Seattle Sounders Dominates Antigua GFC in Concacaf Champions Cup | OneFootball

If there's one thing that sets a winning team apart from a regular one, it’s hunger. And, let me tell you, the Seattle Sounders came into the 2025 season starving. Wednesday night at Estadio Pensativo wasn’t so much “pensativo” as it was electrified, thanks to Antigua GFC's fans turning the place into an absolute oven. But the Sounders weren’t here for a cookout. They had a message to send: this team’s here to win titles.

The 3-1 scoreline? Doesn’t leave room for doubt. Paul Arriola, Pedro de la Vega, and Albert Rusnák delivered a result that not only gives Seattle a solid edge heading into the second leg, but also backs up what Sounders management probably already knew: their offseason signings? They might’ve just been spot on. Blink, and you missed the first punch to the home team's jaw.

The Sounders aren't about wasting time. Barely had the game started, and Arriola was already putting one in the back of the net. And sure, his name’s in the stats, but the credit? That goes to another offseason addition: Jesús Ferreira. Their chemistry, which shone brightly back when they were at FC Dallas, kicked off right where it left off. Ferreira put the ball in Arriola’s path, and with a single touch, bam, Seattle was up, just three minutes in. Was there a deflection? Yep. But who cares? What mattered was that the Sounders were already ahead.

Of course, Antigua wasn’t just gonna roll over. Playing at home with a fired-up crowd behind them, they pushed forward. And at the 24th minute, they got their equalizer. Óscar Santis popped up unmarked and, calm as you like, slotted it in. That goal flipped a switch for the Sounders, who suddenly found themselves under some serious Guatemalan pressure. And let’s be real, if there’s one thing the Libertadores and the Concacaf Champions Cup teach you, it’s that there are no easy games in Central America.

The draw lasted just long enough to make things a little uncomfortable, but it didn’t change the course of the game. In the second half, Pedro de la Vega decided to put any remaining doubts to rest. After a few close calls, the Argentine blasted one from outside the box. The ball deflected off defender Kevin Grijalva’s head and found its way into the back of the net. Was it a golazo? Oh, absolutely.

But here’s what’s really striking: it’s not just the finish, it’s what that goal represents. De la Vega had a rough season last year, plagued by injuries, but he never lost his “promise” status. Now, with a fresh body and a strong preseason, he looks ready to deliver exactly what the Sounders have been hoping for. If he can keep up this level, Seattle just gained an offensive weapon that could make all the difference in the title race.

Antigua still had a golden opportunity to equalize when Santis fired a cross-goal shot that skimmed the post. If that had gone in, who knows how this story would’ve played out.

With the game winding down, the Sounders delivered the knockout blow. Already showing they were hungry for another goal, they launched a surgical counter-attack. Obed Vargas found Georgi Minoungou wide open, the Ivorian sprinted into the box, and with the precision of a surgeon, he laid it off to Albert Rusnák, who finished it off with calm precision.

If Antigua still had any hopes of a comeback, that goal crushed them. The 3-1 scoreline not only gives Seattle a massive advantage heading back home, but it also breaks a long-standing curse: this was the Sounders’ first win over a Central American team since 2012. About time, right?

Now, Seattle heads back home with their confidence soaring. But no time to rest, there’s an MLS matchup on Saturday against Charlotte FC before they meet Antigua again next Wednesday for the decisive clash.