CONCACAF Champions League: Comunicaciones vs. Seattle Sounders

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.

CONCACAF Champions League: Seattle Sounders vs. Comunicaciones

So for the second straight season, Seattle Sounders successfully navigated the CONCACAF Qualifying round to get into the group stage proper. Last year they lost their group stage opener. They were looking to get off to a better start this year.

The opening minutes didn't quite work out that way. Seattle came out extremely sluggish, and if I had to say so, not really ready to play. Comunicaciones on the other hand came out sharp. They did something not a lot of MLS teams look to do against Seattle at home, attack. It paid off for them in just the game's second minute as Jairo Arreola smacked home a shot on a cross to Comuinicaciones into the lead 0-1.

Seattle and their home fans looked shocked. However, fear not, MLS fans, cause Seattle didn't let us down. It took them a little bit, but they got going and got going big time. Brad Evans headed in their first goal in the 35th minute. It was a reward for a solid 5-7 minutes of all out pressure on the Comunicaciones goal. The equalizer sent us to half time tied at 1-1.

The second half was pretty much all Seattle, but it wasn't without some bumpy moments. Lamar Neagle sent a boot to his opponent's stomach in the 55th that earned him a red card. However, the man disadvantage didn't seem to bother Seattle. Fucito scored two goals in the 60th and 67th minutes, respectively. They also got an own goal late to make the final score 4-1.

Despite the bad start, the strong finish gave Sounders an opening three points in group play. Nicely done.