Seattle Sounders 3-1 New York City FC: Hosts excel in first leg

The Seattle Sounders were excellent on the way to a 3-1 home win against New York City FC in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League semi-final.

An action-packed first half saw Seattle head into half-time with a 2-1 lead, and it was largely through the good work of Jordan Morris.

Albert Rusnak broke the deadlock in the 16th minute – which was assisted by Morris – and after New York City's Thiago Andrade squared the ledger in the 27th minute, Morris added the Sounders' second just seven minutes later.

The home side was good value for their early lead, with 1.51 expected goals to 0.72 in the first 45 minutes.

Seattle captain Nicolas Lodeiro gave his side some breathing room just over 20 minutes into the second stanza, successfully converting his penalty in the 68th minute to make it 3-1.

New York City will host the second leg on Wednesday, April 13, where the winner on aggregate will go through to the final to face the winner of Pumas UNAM and Cruz Azul, with the former leading 2-1 after their first leg at home.