The dance opens in Guatemala

Is Pedro de la Vega back? I still don’t know. But that goal was awesome.

The last time Seattle was in a CONCACAF game – May 4, 2022 – the Force was with the Sounders as they defeated Pumas UNAM 3-0 to become the first (and so far, only) American team to win CONCACAF Champions League. Almost three years later, the tournament has been renamed CONCACAF Champions Cup – and the Sounders have not yet hoisted another trophy.

The Sounders are coming to this tournament with plenty of potential. After a rough start to 2024, the Rave Green put things together in the summer before making it all the way to the Western Conference final, only to be bounced out by LA Galaxy. In the off-season, Craig Waibel brought in Paul Arriola and Jesus Ferreira in separate trades with FC Dallas.

Both started on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, in Seattle’s first match against Antigua GFC – Arriola on the left wing and Ferreira at no. 10. Schmetzer went with his classic 4-2-3-1 setup, though the on-field formation ended up varying between halves.

Shaky first half for Seattle

Sporting the new Salish Sea kits for the first time, the two big acquisitions combined for an early icebreaker: Arriola booted a third-minute Ferreira cross off Antigua right back José Gálvez and over keeper Luis Moran to get the scoring going.

After securing the early lead, Seattle began to struggle in keeping up with their opponent. Antigua began to minimize their own mistakes and utilize a high press that caught Seattle off-guard. At first this press was applied minimally, but it grew, and the Sounders’ struggles with it. In the twelfth minute, Antigua right winger Oscar Santis gave the Sounders their first close call of the game with a laser kick from the right side that fell two feet outside the post. A little over two minutes later, Antigua had an excellent chance off a corner, but a handball by Antigua back José Ardón gave the ball back to Seattle. In the twentieth, Antigua left winger Romario Luiz da Silva received a cross in the front of the box, but he misdirected his header and cleared away by Yeimar. A minute later, Romario was the one sending the cross – to Gálvez – but Arriola intercepted the pass.

Eventually, however, Seattle slipped. In the 24^th, Romario received a ball from midfielder José Rosales and drove it up the left side of the pitch. He sent in a cross for Santis, who was headed for the middle of the box. Nouhou, seemingly unsure where Santis was, overran the path of the cross – and Santis whipped the ball into the left side of the net. Tied at 1.

After this, Seattle’s play began to become sloppier in many ways, but one of the team’s key strengths – its ability to recover quickly after a mistake – seems to still be a strength, as Obed, Cristian, and the back four bailed the Sounders out of further trouble quite a few times over the ensuing twenty minutes. Of the defenders, Alex Roldan looked the weakest, with his play at times resembling his frosted tipped days early last year. But the other three mostly played the solid ball we’ve come to expect from the crew that produced the best goals against in all MLS last year.

De la Vega punctuates strong second half

The Sounders came out of the halftime gate with a much greater level of composure and cohesion than at the end of the first. Seattle nearly untied it barely two minutes into the half, as Pedro dribbled into the left center of the box, completely confused Antigua back Diego Santis, and passed left to Arriola – who in turn crossed the ball to Jordan up top. Jordan was a little slow on the take, however, and Antigua recovered and cleared.

Pepo fans rejoice: he scored. And not just any goal, either – his 61^st minute shot was an absolute scorcher from about a quarter of the way up the field. It was one of those goals that doesn’t fully process until a couple seconds after the ball hits the net. It even caught a ricochet off Antigua defender Kevin Grijalva and still rocketed like a Randy Johnson fastball.

But Antigua Guatemala wasn’t out of the game yet. In the 64^th, Oscar Santis received a ball from Rosales and had a good chance to create a play, but his kick went right into the hands of Stef Frei. In the 70^th, Romario sent a ball up the left side for Oscar Santis, who took an open although long shot – but the ball went a few feet outside the right post. A minute later, Antigua striker Juan Apaolaza nearly received a long ball right at the top of the box, but Nouhou knocked the ball away. In the process, the Sounders conceded a corner, which led to another near miss – Ardón took a cross from midfielder José Espinoza in good position, but his shot flew outside the goal.

Seattle played solidly for the remainder of regulation. As stoppage began, Antigua obtained a free kick just a hair outside the box. Oscar Santis sent it in, only for Stef Frei to beat it away before anyone else could get a paw on it.

The final bit of lightning came at the very end of stoppage time. Obed Vargas intercepted a goal kick, redirected it to Georgi Minoungou up top, who in turn whipped it to Rusnák. Albert had an easy shot to the right corner of the goal. The final whistle blew not long after.

Sounders 3, Antigua 1.

Obed “Gorilla Super Glue Gel” Vargas

For as long as the Sounders have Obed Vargas, he will be the team’s glue. He emerged in 2024 as one of the best holding midfielders in MLS, and that’s exactly what he looked like in Wednesday’s match. His 72 touches, 82% passing accuracy, 11 passes into the final third, and 6/8 in duels is certainly an impressive stat line, but his general ability to think on his feet, place a world-class through ball, and intercept opposing mistakes was one of the key factors in Seattle’s win. He directly assisted Pedro’s goal and created the chance for Rusnák’s insurance.

The worst-kept secret in Sounders-world right now is that the team is going to trade him somewhere else for a boatload of cash in midseason, with a rumored price of around $10 million. How the team adjusts after he’s gone will be telling.

Ferreira and Arriola bring something new

Undoubtedly the biggest offseason splashes for Seattle were Jesús Ferreira and Paul Arriola. Both came from FC Dallas, though through two separate trades. The twin Toros came at a combined price of Léo Chú, $1 million in general allocation money, up to an additional $1.9 million in general allocation money given certain performance criteria, a 2026 first rounder, and an international roster spot for 2025.

The duo had a somewhat promising first game for Seattle, combining for 134 minutes (67 minutes each), 85 total touches (58 for Arriola), an early goal, and four total shots (two on target). Schmetzer made a good call playing them as a unit, as they had moments of chemistry that the team needed. However, it remains to be seen how they will pan out. Arriola looked better than Ferreira on Wednesday, not just with his goal (which perhaps promises a distance threat) but also with awareness and passing. Ferreira, despite being the more expensive signing, didn’t look as strong.

What’s with Pedro?

I don’t know what to make of that game for Pepo. On the one hand, most of the first half – especially nearer to halftime – was quite shaky, as he was often the weak link that would lose the ball on an attacking drive (though his first half wasn’t all bad – a sixteenth minute bicycle kick pass comes to mind).

On the other hand, his second half play was the kind of performance the Sounders have been hoping for, with his dangerous playmaking in full swing. His goal was a bullet, to put it mildly. He also almost single-handedly created one of Seattle’s strongest chances at the start of the second half (though it may have been more fruitful to shoot rather than hand off to Arriola). If this is what we’re getting from Pedro in 2025, the rest of MLS will not be happy.

The other guys (no relation to Will Ferrell)

Even if Pepo’s second half was a mirage, this team still showcased phenomenal depth. Ferreira started the game at no 10. and did an alright job – and then Albert Rusnák came on in the 67^th and looked just like he did in his excellent 2024 campaign. Paul Arriola can play half the positions on the field, but if Schmetzer leans on using him the way he did tonight, he might end up another part of Seattle’s formidable collection of wings – a group that includes Rothrock and Minoungou, who saw some playing time today. Cristian Roldan complemented Vargas in Schmetzer’s tried-and-true double no. 6 setup, and then JP came off the bench and did the same.

There is still a little bit to Seattle’s game that could be improved. As always, it’s better to have a true playmaker than not – we’ll need to see more of Pedro to make that call. Alex Roldan left a bit on the table at times. Really the biggest flaw appears, again, to be striker, where Jordan Morris is playing out of position. His play on Wednesday looked a fair bit more like early 2024 than late 2024, but it’s one game and we shouldn’t jump to conclusions quite yet. How I miss prime Raúl Ruidíaz.

Back to Seattle for match 2

The second game of the two-game first round will be played next Wednesday, February 26. Because of the Sounders’ 3-1 win in the first game, Antigua GFC would have to win by at least two points to move on. If the score is 3-1 at the end of regulation, extra time and, if needed, penalty kicks would be played to determine who moves to the next round. A 4-2 win or more for Antigua Guatemala would send that team to the next round due to the away-goals advantage.

Whoever makes it to the second round will face Cruz Azul, one of the more formidable teams in this year’s CONCACAF Champions Cup and one of the top teams in Liga MX. They finished first in the Apertura regular season (though got bounced out by América in the playoff) and are currently placed fifth in the Clausura standings.