Seattle Sounders qualified for the tournament after becoming the first club from Major League Soccer to capture the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) last season.
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Seattle Sounders is set to compete in their first ever Club World Cup when they take on Egyptian side Al Ahly in round two action at Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier. Seattle Sounders qualified for the tournament after becoming the first club from Major League Soccer to capture the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) last season. The Egyptian Premier League side, on the other hand, finished runner ups in the last edition of CAF champions League, losing the final to Moroccan side Wydad AC, who will be up against Al-Hilal, earlier in the day. As of now, the Red Devils are sitting at the summit of Egypts top tier standings, having collected 37 points from 15 games, six clear of the second placed side.Â
Good luck, @soundersfc!
The champions of @concacaf begin their @fifaworldcup journey this Saturday 🙌 pic.twitter.com/PHjKsoU1Er
— Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League (@TheChampions) February 3, 2023
The Sounders lifted the CCL trophy last term, courtesy of defeating Mexican outfit UNAM in the final. The first leg of the title-decider ended in a 2-2 draw before Brian Schmetzer’s side secured a convincing 3-0 victory in the decider and thereby clinched the trophy. Meanwhile, the Raven Green have won the MLS title on two occasions, while finishing runner ups twice. On Saturday, they will become the first MLS outfit to participate in the Club World Cup. Meanwhile, their last domestic season wasn’t so great as they finished 11th in the Western Conference standings.Â
Al Ahly, on the other hand, are heading into the match on the back of a comfortable 3-0 win over Auckland City FC in the first round of the Club World Cup on Wednesday. Hussen El Shahat opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before Mohamed Sherif doubled the lead, eleven minutes into the second half. And then Percy Tau’s 86th-minute strike put the icing on the cake and sealed Al Ahly’s passage into the second round of the competition. Meanwhile, the Red Devils have won the CAF Champions League a record 10 times, and this will be their eighth appearance at this competition. Â
Nicolas Lodeiro, who was the top scorer for the Sounders in the CCL last season, will continue to pull the strings in the midfield, with Raul Ruidiaz leading the line. Stephan Frei, the top goalkeeper in the CCL is expected to keep his position between the sticks. Chu and C. Roldan might occupy the flanks. As for Al Ahly, Serif and Tau, the scorers against Auckland City, will partner up front, with Afsha operating behind them in a free role.
Seattle Sounders Probable line-up: Frei, Tolo, Gomez, Arreaga, A. Roldan, Rusnak, Rowe, Chu, Lodeiro, C Roldan, Ruidiaz
Al Ahly probable line-up: El Shenawy, Hany, Metwalli, Abdelmonem, Maaloul, dieng, El Shahat, Afsha, Abdel Kader, Sherif, Tau
Seattle Sounders
| Opponents | Score |
| Hammarby | 2-3 (L) |
| Wolfsberger | 0-0 (D) |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 2-2 (D) |
| Sporting Kansas City | 1-0 (L) |
| FC Cincinnati | 1-1 (D) |
Al Ahly
| Opponents | Score |
| Auckland City | 3-0 (W) |
| National Bank Egypt | 1-0 (W) |
| Zamalek | 0-3 (W) |
| Smouha | 3-1 (W) |
| Al Masry | 0-0 (D) |
The Club World Cup match between Seattle Sounders and Al Ahly will take place at Grand Stade de Tanger on Saturday at 10:30 pm IST.
| Seattle Sounders vs Al Ahly | Key Details |
| Date | February 4 |
| Venue | Grand Stade de Tanger |
| Kickoff time in USA | 12:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in Egypt | 7:00 pm |
For the football fans in Egypt, live telecast of the match will be available on ON Time Sports. Meanwhile, those in the USA can catch the live action via Fox Sports network.
