SEATTLE — It would be beyond hyperbolic to suggest the Seattle Sounders needed a resounding win against Motagua in any sort of literal sense. Especially in these early-round games, the name of the game is simply “advance”, and a win of any kind would have sent them through to the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals.
Nicolás Lodeiro gave the Sounders all they needed when his bouncing ball through traffic wrong-footed the goalkeeper and struck the back of the net in the 33rd minute. When Cristian Roldan effectively put the match away shortly after halftime when he found himself all alone in front of goal — taking advantage of a slow-to-react defense on a Lodeiro free kick — you could almost feel the tension lift from the stands.