By Tyler Snipes
That didn't take very long.
Twelve minutes into his Seattle Sounders FC debut, Dejan Joveljić opened his Rave Green account, announcing himself to the masses at Lumen Field on Saturday.
Following up with the would-be game-winning goal in the 48th minute added up to a dream debut for Seattle's new No. 9 before Robert Lewandowski and Chicago Fire FC spoiled the matinee match with a late response, forcing Joveljić and the Sounders to settle for a 2-2 tie.
Settling for the draw didn't dampen the excitement of bagging a brace in his Seattle debut.

#sounders #tyler #snipes

Santiago Sandoval could not have asked for a better return to Chivas' first-team setup. After an impressive run with the Mexico U-20 National Team at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, the Rojiblanco academy product returned to the squad with the same confidence, talent and ability to make a difference that have made him one of Guadalajara's most promising young players.
Most importantly, his return has gone beyond simply making a good impression. In his last 2 appearances, Sandoval has directly contributed to Chivas' victories, proving that he is a player capable of changing the course of a match even when coming off the bench.
His return came in the final match of the Leagues Cup against Seattle Sounders. He came on as a substitute and, with only a few minutes on the pitch, found himself inside the box to connect with a header and score the goal that ultimately proved decisive in Chivas' victory.
But if that performance was the first glimpse of his impact after returning from the U-20 Championship, what happened against Santos Laguna confirmed that it was no coincidence. In Matchweek 4 of the Apertura 2026, Sandoval came on in the 53rd minute and once again needed very little time to become a key figure. He was active throughout his time on the pitch and created dangerous situations, eventually winning the penalty that led to the goal with which Guadalajara defeated Los Guerreros 0-1.
2 matches, 2 wins and 2 different ways of making an impact. Against Seattle, with a goal. Against Santos, through his movement, his reading of the game and an individual play that ultimately led to the decisive penalty.

#team

Santiago Sandoval's return to the Chivas setup could not have gone better. After a standout showing with the Mexico U-20 National Team at the Concacaf U-20 Championship, the rojiblanco academy product rejoined the team with the same confidence, talent, and ability to make a difference that have made him one of Guadalajara's most promising young players.
And most importantly, that return has not been limited to just positive impressions. In his 2 most recent matches, Sandoval has left a direct mark on El Rebaño's victories, proving that he is a player capable of changing the course of a game even when coming off the bench.
His return came in the closing stages of the Leagues Cup match against the Seattle Sounders. He came on as a substitute and, with only a few minutes on the field, appeared in the box to head home a goal that ultimately proved crucial in giving Chivas the win.
But if that performance was an early sign of his impact after returning from the U-20 Championship, what happened against Santos Laguna confirmed it was no fluke. On Matchday 4 of the Apertura 2026, Sandoval came on in the 53rd minute and once again needed little time to become a central figure. He was active and created dangerous situations until he won the penalty that later became the goal with which Guadalajara defeated the Guerreros 0-1.
2 matches, 2 wins, and 2 different ways of being decisive. Against Seattle, with a goal. Against Santos, through his movement, his reading of the game, and a play that ended in the decisive penalty.

#matches

SEATTLE (AP) — Rayan Elloumi and Thomas Müller scored second-half goals and goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka wasn't tested as the Vancouver Whitecaps handed the Seattle Sounders a club-record seventh straight defeat in MLS play with a 2-0 victory on Sunday night.
The Whitecaps (11-3-4) move to the top of the Western Conference with the win, two points ahead of the Houston Dynamo.
Elloumi took a pass from Emmanuuel Sabbi in the 77th minute and scored his first goal of the season for the lead. Sabbi's **** ist was his second.
Müller used Ryan Gauld's nifty **** ist on a free kick inside the box five minutes later to score his sixth goal for the final margin. Gauld subbed into the match in the 58th minute before collecting his first **** ist in his fourth appearance of the season.
Takaoka did not have to make a save in earning his seventh clean sheet. It was his 34th career shutout in 117 starts.

#second #seventh

On Wednesday night, Leagues Cup soccer action continues with Toluca of Liga MX taking on MLS side Seattle Sounders FC in what promises to be a thrilling matchup. It's always hugely entertaining and intense when clubs from the U.S. and Mexico face off, so soccer fans in America won't want to miss out on this inter-league showdown.
[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] May 30, 2026; Toluca de Lerdo, Mexico, MEX; Toluca's Marcel Ruiz in action with Tigres UANL's Jesus Garza during the Concacaf Champions Cup final at Estadio Nemesio DÌez. Mandatory Credit: Raquel Cunha-Reuters via Imagn Images
When: Wednesday, August 5th, 2026
Time: 10:00 PM ET
TV Channel: FOX Sports 1

#Mexico #wednesday #Soccer #leagues

The Leagues Cup — the 36-team tournament featuring select clubs from Major League Soccer and Mexico's Liga MX — is back and will kick off with six games on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
While previous incarnations of Leagues Cup would feature every club from MLS and Liga LX, a new format was introduced in 2025 that featured an even number of clubs representing each league (18). There's plenty at stake in the tournament, with the top three finishers qualifying for next year's Concacaf Champions Cup tournament.
The Seattle Sounders are the defending Leagues Cup champions, having won the 2025 tournament final over Inter Miami. The Columbus Crew won the 2024 Leagues Cup, while Inter Miami won the 2023 edition in Lionel Messi's first season with the team.
Here is everything you need to know to follow the 2026 Leagues Cup tournament:

#tournament #champions

SEATTLE: Seattle Sounders FC co-owner and Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. during an attempt to break the Guinness world record for largest soccer lesson at Pier 62 on June 15, 2025. (Photo by Soobum Im - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Team USA's World Cup is over early. Again.
For nearly 100 years, the Americans have been also-rans at best and ne'er-do-wells most of the time. But what would be the nation's legacy on the world's greatest stage if MLB's great athletes had grown up on a soccer pitch instead of a baseball diamond?
It is reasonable to ***** ume that MLB greats Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, Mike Trout, Jackie Robinson and Rickey Henderson would be as revered as Pele, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Franz Beckenbauer or Diego Maradona.
BOLTON, ENGLAND: Scoring star of the Brazil team Edson Arantes Do Nascimento, commonly known as Pele, takes a turn in goal during a World Cup training session on July 11, 1966. (Photo by Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)

Seattle has had a banner year for a North American sports city.
Since last June, the Seahawks won the Super Bowl in football, the Mariners made the ALCS and were closer than they've ever been to the World Series in baseball, and the Sounders won the Leagues Cup in soccer. The Kraken and Storm are rebuilding, and the city also has the Reign and the Washington Huskies. The city's had rumors of an NBA return swirling that could become a reality in the near future, too.
However, the United States Men's National Soccer Team (USMNT) playing a home FIFA World Cup match in Lumen Field—rebranded as "Seattle Stadium" during the tournament due to FIFA's sponsor exclusivity rules—became one of the biggest sporting events in the city's history last weekend.
Although the Seahawks just entered their offseason period, franchise legend Marshawn Lynch kept them well-represented ahead of Saturday's USA vs Australia World Cup Match in the fan-led March to the Match.
Like Lynch, Seattle Sports culture became beloved by the entire nation on matchday.

Cristian Roldan told 'em what they were in for.
The Sounders and former University of Washington Huskies soccer star, in his second World Cup playing for the United States, told his U.S. teammates how raucous Friday was going to be. Roldan tried to explain to them how packed Lumen Field — FIFA calling it "Seattle Stadium" — was going to be for the first U.S. World Cup match ever in the Pacific Northwest.
He tried to tell them about the noise, how it was going to shake the building, the bench and them.
Then just before noon Friday, Roldan and his U.S. teammates lined up shoulder to shoulder across the sideline plus the width field on its north, downtown half. The sold-out crowd of 66,925 stood. And all but the few thousand Australian "Socceroos" fans in gold behind the opposite goal — heck, maybe some of them, too — roared the words to The Star-Spangled Banner. Over the music. Without an on-field performer signing.
"It was amazing," 27-year-old American center back Auston Trusty said, after he made his World Cup debut as a substitute late in Friday's match. "Obviously, to not have a singer and have the whole, entire crowd singing, that just gives you chills."

One does not have to go far in Seattle, Washington, to be reminded that it's a soccer town. Two days before Friday's 2-0 win for the US over Australia, all I had to do was get on the train.
Riding the light rail to lunch on Wednesday and hopping off at Westlake Station, I was a few blocks from Pike Place Market, the city's famous waterfront gathering spot. The train car I'd arrived on had been overflowing with US jerseys and Australia kits. Riding the escalator up into the resplendent afternoon sun, someone tugged at my bag.
I'd been recognized, and it led to a few minutes of lovely conversation. Eventually the reader casually mentioned that he'd been a goalkeeper in the 1990s for the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers, long before they joined MLS. It felt so random I couldn't help but laugh.
Related: World Cup 2026: USA reach knockouts with victory over Socceroos – in pictures
In this part of the country, though, interactions like these can seem like the norm; uniquely ***** ociated with teams like the Seattle Sounders and Reign, Portland Timbers and Thorns, and to a slightly lesser extent the Vancouver Whitecaps. The men's clubs have existed in fits and starts since the 1970s and their fans have navigated some of the leanest years in the history of American soccer, the dark ages between the time the North American Soccer League came crashing down in 1984 and the birth of MLS in 1996.

Seattle Sounders player Cristian Roldan will welcome the world to the Emerald City today as the sole Sounders player on the U.S. Men's National team.
The USMNT is scheduled to face Australia in its second FIFA World Cup 2026 contest at Seattle Stadium on Friday at noon.
This is Roldan's second consecutive call-up for the World Cup, having made the team back in 2022 in Qatar. It's the third consecutive World Cup appearance for the U.S. men's team.
"The soccer culture goes back a long time here in Seattle. We had Pelé in the Tacoma Dome, Messi in the Leagues Cup Final. There's a long history here, as well as with Vancouver and Portland. The soccer landscape is amazing," USMNT midfielder Cristian Roldan explained in an interview with U.S. Soccer. "I haven't seen a city where kids play so much soccer. It's incredible how many kids are playing soccer here. When you look at our roster here at [Seattle Sounders], it's all homegrown kids who grew up here and watched Seattle throughout its history. It is ingrained in our culture, and it's a beautiful thing to see."
Roldan moved to Seattle from Pico Rivera, California, to attend the University of Washington. He played for the Huskies' soccer team and has spent his entire professional career in Seattle.

SEATTLE – Seattle, Washington, is steeped in soccer culture. From the formative days of the original Seattle Sounders clashing with Cascadia Cup rivals Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps in the NASL heyday of yesteryear, to the modern rise of the top-flight Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC, the sport has long been woven into the community’s ethos. Toss in just a few of the other organizations scattered throughout the city—the defending NCAA champion University of Washington men’s soccer team, recent USL League Two champions Ballard FC and the indoor Tacoma Stars, just to name a few—and it’s clear that soccer dominates the city’s identity.
No one knows that better than Seattle Sounders legend Cristian Roldan, who returns to the Emerald City donning the Stars and Stripes of the U.S. Men’s National Team in preparation for a massive test against Australia. The USMNT will face Australia in its second FIFA World Cup 2026 contest at Seattle Stadium on Friday.
“The soccer culture goes back a long time here in Seattle,” USMNT midfielder Cristian Roldan explained. “We had Pelé in the Tacoma Dome, Messi in the Leagues Cup Final. There's a long history here, as well as with Vancouver and Portland. The soccer landscape is amazing.
“I haven't seen a city where kids play so much soccer. It's incredible how many kids are playing soccer here. When you look at our roster here at [Seattle Sounders], it's all homegrown kids who grew up here and watched Seattle throughout its history. It is ingrained in our culture, and it's a beautiful thing to see.”
Raised in Pico Rivera, Calif., Roldan traded the sun-drenched scenes of Southern California for the rain-soaked backdrop of Seattle at the start of his playing career.

Toluca beats LAFC 4-0 to reach an all-Mexican Champions Cup final

TOLUCA, Mexico (AP) — Sparked by second-half goals from Helinho and Everardo del Villar, Toluca beat LAFC 4-0 on Wednesday to qualify for a CONCACAF Champions Cup final against UANL Tigres.
Helinho converted a penalty in the 49th minute and del Villar doubled the lead in the 58th.
Portuguese striker Joao Paulo Dias “Paulinho” added two goals in stoppage time for the Red Devils, who clinched the semifinal series 5-2 on aggregate.
This will be the first all-Mexican final in the continental tournament since 2021, when Monterrey defeated Club América.
Regardless of who wins the May 30 decider, a Mexican team will take home the championship trophy for the fourth consecutive year. The last MLS team to win the ***** le was the Seattle Sounders in 2022.

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