CD Guadalajara 3, Seattle Sounders 0 | CCL Quarterfinals Recap

The Seattle Sounders could not complete the MLS sweep of Liga MX opposition in the 2018 Concacaf Champions League this week, as they lost 3-0 to Chivas de Guadalajara on Wednesday at Estadio Akron, failing to reach the semifinal round after losing the series 3-1 on aggregate.

After going ahead 1-0 in the first leg at home last week, Seattle struggled mightily to keep pace with Chivas in the return leg, finishing with just over 30 percent possession and just over 50 percent pass completion rate. The Sounders had to use two substitutions in the first half for injuries, as Will Bruin and Chad Marshall each took knocks to the head and were replaced by Lamar Neagle and Kim Kee-Hee, respectively.

Chivas found their breakthrough five minutes after the break, as Oswaldo Alanis' free kick beat Stefan Frei inside the far post to make it 1-0. Five minutes later, Eduardo Lopez scored the go-ahead goal, receiving a throughball up top, looping the ball over Frei and heading into an empty net. Jose Godinez added the capper in the final 10 minutes with a backheel flick that beat Frei once more.

Goals

50' - CHV - Oswaldo Alanis
55' - CHV - Eduardo Lopez
80' - CHV - Jose Godinez

Three Things

The Big Picture: After the highs for MLS teams in the CCL on Tuesday, the Sounders could not keep the magic going. Losing Nicolas Lodeiro to an injury prior to the match was a huge blow, as he'd been Seattle's best player the previous round, and making two early subs could not have been in Brian Schmetzer's plans. But the Sounders just weren't up to the level of their opponents on Wednesday and now have to turn their full attention to the MLS regular season.

Moment of the Match
: Alanis' free kick opened the dam and gave Chivas the goal they had earned up to that point. It truly was a sweet strike.

Oswaldo Alanis of @Chivas scored the @RocketLeague Goal of the Game against @SoundersFC | #SCCL2018 pic.twitter.com/7dBWpuK3T9
— Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League (@TheChampions) March 15, 2018

Man of the Match: Lopez was by far the most active attacking player on the night, and while he was wasteful with his chances in the first half, his series winner was a striker's goal in the second half, and was a deserved reward for a strong shift.