Sounders Halftime Observations From Seattle’s Home Match Against Chivas, August 12th, 2026
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - It’s been an interesting first 45 minutes in this Leagues Cup group stage matchup between visiting Chivas de Guadalajara and the Seattle Sounders FC, a match that neither side has any real stake in considering that Chivas was eliminated before the match and the Sounders need an absolute miracle in order to advance. Here are a few basic observations from the first half of Leagues Cup group stage action between Chivas and the Sounders on Wednesday, August 12th, 2026, at Lumen Field.
This is a Chivas home match
From the moment I walked up to Lumen Field, it was quickly apparent that there was going to be a large Chivas following at tonight’s match. A fun scene had developed where a large group of Chivas fans, in their red and white striped kits, were standing around a circle where other fans were dancing to music being played over a few loud speakers. All along Occidental, there were a few Sounders kits from different eras mixed into the overwhelming majority of Chivas fans.
It became more apparent that the stadium would largely be filled with Chivas fans as gates opened, with most of the stands opened to fans being filled with those iconic red and white kits. “CHIVAS” chants have broken out regularly over the course of the first 45 minutes, and excited reactions have been the majority when the away side does anything, not the home side. During his matchday-1 press conference yesterday, head coach Brian Schmetzer wasn’t worried about how Chivas fans had taken over Providence Park when the club played the Portland Timbers earlier this week, and yet here we are.
“Our fans have always shown up. That’s why maybe you get 50/50 in these types of games instead of 70/30 because our fans care about our team. That’s what I’ve always appreciated about our fans. The atmosphere in the building when you have a large subset of visiting fans and our home fans that makes it exciting for the players.”
Stef’s standing on his head
As he has in the two Leagues Cup group stage matches before tonight, Sounders veteran goalkeeper Stefan Frei has done his part to keep Seattle in the match. The ball has largely been with Chivas, a 68-32 percentage split in possession, and Frei has had to face 13 shots from the away side, five on target. He’s had to make a few leaping stops and be alert often in this match, and hasn’t been spared in set pieces either as Chivas has seven corners through the first half.
If there was any doubt regarding Frei’s ability coming into Leagues Cup this year, that discussion has been put to bed quickly with the performances that he’s put together through the first two and a half matches. He’s a massive reason for last matches clean sheet and for the current zero on the board next to Chivas’ name.
Letting the kids play is fun
It was electric to see 18-year-old Gallatin Sandnes opening the scoring in this match, being in the right place at the right time to poke home that loose ball on a Sounders corner kick. Sandnes’ name has hung around the first time a bit in recent memory, largely due to the injuries that Seattle’s been battling, and it’s very cool to see him get on the scoresheet in this matchup against the Mexican giants.
Outside of Sandnes’ goal, it’s fun to see just how rotated this Sounders side is, with there only really being four players that we’ve seen a decent amount of for Seattle starting in this match in Jesus Ferreira, Osaze De Rosario, Tino Lopez (And even including him feels like a stretch), and of course Stefan Frei. Stu Hawkins is a name that Sounders fans are familiar with, but its not as though he’s featured a ton for Seattle till this point. Sebastian Gomez, Mark O’Neill, and Edson Carli were present for the club last match, but are getting starts not after that. We haven’t seen much of anything from Charlie Gaffney and Ryan Sailor.
You’d certainly like to be playing for a chance to advance in the tournament here and playing your first choice lineup, but considering that you aren’t and the current fixture congestion that they’re facing, it’s nice to see the kids get some real run against a solid lineup in this match.
What to look for in the second half
I wouldn’t really expect for the Sounders to make any changes in the second half substitution wise, but there are a few fun names that it could be fun to see. Xavi Gnaulati and Rafael Jauregui are a few of the names on Seattle’s roster for this tournament from the Tacoma Defiance, and in a match that the club has no real business trying hard in, getting them into the match could be fun.
How long can Stefan Frei keep this up? With how much attacking presence Chivas had in the first 45 minutes, it feels like they’re knocking on the door for a score that will ignite the large contingent of their fans at Lumen Field, unless something changes defensively for the Sounders. Stef’s playing fantastic, but it seems unfair to continue asking him to bail out Seattle.
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Photo by Jane Gershovich via Sounders FC Communications
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