Seattle Sounders fall 2-0 to Tigres UANL in first leg of Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals
SAN NICOLAS DE LOS GARZA, MEXICO - APRIL 08: Joaquim Henrique of Tigres UANL scores his team’s second goal during the first leg quarter final match between Tigres UANLand Seattle Sounders of the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2026 at Estadio Universitario on (Azael Rodriguez / Getty Images)
It will take a massive effort back home next week for the Seattle Sounders to remain alive in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Ozziel Herrera scored in the 51st minute, and an own goal by Jackson Ragen off a corner-kick header from Joaquim Henrique in the 76th minute gave Tigres UANL a 2-0 victory in the first leg of the quarterfinals in Mexico on Wednesday night.
With away goals serving as the tiebreaker in the completion, the Sounders will need either a 2-0 result to force extra time, or to win by at least three goals next week at Lumen Field to advance to the semifinals.
Tigres scored both goals in the second half after Seattle survived a late penalty kick in the first that kept the game scoreless.
Stefan Frei came up with three saves in the first half for Seattle. A diving stop on an attempt from César Araújo in the 18th minute was the best of the bunch to help the Sounders keep the game scoreless.
A counterattack from Seattle led to their only shot of the half 10 minutes later. Tigres misplayed a ball in their own half that sparked a two-on-one break for the Sounders. However, Paul Arriola's shot off a pass from Jordan Morris was directly into goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán in the 30th minute.
Tigres immediately roared back on a counter of their own with Frei stopping a chance from Herrera.
Nouhou Tolo was given a yellow card on a VAR review in stoppage time for a foul in the box against Diego Lainez. Nouhou stepped on Lainez's foot after he delivered a crossing pass to give Tigres a golden chance to grab the lead. However, Angel Correa's penalty kick sailed well over the crossbar to keep the game scoreless.
Paul Rothrock had a promising chance for Seattle early in the second half, only to have his shot sail high in the 48th minute.
A Seattle miscue then allowed Tigres to convert to grab the lead in the 51st minute. A misplayed ball allowed Fernando Gorriarán to win the ball, and he set up Herrera with a nifty back heel pass that was driven home past Frei for a 1-0 lead.
Seattle nearly answered in the 63rd minute on a dangerous chance that required a brilliant save from Guzmán. Paul Arriola sprung behind the Tigres defense and delivered a cross to Rothrock, who was crashing toward the goal. Rothrock's shot was kept just out of the goal by the legs of a diving Guzmán and cleared away from danger.
A corner kick in the 71st minute allowed Tigres to extend their advantage. Joaquim's header attempt off a corner kick was just enough to deflect off Ragen and past a helpless Frei into the goal for a 2-0 lead.
Seattle was unable to find an answer over the final 20 minutes and will need a big performance back next week to stay alive.
The Sounders will host the second leg of the match at Lumen Field next Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. It will be Seattle's first home game on the new grass field installed at the stadium ahead of this summer's FIFA World Cup.
The winner will advance to face the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between Nashville SC and Club América, who played to a 0-0 draw in Nashville on Tuesday night.
The Sounders became the first MLS team to win the Concacaf Champions League in 2022, which earned them a spot in last summer's FIFA Club World Cup.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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