“Boom, Boom, Clap”, the deafening sound of the classic Sounders chant rang throughout Lumen Field in the 93rd minute as 68,000 fans got ready to celebrate Seattle’s and America’s first Concacaf Champions League Title. 

On May 4th, the Seattle Sounders took on Mexican side, Pumas Unam, in a final battle for the Concacaf Champions League trophy–a prestigious tournament which takes place between the best teams in North and Central America. With a very similar format to the UEFA Champions League in Europe, which consists of two-legged games with an aggregate score for each round, the Sounders battled their way through the knockout-style tournament, beating FC Montagua, Club Leon, and New York City FC to get to the final. 

Not only would this tournament add another piece of hardware to the Sounders trophy cabinet, but it would also qualify them for the FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament which takes the winners from each continent’s big tournament and pits them against each other. The chance to play a team like Liverpool or Real Madrid on a competitive level on a global stage is something a team from America has never experienced, as the winners of the Concacaf Champions League have only come from the Mexican league, Liga MX. And with a chance to make history for not only the club, but also US Soccer as a whole, the Sounders showed up. 

With nearly 68,000 Sounders fans packed into Lumen Field, the game kicked off with a thunderous roar. The start of the game looked shaky for the Sounders, as both star players, Nouhou and Joao Paulo went down with injuries which forced them to be subbed. However, a deflected goal by Raul Ruidiaz gave the Sounders a 1-0 lead just before the half. The second half also started shaky for the Sounders, as Sounders goalkeeper Stefen Frei had to step up to make some huge saves. The last twenty minutes of the match were all Sounders however, a wonderful team goal in the 78th minute finished by Raul Ruidiaz gave the Sounders a 2-0 lead as the top blew off of Lumen Field. The cherry on top was Nicolas Loderio’s goal in the 86th minute which put the game away for the Sounders, and as the ref put the whistle to his mouth and blew, the Sounders were officially champions of Concacaf. 

“This is such a historic win for this team and I’m so glad I got to be a part of it,” said Sounders fan, Audrey Hamilton, when asked what it was like to be a part of the win. 

On one of the greatest nights in Sounders history, the Sounders did what no MLS team had done before, win the Concacaf Champions League. For the first time ever, an MLS team will have a chance to play competitively with other teams from around the world, marking a new age in American soccer, and a sign of what is to come for this nation in the footballing world.