Seattle Sounders 1 Botafogo 2 – MLS side falls short in Club World Cup opener

New York Times

16-06-2025

SEATTLE – It didn't take long for the Seattle Sounders' Club World Cup challenge to hit trouble, as Brazil's Copa Libertadores champ Botafogo burst into an early lead and narrowly held on to grab all three points in this Group B clash at Lumen Field.
Some casual defending cost Seattle in the first half and the Sounders never fully recovered. It's whole campaign may not recover either, with a brutal pair of matchups to come, against Champions League victor Paris St. Germain and Atletico Madrid.
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Center back Jair Cunha, 20, notched the opener in the 29th minute for his first goal with Botafogo, heading in Alex Telles' curled free kick, and it got even worse for Seattle from there.
Just before half-time a cross from the right by Vitinho was met with a header from Igor Jesus that did not have great power, but was perfectly placed to creep inside Stefan Frei's post for the second goal.
To its credit, Seattle responded strongly after the break and pulled one back when Christian Roldan's header took a wicked deflection and snuck into the Botafogo net. After Inter Miami's opening night 0-0 draw, it was the first time an MLS team had scored in the revamped Club World Cup. The wait for a first victory goes on, however, with the next opportunity coming on Monday, when LAFC takes on Chelsea.
19-5 – After being down 2-0 at halftime of their @FIFACWC opener, @SoundersFC held 64% possession and outshot Botafogo, 19-5, in the second half. Valiant. pic.twitter.com/c5tUp28jJX
— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) June 16, 2025
If not for Pedro de la Vega spurning a clear chance in the box with a wild miskick late on, and the same player firing straight at the keeper with the final meaningful kick of the game, the Sounders might have gotten something tangible from its efforts.
Ultimately, the Sounders might have felt a little unfortunate to remain without a point, the price to pay for the slow start, and the wasted chances.
Here The Athletic's Jeff Rueter breaks down the key talking points.
Throughout much of the opening 25 minutes, the Sounders held a narrow advantage of match momentum. Teenage homegrown midfielder Obed Vargas harried Botafogo in possession and created Seattle's first real chances in the fifth and eighth minutes. Jesus Ferreira nearly opened the scoring around the 15 minute mark, but his shot from the far-right corner of the box fizzed just beyond the far post.
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The defense did its part to keep Botafogo from creating gilded chances during the stretch, too. Seemingly, that was still the case in the 27th minute, as Sounders left back Nouhou Tolo met Artur Guimaraes as the winger dribbled into Seattle's box. The Cameroonian stood his ground while jawing at Guimaraes, with the sequence apparently ending with a backpass towards the Botafogo midfield.
However, the smack talk didn't stop. Nouhou and Guimaraes had another exchange before Nouhou needlessly shoved Guimaraes, who wisely went to ground. Center official Glenn Nyberg showed a yellow card and awarded Botafogo a dangerous free kick just beyond the corner of the box.
Up stepped the opposite left back, as Alex Telles set up for a left-footed indirect curler. The former Manchester United defender perfected its trajectory, finding Cunha — signed from Santos in February — for the opening goal.
The visitors doubled their lead in the 44th minute, this time from the run of play. A clever switch of play put Nouhou back on his heels, working to contain a pair of opponents while he gained defensive support. Right back Vitinho passed up the wing and drifted toward the corner of the box, with Nouhou doubling up the opponent on the touch line. Vitinho collected a pass unmarked, placing his cross onto Igor Jesus' head to give Botafogo full control of the match before the break.
While one was off of a set piece and the other from the run of play, both were similar at their core: a cross from a Botafogo full back that found a teammate rising above Sounders defender Kim Kee-Hee. Both Nouhou and Kee-Hee exited the game at halftime.
While Botafogo was the immediate beneficiary, the performances of Cunha and Jesus will be closely watched by Nottingham Forest. The Athletic reported that the two — as well as teammate Cuiabano — have reached verbal agreements with the Premier League side to bolster their Brazilian contingent.
A day before the group stage opener, Seattle was one of many American cities to hold rallies as part of the nationwide No Kings demonstrations. The march took place in downtown Seattle, not quite in proximity of Lumen Field as the route spanned roughly 1.5 miles. That spirit of protesting has long been at the city's heart, and extended into the supporters' bank with some banners.
Before the tournament, the Sounders' players warmed up before an MLS fixture donning t-shirts reading 'Club World Cash Grab.' While they didn't make a similar statement on Sunday, their fans picked up their baton, holding a sign at halftime reading 'Fair Share Now.'
Throughout the match itself, another trio of signs carried some level of political messaging. One, 'We Are Not All Here,' was in reference to an identical sign raised at Nashville SC games since its main Latin American supporters group, La Brigada De Oro, stopped attending matches for fear of being caught in ICE's raids. Another simply displayed the Iron Front symbol, with three arrows pointing downwards to the left, while yet another was clear across three rows: 'Anti-Fascist, Always Seattle, Anti-Racist.'
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For much of the first half, a flurry of banners made by Botafogo's fans lined the ad boards on the half opposite of their team's bench, all with messages of support. Around the 40 minute mark, however, FIFA took those banners down. Per a spokesperson, it was because the banners — in clear view throughout the broadcast — covered the logos of multiple tournament sponsors.
For the first half-hour of the second half, the game looked like it was settling in for a comfortable Botafogo victory. In the 75th minute, Seattle earned a free kick in nearly the same patch of grass from where Telles served up the opener. Botafogo did well to clear the opening corner kick, which Paul Rothrock stopped from going out of bounds and held up in the left corner. The scrappy winger then curled in a cross toward the rear-center of the box. Cristian Roldan was wise to it, leaning in for a lunge of a diving header, with the ball bouncing through the slew of bodies still loitering after the free kick, tucking it into the net.
Cristian Roldan cuts into Botafogo's lead, pulling the Sounders within one goal with 15 minutes to play 🔥
🎥 @DAZNFootball pic.twitter.com/E0eHd6yqxp
— The Athletic Soccer (@TheAthleticSCCR) June 16, 2025
Seattle kept the pressure on for the final 15 minutes, coming close to leveling with one of the game's final kicks. Unfortunately, Pedro de la Vega sent his low shot scooting right into goalkeeper John Victor's frame, ending things 2-1. Still, the Rothrock-to-Roldan connection is meaningful beyond helping save face for the defeated hosts.
Rothrock is a Seattle native, who joined his hometown team's developmental affiliate after being cut by Toronto FC II. He's become a regular part of Brian Schmetzer's rotation, tireless and good at creating big chances with regularity. Roldan was drafted by Seattle in 2015 out of the University of Washington, having played nearly 300 MLS games for the club since and earning a spot on the United States' roster for the 2022 World Cup. It wasn't the result Seattle hoped as it opened its Club World Cup — but at least they still served up some tasty and tenacious home cooking.
Thursday, June 19: Atletico Madrid, Club World Cup group stage (Seattle), 6pm ET, 11pm UK
Thursday, June 19: Porto, Club World Cup group stage (Rose Bowl), 9pm ET, 2am UK (June 20)
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