Seattle Sounders FC vs. Chivas de Guadalajara
2018 CONCACAF Champions League – Quarterfinals, Leg 1
CenturyLink Field - Seattle
10 pm ET – March 7, 2018
WATCH: UDN, univisiondeportes.com, go90.com
Seattle Sounders FC coach Brian Schmetzer made seven changes to his starting XI for a league-opening 1-0 loss to expansion side LAFC on Sunday for this — the opening leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals against Chivas de Guadalajara.
Buoyed by a huge second half in the second leg, the Sounders ousted Santa Tecla in the Round of 16 to make the quarterfinals, while Chivas cruised 7-0 on aggregate over Cibao of the Dominican Republic.
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Seattle Sounders FC
Things started off bad for Seattle, with a 2-1 loss at Santa Tecla and got a lot worse when Jordan Morris was ruled out for the season with an ACL injury. What followed was a scoreless first half in the second leg at CenturyLink Field and Sounders FC fans were understandably nervous. But the Rave Green shifted gears after halftime and had an avalanche of goals in a 4-0 win to avoid the upset.
Sounders FC have long said the CCL was being prioritized so it was no surprise that seven changes were made to the starting XI and Clint Dempsey wasn’t even on the 18-man roster for a 1-0 loss to LAFC.
- Suspended: None
- Suspended after next caution: Jordy Delem, Gustav Svensson, Clint Dempsey
- Injury Report: OUT: M - Osvaldo Alonso (right quad strain); D - Kelvin Leerdam (right ankle sprain); F - Jordan Morris (right ACL tear); QUESTIONABLE: M - Victor Rodriguez (right quad strain)
Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Stefan Frei — Jordan McCrary, Roman Torres, Chad Marshall, Waylon Francis — Gustav Svensson, Cristian Roldan — Magnus Wolff Eikrem, Clint Dempsey, Nicolas Lodeiro — Will Bruin
Chivas de Guadalajara
Guadalajara faced little opposition from Cibao in the most lopsided Round of 16 series. Chivas simply wore down the minnows from the Dominican Republic, scoring six of their seven goals in the two legs in the second half.
After a 5-0 victory in the second leg at home, Chivas then turned their focus on the Clasico Nacional in what was an exciting display of attacking soccer on Saturday. Rivals Guadalajara and Club America battled to a 1-1 draw with Jesus Godinez putting Chivas in front on 21 minutes before Oribe Peralta equalized for the visitors.
The draw was a positive for Chivas fans, who have suffered through a seven-match Clausura winless streak dating back to Jan. 20, but it all but eliminated Guadalajara from playoff contention. As such, all of Matias Almeyda’s eggs are in the CCL basket so expect a first-choice squad against the Sounders.
- Suspended: None
- Suspended after next caution: Alan Pulido, Jesus Godinez
- Injury Report: OUT: D - Jesus Sanchez (undisclosed injury)
Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Rodolfo Cota — Carlos Cisneros, Carlos Salcido, Oswaldo Alanis, Edwin Hernandez — Michael Perez, Orbelin Pineda — Isaac Brizuela, Chofis Lopez, Rodolfo Pizarro — Alan Pulido
All-Time Series
This is the first-ever competitive meeting between the Seattle Sounders and Chivas de Guadalajara. The sides met in a friendly in Seattle on Oct. 12, 2010 with the Sounders claiming a 3-1 win.
- CONCACAF Champions League history: Seattle Sounders – 4 appearances (2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2015/16) 15 wins, 14 losses, 5 ties (53 goals) … Chivas de Guadalajara - 1 appearance (2012/13) 4 wins, 1 loss, 1 tie (14 goals)
Referees
To be announced …
