HALFTIME: The Sounders took a 1-0 lead into halftime off an Osaze De Rosario header. The Sounders nearly added a second goal later in the half when Jesús Ferreira got an open look from the top of the box, but his shot caromed off the far post.
SOUNDERS 1, MIAMI 0: Osaze De Rosario scored his fourth goal of the Leagues Cup, nodding in a cross from Alex Roldan.
Made for this moment 🙌 Osaze rises up to give us the early lead!
— Sounders FC (@soundersfc.com) 2025-09-01T00:58:20.406Z
Leo Messi is back in Seattle for the third time in his career, but the first time in MLS. The Argentinian star first came here in 2009 as a member of FC Barcelona when they faced the Sounders in a friendly. He returned in 2016 as part of the Argentina national team in Copa America Centenario.
This match will obviously be quite a bit different as there’s an actual trophy on the line. If the Sounders win, they would become the first MLS team to capture all every major North American trophy and would tie the MLS record with two international titles.
The Sounders have been arguably the best team in Leagues Cup so far, going 4-0-1 while outscoring their opponents 13-2. They’ve shared the scoring load pretty evenly with Pedro de la Vega and Osaze De Rosario each scoring three goals and six others scoring one apiece.
Miami is the most star-studded team in MLS history. Joining Messi are former Barcelona stars Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba. They also just added Rodrigo De Paul, who last played the Sounders as a member of Atletico Madrid in the Club World Cup. They’re the top scoring team in MLS with 2.16 goals per match, but have shown some weaknesses on defense where they’ve allowed 1.6 goals per game.
Notes
- With a crowd of at least 65,000 expected, this will be the 10th time the Sounders have exceeded 60,000 for a competitive match but the first time since 2022. They are 8-0-1 in those previous matches.
- The Sounders will smash the previous Leagues Cup attendance record by more than 15,000.
- This will be the fifth time the Sounders have hosted a cup final at Lumen Field during the MLS era. They won all four of their previous home cup finals.
- Danny Musovski and Nouhou are both serving suspensions for this match.
- Miami is 4-0-1 in Leagues Cup play this year, outscoring their opponents 12-6.
- Both teams are playing in their second Leagues Cup final. The Sounders lost to Léon 2-1 in 2021, while Miami beat Nashville SC in penalties in 2023.
Absences: Injury, international duty and suspension
Seattle
OUT: Nouhou - suspended; Danny Musovski - suspended; João Paulo - knee; Jordan Morris - shoulder; Paul Arriola - ACL; Ryan Kent - hamstring; Stuart Hawkins - hip
QUESTIONABLE: Albert Rusnák - hamstring
Miami
OUT: Allen Obando - hamstring
Recent form
Sounders: WWDLW
Miami: WDWWL
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How to Watch
Match date/kickoff time: Sunday, 5 PM PT
Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle
Global Streaming English: MLS Season Pass (Jake Zivin, Taylor Twellman & Jillian Sakovits)
Global Streaming Spanish: MLS Season Pass (Sammy Sadovnik, Diego Valeri & Michele Giannone)
Spanish TV: Univision, TUDN
Local Radio: 950 KJR-AM Seattle, iHeartMedia (Danny Jackson & Steve Zakuani)
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM FC 157 (Simulcast)
Local Spanish Radio: El Rey 1360 AM (Rodriguez, Maqueda, Tapia)
Is this game available to stream for free? Yes
Will Sounders radio be available as an alternate feed? Yes
