Sounders make the claim that youth trumps experience | OneFootball

In order to beat Miami for their 7th trophy, the Sounders would have to be near perfect. Their defense would need to be smothering, frustrating the Miami attack into making mistakes or hurrying their play. Their attack needed to be a succession of well-timed runs and passes to open up opportunities, and they needed to be ruthless in front of the goal.

The officiating, for all of the complaining by the Miami players, was fair. There were no consistent infringement calls on either team, and cards were reserved for professional fouls. The players had to outdo their opponents to win.

It was the first time in the Messi era that they faced Seattle and their deepest team ever. Before the game, vendors traded 100 Paul Rothrock jerseys for Messi jerseys until there were no more Rothrock jerseys available. Miami had several chances that didn't work out, as did the Sounders.

A couple of years ago, more emphasis was put into developing players, and this season, that effort is paying off.

De Rosario scored the first goal on a cross by Alex Roldan. Minoungou made a second-half run that drew a trip in the box, and Alex Roldan punched in the PK. Baker-Whiting replaced Nouhou in the lineup and turned in a great performance.

Obed Vargas dominated the middle of the field in the first half, apparently putting a target on his back for the post-game nonsense. Paul Rothrock continued to be a spark plug for the team and put the final nail in the coffin of Miami with a second assist from Man of the Match, Alex Roldan. Kossa-Rienzi and Leyva also contributed to the effort as a wonderful compliment to the Tacoma Defiance and academy teams ,contributing to the success of the club.

Alex Roldan was a bench player for the Sounders while his brother became a star on the team. As a supporting player, he filled in when needed. He even played as a goalkeeper in a pinch and made a couple of saves. In this game he was the star. His excitement was visible as he ran up the sideline in the first half and delivering a perfect ball to de Rosario who couldn't do anything with it other than putting it in.

Christian Roldan may have stood at the spot to throw off the strategy of the goalkeeper, or accepting the mind games offered by Miami before handing the ball over to his brother. Alex Roldan is 5 for 5 in PK shootouts, and 1 for 1 in PKs during play.

Now he is 2 for 2, after pushing the ball to the right as the keeper guessed incorrectly. From a role player to a hero, Alex Roldan's commitment to the team and perseverance paid off.

The Sounder were near perfect on defense. They smothered and frustrated the Miami attack. Their attack used precise runs and they finished in front of the goal. Once again the Sounders are champions.

By winning, the Sounders have become the 1st team to have won every North American title and set their cup count to 9 in their brief existence. They scored 16 goals in the Leagues Cup and only conceded 2 goals.

Sounders players took home additional trophies, Man of the Match went to Alex Roldan, keeper of the tournament went to Andrew Thomas, de la Vega got the goal of the tournament.

The Sounders will face Miami again in a couple of weeks, and will attempt to beat LA, again, when they come to town as the season's end is drawing near. The Sounders have been on a tear since the Club World Cup, and it is unclear if any team will have an advantage over them if they can dispatch the superstars of Miami in such a fashion.

The Sounders will also advance into the elimination round of next year's CONCACAF tournament.