Seattle Sounders eliminated from FIFA Club World Cup

The Seattle Sounders have been eliminated from the Club World Cup, after suffering a 1-0 loss to Al Ahly on Saturday at Ibn Batouta Stadium in Morocco.

A cruel deflection from Alex Roldan on Mohamed Magdy Afsha’s 88th minute effort forced the lone goal, propelling the Egyptian side to the third round and an early exit for the American team. 

Brian Schmetzer’s side became the first Major League Soccer team to feature in the tournament, earning a ticket when winning the Concacaf Champions League. But their run in the international competition was short lived, after failing to make an offensive impact.

Despite the result, Schmetzer walked away content with his team’s performance.

"I thought we were good, we were evenly matched," a clearly deflated Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer told Fox Sports after the match.

"We make one little half a mistake, little error – give the ball away in that part of the field. They hit the crossbar. We have a chance to clear. It drops to the player, and he shoots and Alex tries to block it, and it goes in the goal. That's really unfortunate after all of the effort the players put in."

The game served as a pre-season exercise for the Seattle Sounders, as the 2023 Major League Soccer campaign kicks off on February 25. The team still has three weeks to prepare, before hosting the Colorado Rapids on the 26 at Lumen Field.

"The guys are pretty determined," added Schmetzer. "They understand that things happen. They do not want this to put a damper on the regular season. We have the next objective."

The Sounders will look to improve from last season, after struggling in 2022 to find a balance between MLS and the Concacaf Champions League. With focus on the international tournament, their regular-season results began to dwindle. Schmetzer’s side concluded the 2022 campaign in 11th place with just 41 points in 34 games, missing out on the playoffs.

 But the 2023 season brings on new opportunities.