Only 1 team advanced to the next round of the Leagues Cup with 3 wins | OneFootball

As the only team to win all 3 games in the opening round, the Sounders did it in 3 different ways. They ran away with the first game after exploding for 7 goals in the second half. In the second game, they held on to a lead, including when they were down a man. In the third game, they came from behind and were able to pull off the victory with some timely scoring, prompting Brian Schmetzer's comments that "Our team doesn't fold, our team doesn't quit."

Schmetzer went on to praise the play of Osaze, as he took a step forward in his play and took it to another level. Ryan Kent and Pedro de la Vega continued their play of good form. Albert Rusnak and Kent left the game early and have hamstring injuries. The extent of their injuries will be more clear after medical testing.

It was a physical and intense game. Both teams were facing elimination from the tournament and the Mexican league has a reputation for having a more physical style of play than the MLS. Schmetzer outlined how difficult this kind of game is to officiate and praised the all female crew for doing a good job.

The Sounders were awarded a penalty kick after a handball in the box, taken and missed by Albert Rusnak as his shot hit the post. Ramiro Franco received a red card with just seconds left in the game after pulling down Musovski with a denial of a goal scoring opportunity.

The Sounders next game is a MLS league game against the Galaxy on Sunday and the rest of the Leagues cup will coincide with the MLS schedule as the Sounders also have a game against Minnesota in MLS play on the 16th.

Since the Sounders do not know who their next opponent in the Leagues Cup, they will have to wait to find out the details of their quarterfinals match that is scheduled for August 20th against a Liga MX team. The finals for the Leagues Cup is on the 31st of August, so if the Sounders continue to deliver wins, it will be a full month of matches for the Rave Green.

The Sounders have led all teams in scoring with 11 goals scored by 8 different players. The whole team seems to be stepping up their intensity and confidence as they look to accumulate several titles before the end of the season.