Raul Ruidiaz scored two goals and Nicolas Lodeiro added another as the host Seattle Sounders finished off Pumas UNAM 3-0 in the second leg on Wednesday to become the first MLS team to win the CONCACAF Champions League Final.
Ruidiaz’s second goal of the game came in the 80th minute, and Lodeiro tacked on another one eight minutes later as the Sounders broke away from a 2-2 tie to take the aggregate 5-2. Ruidiaz opened the scoring with a goal at the 45 minute mark.
The victory ended Mexico’s run of 13 straight Final wins.
Seattle dominated in shots (15-7) and shots on target (9-1).
More than 68,000 fans crowded Lumen Field to watch the contest, the largest ever to attend a CONCACAF Champions League Match, according to Fox Soccer.
The victory over the Liga MX Pumas makes the Sounders, the U.S.-Canada entrant, the first MLS franchise to advance to the FIFA Club World Cup from the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America and the Caribbean).
The teams met April 27 in Mexico City and the Sounders fell behind 2-0 before recovering for a 2-2 tie thanks to two goals by Lodeiro, the first in the 77th minute and the second in the ninth minute of stoppage time.
–Field Level Media
