Concacaf Champions Cup: Tigres UANL Edge Seattle Sounders On Away Goals To Reach Semi-finals

Tigres UANL, Toluca and Los Angeles FC all confirmed Concacaf Champions Cup semi-final places, while Nashville SC stunned Club America. Tigres survived a scare against the Seattle Sounders, Toluca swept aside the LA Galaxy, and LAFC eased past Cruz Azul, before Nashville edged a tight contest against Mexican opposition.

The tightest tie saw Tigres progress on away goals, despite losing 3-1 to Seattle in the second leg. Tigres had carried a 2-0 advantage from the first leg and moved 3-1 ahead on aggregate before a fierce Sounders response left the visitors hanging on during a tense closing spell.

Seattle struck first when Albert Rusnak finished in the 11th minute, cutting the overall deficit. Tigres replied through Joaquim, whose header after 31 minutes restored a two-goal cushion on aggregate. That away strike proved vital, as it meant Seattle needed three goals to turn the tie around.

The Sounders nearly achieved that target after half-time. Danny Musovski scored early in the second period, before Rusnak added a second goal on 82 minutes. Seattle pressed for a decisive fourth, but Tigres stayed compact, protected the away-goals edge and eventually closed out a 3-3 aggregate draw.

Toluca delivered the clearest win of the quarter-finals, beating the LA Galaxy 3-0 in the second leg to secure a 7-2 aggregate success. Jesus Gallardo opened the scoring on Wednesday, while Paulinho, who had scored a hat-trick in the first leg, added two more goals to complete another strong display.

Los Angeles FC experienced fewer problems against Cruz Azul. A 1-1 draw on Tuesday was enough for a 4-1 aggregate victory, with the MLS side already in control from the first leg. Nashville SC then produced one of the round’s headline results, defeating Club America 1-0 as Hany Mukhtar settled the tie.

Key numbers underlined Seattle’s frustration against Tigres. The Sounders attempted 20 shots and generated 1.91 expected goals. Tigres created chances worth only 0.65 xG yet advanced. Rusnak led Seattle with five attempts, valued at 0.43 xG in total. For the Galaxy, captain Maya Yoshida reached 100 appearances in all competitions, despite the heavy defeat.