Rusnák Brace Not Enough as Sounders Beat Tigres 3-1 but Exit Champions Cup on Away Goals

SEATTLE, Wash. — The Seattle Sounders did almost everything they needed to do on Wednesday night. They scored three goals, outshot Tigres UANL 20-10 and pulled level on aggregate in the 82nd minute on a cold, rainy night at Lumen Field. It still was not enough. Albert Rusnák scored twice and Danny Musovski added a goal as Seattle beat Tigres 3-1 on April 15, but the Liga MX side advanced to the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals on the away goals tiebreaker after the quarterfinal finished 3-3 on aggregate.

Tigres had won the first leg 2-0 in Monterrey on April 8, which meant Seattle needed at least a two-goal win just to force extra time. The decisive moment came in the 31st minute, when Tigres center back Joaquim headed in a Juan Brunetta corner. It was the only away goal scored across the two legs, and it sent Tigres into a semifinal meeting with Nashville SC.

Rusnák Strikes Early, With Help From VAR

Seattle wasted no time chipping into the deficit. In the 11th minute, Cristian Roldan lofted a through ball over the Tigres defense and Rusnák met it with a half-volley. The goal was initially flagged offside, but video review allowed it to stand, according to the Sounders' recap, and the aggregate lead was cut to one.

The match was Seattle's first at Lumen Field since its season opener on Feb. 22. The Sounders had played eight straight matches away from home while the stadium was converted to grass for the FIFA World Cup, going 5-2-1 in that stretch, according to the club. A crowd of 20,036 braved 42-degree temperatures and rain for the homecoming.

Joaquim's Header Changes the Math

The momentum turned in the 31st minute. Tigres won a corner off a Seattle turnover, as the Yakima Herald-Republic noted, and Joaquim rose to head Brunetta's delivery past Stefan Frei. Suddenly the arithmetic was brutal. Seattle again needed three more goals, and it needed them against a team that, according to the Herald-Republic, spent much of the remaining hour slowing the game down with time-wasting and physical play.

Seattle turned to its bench at halftime, sending Musovski on for Snyder Brunell. The change paid off within four minutes. Alex Roldan slipped a through ball to Jordan Morris, and Morris's quick cross was redirected in by Musovski in the 49th minute to put Seattle back in front on the night, 2-1.

Frei Keeps the Door Open

Tigres had chances to end the tie outright, and Frei would not let them. In the 61st minute he denied Rodrigo Aguirre from close range after the striker was played in behind. Five minutes later he dove to stop a point-blank header from Ángel Correa. Frei finished with five saves, and without the two stops in the middle of the second half, Seattle's late push would never have mattered.

It mattered in the 82nd minute. Cristian Roldan picked out Rusnák again, and the Sounders' playmaker struck from the left side of the box. His shot hit the inside of the far post and went in, making it 3-1 on the night and 3-3 on aggregate. Rusnák's brace gave him three goals across all competitions this season, after he also scored in the opener against Colorado.

Seattle pushed for a fourth through the closing minutes and stoppage time, but the goal that would have sent the Sounders through never came. Tigres collected two late yellow cards, to Jesús Garza and Diego Sánchez, as the clock ran out.

Milestones in Defeat

The night still produced some club history. Cristian Roldan's two assists were his first of the season and gave him 74 for his career, second in Sounders history, according to the club. Morris's assist on the Musovski goal was his 40th in all competitions, breaking a tie with Rusnák for fourth in club history. Musovski's goal was his second of the season; his first also came in the Champions Cup, against Vancouver on March 18.

The Sounders finished with 20 shots to Tigres' 10, though Tigres put six on target to Seattle's five. The Sounders were also called for 16 fouls to Tigres' eight, and both Musovski and Paul Rothrock were booked in the second half.

What It Means

The exit ends Seattle's eighth appearance in the competition. The Sounders remain the only MLS club to win the Champions Cup, which they did in 2022 with a 5-2 aggregate win over Pumas UNAM, but this marks the second straight year they have been knocked out by a Liga MX side after a round of 16 loss to Cruz Azul in 2025. Their all-time Champions Cup record now stands at 25-17-12, according to the club.

Tigres, meanwhile, moved on in search of their second Champions Cup title and first since 2020, according to MyNorthwest. Seattle had no time to dwell on it. The Sounders were scheduled to return to MLS play on Saturday, April 18, against St. Louis CITY SC at Lumen Field, their first home league match since the opener. They will carry a 3-1 win into that game, along with the knowledge that a single header in the 31st minute decided the tie.

Photo Credit: Reza Malayeri/Undrafted