First off, congrats to Seattle. Their draw tonight makes them the first team to punch their ticket through to the knockout stage of CONCACAF Champions League. They've represented the league well.
This was a tough match for them tonight in conditions that were far from ideal in Guatemala City. They faced a crappy plastic pitch and an absolute downpour through most of the match. Comunicaciones got on the board first in the 7th minute off of a counter attack. Transito Montepeque slipped behind the Seattle defense and chipped the ball into goal over Keller to give Las Cremas the 1-0 lead.
Seattle responded well though. They didn't panic. Their patience finally paid off in the 44th minute. After a set piece, the ball went loose and Osvaldo Alonso pounded it past the Cremas keeper to tie the match at 1-1 going into half time.
I know Seattle wanted to take all three points. Their starting lineup reflected that. However, it looked through much of the second half like they were willing to settle for the draw and the ticket to the next round. This came back to haunt them in the 64th minute when Keller failed to punch a ball away from goal and Rafael Morales punched in the rebound to give Las Cremas the 2-1 lead.
After that it looked like the group was going to be thrown into disarray, but Alonso came to the rescue of the Sounders once again. This time he blasted home the equalizer in the 89th minute to stun the crowd in Guatemala, particularly since the home side had gone to such great lengths to run time off the clock. The match finished at 2-2.
The draw moves Seattle to 10 points and a slot in the next round. They enjoy the tie breaker over Comunicaciones by virtue of a win and a draw. In two weeks they will meet Monterrey in Seattle to decide who wins the group. Comunicaciones will need a Seattle win to have any hope of advancing.
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