The Seattle Sounders FC improved to 2-0 in the 2012/13 CONCACAF Champions League, winning the second leg of their group stage match against Caledonia AIA 3-1 on Aug. 30. With the win, the Sounders are now three-points away from guaranteeing themselves a spot in the championship round of the tournament.
"Getting six points was important to us because now we've put ourselves in a position that we need to win just one of our last two games," Sounders coach Sigi Schmid told reporters after the match. "We've got one game at home and we've always said winning games at home is the key, and getting some points on the road, but now we know if we win one of our last two, we win the group. It was a position we wanted to be in at the end of the day."
The Sounders' last two matches in the group stage will be against Honduran club, C.D. Marathón on Sept. 19 and 26.
The Sounders started off a little sluggish against Caledonia, butAlex Caskey opened up the scoreboard at the end of the first half, finishing a Zach Scott pass with a beautiful shot. They doubled their advantage in the 60th minute, thanks to Sammy Ochoa, who lobbed a Fredy Montero pass into the post.
However, Caledonia didn't go down without a fight, and they caught a break in the 67th minute. Seattle defender Zach Scott was called for a rough tackle on Jamal Gay inside the box, and Kareem Joseph converted on the ensuing penalty kick.
Fortunately for the Sounders, Fredy Montero - who scored three goals in his last outing - gave them some extra insurance two minutes later, finishing a Caskey cross with a nice touch.
Seattle's defense held up for the remainder of the game, preserving the victory. They've now won six of their last eight matches, and things couldn't be going any better for the Sounders right now. Their defense has been consistently solid throughout the 2012 MLS season, and their offense is starting to come along.
The Sounders will now return to MLS play, where they're currently tied for the second spot in the Western Conference. They'll face Dallas FC on Sept. 2.
David has been a fan of the Seattle Sounders for the past 3 years. Follow him on twitter@davidkingwriter and check out his blog.
Sources:
Player and game information from ESPN and SoundersFC.com
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