nouhou cross. But Nouhou was judged to be in an offside position on the free kick. The call is upheld after a lengthy review.

58: GOAL! Ferreira finishes of a chance at the back post after Cristian Roldan redirects a header off a corner. 3-0, Sounders.

69: GOAL! Osaze De Rosario finishes off a Ryan Kent cross. Kim started the counter by winning ball at midfield, played it to Vargas, who dodged a tackle before playing it to Kent on the wing. It’s De Rosario’s second goal in as many games and he breaks out his dad’s patented celebration. 4-0, Sounders.

76: GOAL! Pedro De la Vega scores off a pass from Ferreira. Vargas started the sequence with a ball over top to Leyva, who cut it back to Ferreira. 5-0, Sounders.

86: Ferreira gets a great look at goal with De Rosario lurking at far post but his shot is saved.

88: GOAL! Nouhou puts in a rebound after Danny Leyva’s free kick is saved off the crossbar. 6-0, Sounders.

90: GOAL! De la Vega scores off an unbelievable volley, taking Alex Roldan’s 40-yard cross out of the air and hitting it first time from the edge of the penalty box. The shot caroms off the far post and in. 7-0, Sounders.

Quick thoughts

Utter domination: The 7-0 final score represented not only the most lop-sided win in Sounders history and marked the first time they’d ever scored seven goals in a half, but it also was the worst loss a MLS team had ever handed a Liga MX opponent. That record had previously been held by LAFC, who beat FC Juarez 7-1 in the 2023 Leagues Cup. FC Juarez was one of the worst teams in Mexico at the time. Cruz Azul was effectiely the opposite. Not only had they just won Concacaf Champions Cup a couple months ago, but they had also finished with the best combined record in the previous two tournaments and had lost just one game across all competitions since mid-February, going 14-1-9 in those games. They started essentially their first-choice group, as well. I’d say this is something you’re used to seeing Liga MX teams do to MLS, but I’m not sure there’s been any truly comparable result going that way either.

The shutout was important: The Sounders have now scored 18 goals in their past five matches across all competitions. I think we can say their offense has turned things around. What made this game a bit different — aside from the extreme goal-scoring — was how well the Sounders defended. Aside from a couple decent looks on counter-attacks in the first half, Cruz Azul didn’t have many good looks. Cruz Azul had just three shots in the second half and their nine shots only totaled up to .4 xG. The Sounders needed a strong defensive performance and that’s what they got.

It’s only one win: As good as this was, the Sounders were quick to remind us — and themselves — that it was still only one win. For this to really mean anything, they’ll now need to go out and carry the momentum into the next game and the one after that … and hopefully all the way to the title. For now, this is a feel-good win but it’s really just a trivia answer if they don’t turn in quality performances after this. 

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Player spotlight

Pedro de la Vega: It’s funny to think that only a couple of weeks ago, there were loud voices wondering if it was time to pull the plug on this little project. Boy do those people look silly now. Over his past four games, de la Vega has at the very least shown why the Sounders were so excited about signing him last year. It’s not just the four goals and assist, it’s how good they all are. The game-ending volley will go down as one of the prettiest goals in Sounders history. Not for nothing, he’s tied for second on the team with 12 goal-contributions across all competitions this year.