SEATTLE – The Seattle Sounders went into Tuesday night’s friendly against Club Tijuana thinking the game would be a tune-up for the team’s upcoming CONCACAF Champions League schedule – and it may have been just that.
But it was also a showcase for some of Seattle’s youth in what turned out to be a hard-fought and physical 2-2 draw with the current Liga MX leaders.
The Sounders took an early lead, jumping in front after Lamar Neagle finished a feed from Aaron Kovar in the 11th minute. Seattle then fell behind following goals from Tijuana’s Dayro Moreno (21st) and Richard Ruiz (28th), but salvaged the tie after a 56th-minute equalizer from midfielder Andy Rose.
For Seattle head coach Sigi Schmid, the opportunity to get an extended look at some of his talented youngsters was an added bonus on top of the chance to get his team acclimated to Champions League play. Schmid pointed to Kovar, a second-year midfielder and Homegrown Player, and rookies Cristian Roldan and Oniel Fisher as standout performers. All three played for USL club Sounders 2 over the weekend.
“I thought we played fairly well, especially in the first half,” Schmid said. “I thought we had really good spacing, we moved the ball around, created some good opportunities. … [We also] got a lot of our young kids an opportunity to play and play some significant minutes, so we were happy with that.”
Kovar, Seattle’s left-sided 21-year-old, was especially impressive, assisting both Seattle goals and providing good service on set pieces.
“I thought [Kovar] had some very good moments in the game tonight,” Schmid said. “He’s a good crosser of the ball – that’s probably his No. 1 strength. … But also tonight, just his passing [was improved]. Sometimes he’s hit-or-miss with that. … I thought offensively he did a good job with the set pieces, but also a good job crossing the ball off the run of play and connecting passes.”
After playing all 90 minutes, Kovar said he felt progressively more at ease as he navigated his way through his first career start in the raucous CenturyLink Field environment.
“Throughout the game, my confidence definitely grew,” Kovar said. “There was definitely nerves at the beginning. … But I thought as the game went on, I felt a lot more comfortable, and by the end, I was just really enjoying it.”
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Kovar added that the game was a good barometer for what Seattle can expect from international opponents when they do start their Champions League schedule, likely in August.
“I think it’s a different tempo of play; it’s a different style,” Kovar said. “MLS is just so athletic and fast. … They were just a lot more patient on the ball. So I think it was a good adjustment. It’s just a good taste of it.”
The game marked the second year in a row the Sounders have wound up with a draw in a big international friendly, following last year’s 3-3 home deadlock with Tottenham Hotspur.
