Juls and Gab spoke after the Seattle Sounders drew 2-2 with the UNAM in the first leg of the CCL. 1:06 The flashbacks are unavoidable for Garthwey. The Seattle Sounders GM and president of soccer had a similar role with Real Salt Lake in 2001, and the squad he put together was on the verge of history in 2011. The final of that year's CCL was between Real Salt Lake and Monterrey, and the winner would go on to play in the final. It was not to be. The game was decided in the first half when Suazo pounced on a loose ball in the box. Seattle will find itself in the same situation as Real Salt Lake when it takes on Pumas in the second leg of the CCL final. Nicolas Lodeiro scored a last-minute penalty to help the Sounders to a 2-2 draw in the first leg. The first MLS team to win the CCL since 2002 is on the verge of doing so, as the Sounders are in a position to make history. - MLS on ESPN+: Stream LIVE games, replays (U.S.)
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There is a sense of deja-vu, according to Lagerwey.
It is our chance at immortality, doing something that no one has ever done before.
Since the near miss, there have been close calls. In 2015, Montreal reached the final. Toronto FC had a chance to win in a penalty kick shootout. The LAFC games were played in the U.S. because of the Pandemic.
MLS has changed a lot over the years, including the roster composition and spending of the teams. According to data provided by the MLS Players Association, the total guaranteed compensation for the season was $3.32 million. It is easy to write that off as a symptom of a team that skewed towards the frugal side, but Seattle had a worse season at $3.4m. In the most recent year for which data is available, Seattle's total guaranteed compensation is more than four times that of Real Salt Lake. That is not the highest mark, with teams like Toronto exceeding $20m some seasons. MLS sides have been able to get closer to their Mexican counterparts.
In the early-2010s, Herculez Gomez tormented MLS sides when he was a player for both Santos Laguna and Tijuana. The depth in MLS teams is different than it was when he played.
He said there was a huge difference between players. They are very good, but they have never played in a big game. They have never won anything in their lives. You can tell there is a stark contrast. A deer in the headlights looked at a lot of the players. You knew it was over.
I think that has changed. You can dig into the bench and see a lot of good players.
The era of targeted allocation money has had a significant impact on what teams can spend. The quality of depth has improved because of the influx of graduates of the academy. Jackson Ragen and Obed Vargas have both played in multiple CCL games. The salary cap is affected by their impact.
The salary cap can be used to build a more economically efficient team if you have a consistent line up of players.
He points out that Seattle has 12 players on the roster who are under the age of 23, and half of them are under the age of 20. The academy graduates are saving the team about $1 million in cap space, according to Lagerwey.
It allows you to spend more money on the top players. The academy has had an impact on the salaries of the top players, he said. It was possible for Mexican clubs to pay more. We are able to go toe to toe on depth because those kids have played in your system before.
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On Saturday, May 7.
• Montreal vs. Orlando (4 p.m. ET)
• Atlanta vs. Chicago (6 p.m. ET)
• NYCFC vs. Kansas City (7 p.m. ET)
• Red Bulls vs. Portland (7 p.m. ET)
• D.C. United vs. Houston (7:30 p.m. ET)
• New England vs. Columbus (7:30 p.m. ET)
• Minnesota vs. Cincinnati (8 p.m. ET)
• Dallas vs. Seattle (8:30 p.m. ET)
• San Jose vs. Colorado (10 p.m. ET)
• LAFC vs. Philadelphia (11 p.m. ET)
On Sunday, May 8.
• Vancouver vs. Toronto (4 p.m. ET)
• Nashville vs. Salt Lake (5 p.m. ET)
These investments have been made for a long time. It is just a matter of when, or if, that steady drip will accumulate to the extent that it will finally make its way over the dam in the form of a CCL title. There will always be questions until it happens. The advantage still exists for the Liga MX sides. Mexican clubs have won over their MLS counterparts 42 times in 53 attempts since the CCL began in 2002.
Nine wins in 31 tries is better for MLS sides than before, but still not as good as in Mexico. There is a feeling that Seattle will win the game. Club America and Tigres are still the best funded teams in the world, with Pumas not having the funding that it used to. It had to rely on its academy to pick out diamonds on the transfer market.
Wednesday's second leg is an opportunity that goes beyond just making history. As of this writing, there are less than 1,000 tickets left for Seattle to host games at the World Cup. The effect on the organization would be huge.
If we win this thing, we can play meaningful games against European champion in the World. I think when you think about player recruitment and how you build the team and the staff going forward, it's pretty hard to conclude anything other than being on that global stage will help the Sounders and the community of Seattle.
Preparing for a Club World Cup is achampagne problem, but first things first. There will be some consumption on Wednesday.
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