Credit to the Pigeons: They came out flying from the start. New York City FC manager Ronny Deila made just one change from the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Semifinals, replacing Keaton Parks with Nicolas Acevedo. The game was feisty from the whistle—in the first minute, forward Valentin Castellanos absolutely steamrollered Xavier Arreaga. He earned a yellow card for the foul.
At that moment, Castellanos also set the tone for the match, letting the Seattle Sounders know that New York City would not back down. NYCFC were on the front foot for the first 25 minutes.