MATCH RECAP: Sounders cruises past Cruz Azul with a second half offensive explosion to remember

By Tony Álvarez

The Sounders put on an offensive display to remember on Thursday night as they erupted for seven goals to defeat Cruz Azul by a final score of 7-0, making it the largest margin of victory in Leagues Cup history.

It was intense at first, but it was all Sounders in the second half as they scored all seven goals of their historic performance after the break. Cruz Azul is coming off winning the Concacaf Champions Cup and they cannot be pleased with this start to Leagues Cup 2025.

And it´s true, the first 45 minutes were very interesting with both teams creating plenty of opportunities and it even got chippy, and the fans were not complaining. However, in the second half it was a whole different story as the no-score was about to change.

At the 48 minute mark came the first of many goals for the home team, as Yéimar Gómez delivered a strong header after a corner kick to beat Kevin Mier and open the scoring. The goals just didn´t stop.

Two minutes later, Alex Roldan passed the ball to Obed Vargas who delivered a strong strike that was deflected by defender Willer Ditta and Mier could stop the ball that ended up in the back of the net.

At the 58 minute it was Jesús Ferreira´s turn when after another corner kick, Cristian Roldan jumped to divert the ball for an incoming Ferreira that only had to soft-touch it for the third goal of the game.

But they were not done yet, as Osaze De Rosario at the 69 minute, Pedro De La Vega at the 76 minute and Nouhou Tolo at the 88 minute scored the following three goals of the game for the Sounders. The last one was an absolute screamer.

Alex Roldan demonstrated his high level on the pitch after a long-distance pass to De La Vega from right to left, and speaking of talent, Pedro hit the ball to write his name in gold with a memorable volley to finish the night on a higher note at the 90+1 minute for a 7-0 end result.

This game can very much lift the spirits of a Sounders team that struggled in the FIFA Club World Cup and had been gaining momentum in the MLS, maybe it´s time for them make that jump during the Leagues Cup as they look to secure another participation in a Concacaf Champions Cup.

REACTIONS:

• Seattle Sounders
  • Head Coach Brian Schmetzer
    • “We played a (Concacaf Champions Cup) champion and we scored seven. Let that sink in, my job as a coach is to make sure that they enjoy this moment because they deserve it and they played at a high level.”
    • “We will come back tomorrow and make sure they stay grounded because it is just their first game (…) that group in there is completely together, motivated, they know they’re a good team."
• Cruz Azul
  • Head Coach Nicolás Larcamón
    • "I really don't feel that there are many explanations that I can give that make sense to our fans, which is mainly why I am here, to face them, to apologize to them and for the history of this club.”

PLAYERS OF THE MATCH:

• Seattle Sounder FC:
  • Pedro de la Vega came off the bench to score two goals in the rout

GAME NOTES:

• The 7-0 win by Seattle is the largest margin of victory in a Leagues Cup game
• The Sounders became just the 2nd team to score seven goals in a Leagues Cup game (LAFC defeated Juarez 7-1 in 2023)
• Seattle scored all seven of their goals in the 2nd half, including three within a 10-minute span
• Sounders are now unbeaten in their last 7 games (4 wins, 3 draws) following a streak of 5 straight losses
• De La Vega got his 2nd brace as a member of the Sounders, he's now scored 4 goals in his last 3 games (hadn't scored in his previous 15 games)
• CF Cruz Azul had scored seven goals in their last two games before getting shutout on Thursday

CARDS/INJURY REPORT:

• Yellow Cards
  • Cruz Azul: Willer Ditta, Ignacio Rivero, José Paradela
  • Seattle Sounders: Danny Musovski, Osaze De Rosario

LOOKING AHEAD:

• Seattle's next match will be against Santos Laguna on August 3rd
• Cruz Azul's next match will be against the LA Galaxy on August 3rd