SEATTLE — The Seattle Sounders scheduled a friendly with Club Tijuana hoping to get an early taste of what the CONCACAF Champions League will be like in the summer.
What played out Tuesday actually seemed more of a cross between CCL and the developmental USL, as the Sounders and Xolos mixed regular starters with deep reserves in a 2-2 draw at CenturyLink Field.
But even at that, the Sounders believe they got what they hoped for out of the evening, remembering that Champions League games also often feature alternative lineups because the tournament plays out amid the Major League Soccer season.
“When you get into those stretches of games you’ve got to rotate your squad a little bit,” coach Sigi Schmid said. “So it gives you an opportunity to step up to that level of competition, (and see) who can hold his own.”
Schmid cited Aaron Kovar, Cristian Roldan, Andy Rose and Oneil Fisher as non-regulars who stepped up against the Liga MX leaders. Lamar Neagle and Rose provided the Seattle goals, with assists from Kovar and Roldan.
Seattle dominated the first 20 minutes, and broke ahead in the 11th minute on a Neagle header.
However, Tijuana equalized against the run of play in the 21st minute when Dayro Moreno found space behind the defense, banged a tightly angled shot against the far post and then returned an even more tightly angled rebound into the net.
Seven minutes later, the Xolos moved ahead, countering behind the Seattle defense with Moreno assisting Richard Ruiz.
Seattle substituted heavily in the second half, trying to keep the roster fresh for the club’s return to MLS play Saturday at FC Dallas.
One of those newcomers — Rose — got the equalizer in the 57th minute, slipping behind the Tijuana defense.
“I think it’s a really good and smart choice by the club that we can get a taste before CONCACAF, a taste of what that might look like,” Kovar said. “I thought there were some younger guys who played awesome tonight, and in terms of squad rotation I’m sure they’ll be looking at some of us for that.”
The game was delayed about 20 minutes to accommodate a late-arriving crowd to due traffic troubles in Seattle. Final announced attendance was 39,115.
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