KANSAS CITY — Sporting KC looked like they were going to get back into the match after scoring to make it 3-1. Then Leon turned on the afterburners and put up another three goals, giving them a 6-1 win.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Sounders took down Tigres, 3-0, and will advance to the Leagues Cup semifinal. The return of Nicolas Lodeiro did not disappoint for the Sounders.
Sounders top Tigres, 3-0, for surprise victory
The Seattle Sounders are known as one of the top teams in MLS with plenty of experience in big-game moments. Whatever you think of the Leagues Cup, a tilt against Tigres is certainly known as a big name. Tigres is a powerhouse in Mexico in both the men’s and women’s league.
The Sounders celebrated the return of Nicolas Lodeiro to the starting lineup. Lodeiro returned to the pitch as a substitute on Wednesday, Aug. 4, against FC Dallas. Lodeiro scored an absolute stunner in the 70th minute, the final goal of the match, shooting from about 30-35 yards out and over the goalkeeper.
Raul Ruidiaz put up the first goal after a penalty against Cristian Roldan was given up by Tigres. The Peruvian buried the penalty kick, and Fredy Montero scored the second goal in the second half.
After the match, Lodeiro said, “We represent I think the best team in MLS. When you’re playing, you need to play like a final because we know we represent a big club, big fans. And tonight, we played like it was a final.”
Seattle will take on the winner of Thursday night’s Santos Laguna and Orlando City SC match.
Nico Lodeiro is BACK‼#SoundersMatchday | #SEAvTIG pic.twitter.com/KgfZuPP27q
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) August 11, 2021
— Rachael Kriger
Sporting KC, dumped out of Leagues Cup
From Kansas City…
Sporting KC fielded a largely second-choice side sprinkled with two starters and two normal bench players. Alan Pulido suited up but didn’t feature, and Johnny Russell wasn’t on the team sheet. A mix of academy players got hung out to dry in the heat, as Leon fans were olé-ing Sporting by the 30th minute.
To be fair to Sporting KC, this was their third game in 6 days, in their third different city. They are currently in the middle of a 7 game stretch over 22 days. They will play their fourth game in 11 days, in four different cities on Saturday. With an unkind schedule, it makes sense to rotate a squad this heavily in a match that doesn’t mean anything in terms of their league positioning, nor does it qualify them for the champions league yet.
Leon were dominant, and fielded a lineup that was going to be dominant. The end result is frankly not surprising. Omar Fernandez scored twice, and a host of other Leon players tacked on as the game went on. Grayson Barber assisted Cameron Duke for the lone Sporting KC goal.
— Daniel Sperry
Photo: Mike Fiechtner/Seattle Sounders FC Communications.
