Seattle Sounders reaching CCL final 'means everything', says Stefan Frei

He obviously didn't score a goal, but goalkeeper Stefan Frei's heroics ensured the Seattle Sounders advanced to the Concacaf Champions League final stress-free against NYCFC.

Seattle took a 3-1 lead to Red Bull Arena from the first leg and settled nerves quickly with a Raul Ruidiaz goal just 28 minutes in on Wednesday night.

But even then, NYCFC didn't go down without a fight and the MLS Cup champions knocked, banged, and kicked at the door time and again throughout the night. But a seven-save performance from Frei kept the Cityzens at bay, limiting them to a single goal on the night from Santiago Rodriguez. The Sounders' place in the final against Pumas is in the books.

"We created enough to score at least three goals, but their goalkeeper was unbelievable today," NYCFC head coach Ronny Deila said of Frei's performance.

The 35-year-old Frei is part of the furniture in Seattle now having won two MLS Cups, a US Open Cup, and a Supporters' Shield with the Sounders, as well as notching up almost 300 appearances. He's well aware of what it'd mean for this club to be the first from MLS to win CCL.

“It means everything,” he said after Wednesday's match. “There’s very select opportunities to make history. There’s still one elusive one for MLS. If you can be that one, it’s going to be massive for your career, for the franchise, for everybody involved. What a massive opportunity.”

There are those who would argue Seattle have a favorable opponent in the final, as far as facing Mexican opposition goes. Pumas haven't won this competition or any of its predecessors since 1989, nor a title of any sort since 2011. In the current Liga MX Clausura table, they're way down in 10th with just four wins from 13 games.

But Pumas have already overcome adversity to beat Deportivo Saprissa, the New England Revolution, and Cruz Azul to reach this point, and no game against Liga MX opposition can be taken for granted by MLS teams.

If anything, facing a team like Pumas rather than a traditional giant like Monterrey or Club America only adds to the pressure. But that comes with the territory for a team like Seattle, regardless of the opponent.

“Ultimately, you want to play for trophies,” said Frei. “This franchise has a high standard. Sometimes, that means pressure, but the players enjoy that pressure. We appreciate the fact that we have opportunities to be in pressure moments. We have opportunities for trophies, and for some players in their careers, it comes never.

“We’re excited that we find ourselves in another situation like that. We’re also very, very excited that we get to play the second [leg] at home. Hopefully, with an amazing atmosphere, we can achieve something that nobody’s done before.”