Sounders off to Mexico City after 2-2 Draw
By Ben Renner
The Sounders tied Club America 2-2 at CenturyLink Field. They will head to Mexico City for the second leg next week.
The Sounders, rolling with their predictable 4-3-3, came out aggressive against Club America. They produced many chances early in the match but couldn’t score until Clint Dempsey scored on a laser free kick in the 44th minute. The Sounders struggled to keep the Club America attackers out of their own end, however. Dempsey’s goal was immediately erased by Darwin Quintero a minute later just before halftime.
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More of the same followed in the second half. Dempsey scored again on an Andreas Ivanschitz corner kick, and fellow forward wunderkind Jordan Morris created chances for the Sounders to add to their lead. Unfortunately, the Sounders were repeatedly beaten on the wings, leaving them vulnerable to multiple Club America counterattacks.
Club America needed an equalizer to maintain their away goal advantage and put themselves in the driver’s seat for the quarterfinal. Oribe Peralta answered the call for Club America, scoring in the 69th minute. The last 20 minutes of the match were a dog fight. Both sides found opportunities to score, but neither could find the net for the decisive goal.
Set pieces were a large part of both offense and defense for the Sounders. Dempsey’s two goals off of set pieces signify many goals from them this season for the Sounders. Although the defense let them down on numerous counterattacks that produced two goals for Club America, new left-back Joevin Jones flashed the speed that he came highly touted with. Jones was seen playing very high up the pitch and covering serious ground.
Next: Sounders Bring in Nate Sturgis for Second Tour of Duty
The Sounders face a tough task next, heading to Mexico City to face Club America on their home turf. They’ll need a tie or a win to keep pace with them.