Botafogo Beats Seattle in First Club World Cup Game, Where Seattle Won Hearts With Commendable Second Half Performance

Sunday evening marked the day the Sounders became the first MLS team to play in the FIFA Club World Cup twice. Hosted at Lumen Field, the Sounders played Brazilian giants Botafogo to a tight 2-1 defeat. Earlier in the day, PSG thrashed Atletico Madrid in the Rose Bowl 4-0, giving a clear frontrunner in Group B.

Seattle is in a very tough group, where the Botafogo fixture was the clear best chance at securing a positive result given that the next matchups are against Atletico Madrid and European champions PSG. The Sounders had plenty of opportunities to take advantage over Botafogo, but missing too many significant chances was Seattle's ultimate cause of defeat.

"The difference is always in front of goal, right, against these big teams. The difference is in the box in particular, defending the set piece, defending their lofted cross, then taking care of the chances we have in their box," said Cristian Roldan following the defeat.

Brian Schmetzer made two changes at halftime, taking off his star left-back after he picked up an unnecessary yellow card earlier in the half. Kim Kee Hee was also replaced by Jonathan Bell, where both center-backs are covering in the injured Yeimar’s position.

The most notable performance was from longtime Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan, who played his absolute heart out during his 90-plus minute shift. Roldan not only became the first Sounders and MLS player to score in the FIFA Club World Cup, but he was also the main driving factor to Seattle's promising momentum in that second half.

Aimee Worthington / Area Sports Network

The Sounders were the clear bigger threat in the second half, and the team's consistency issues in front of goal showed when the game was nearing its end. Pedro de la Vega had a very dangerous chance at completing the two-goal comeback in the second half, but missed the ball as he tried to smash a shot on target.

The Sounders started off strong in the first half too, which led to Alex Roldan registering a dangerous-looking shot. Botafogo’s offense looked equally as promising after forcing Stefan Frei to two early saves.

It was Botafogo’s Jair Cunha that opened the scoring of the match off a header from a freekick. The freekick landed dangerously in the six-yard box and put Frei in a crowded, awkward situation where the veteran goalkeeper could have done so much. An initially cautiously optimistic Sounders, at this moment, had to keep their heads up and focus on maintaining their promising offensive style.

 Aimee Worthington / Area Sports Network

After a long spell of possession and opportunities from Seattle, Botafogo doubled their lead just before halftime. A low, bouncing header by Igor Jesus from a cross caught Frei to his far bottom-left corner. The header was not the quickest, but though Frei put himself at full stretch and was barely unable to reach it, a quicker reaction could have led to a save.

The Sounders kept pushing to find a goal in the second half, controlling the majority of opportunities in the first 15 minutes after the 45, but Botafogo maintained their hard press from the backline. Seattle kept drawing fouls in promising areas, adding to the anticipation of the first Seattle Club World Cup goal.

 Aimee Worthington / Area Sports Network

Cristian Roldan was the main to break the Seattle deadlock and halved the deficit at the 75th minute. It took patience and composure for Seattle to find their long-awaited Club World Cup goal, and it had to be Cristian Roldan to make Seattle history. The goal took a deflection from Cristian Roldan’s attempt at goal, but all what mattered to the Sounders was the restored hope.

Paul Rothrock was the man who earned the assist on Roldan's goal, but speaking after the match, the 26-year-old said "I'd still like to win. I'd like to get the first Club World Cup win (of MLS teams)." Rothrock was clear that he is more focused on team victories over personal achievments.

The final push for the equalizer had the entire stadium simultaneously gasping during the scrambles in the box, but Botafogo ultimately held onto the three points. The Sounders have two European giants coming up next, playing Atletico Madrid on Thursday and PSG on the next Monday.

Cover Photo: Aimee Worthington / Area Sports Network