The Seattle Sounders got their Leagues Cup campaign off to a stunning start with a record-breaking 7-0 victory over Cruz Azul on Thursday.
The Sounders had been comprehensively beaten by Thursday's opponents in the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 earlier this year, losing 4-1 on aggregate as the Liga MX side went on to win the competition.
All seven goals were scored in a flawless second-half performance as Seattle recorded the biggest win margin in the competition's history.
Omar Campos had hit the post for Cruz Azul in the first half, but that was the closest that the Mexican side came to finding a breakthrough.
Yeimar Gomez, Obed Vargas and Jesus Ferreira all scored in the first 15 minutes after the break before Osaze De Rosario came off the bench to add a fourth in the 69th minute.
Fellow substitute Pedro de la Vega came on to net a brace, including a stunning volley that bounced in off the post in stoppage time, with Nouhou Tolo also netting between his two goals.
Seattle now sit top of Group A on goal difference, with LA Galaxy also joining them on three points after a 5-2 win over Club Tijuana.
Matheus Nascimento gave them the lead from the spot, only for Gilberto Mora to peg them back five minutes later. Galaxy were awarded another penalty just minutes after Tijuana brought the score level, but Joseph Paintsil was denied from the spot. Fortunately for the Ghanaian, his missed penalty was quickly forgotten when Gabriel Pec restored the lead before the break.
While Mora retorted once again for the Liga MX side just before the hour mark, the Galaxy finished strongly, with Paintsil netting a double on either side of Marco Reus' goal.
Tijuana were left to rue their missed chance after having 31 shots on goal overall. The Galaxy had just 14 by comparison, with both sides having 10 attempts on target.
Data Debrief: One for the record books
The Sounders will have had their Concacaf Champions Cup defeat on their minds ahead of meeting Cruz Azul again, but that loss is now all but a distant memory.
Not only is it the biggest win in Leagues Cup history, but it is also the Sounders' largest in club history across all competitions.
Seattle only managed three attempts in a cagey first half, with their chances amounting to 0.16 expected goals (xG), but a rampant second half did the damage.
They finished the match with 2.32 xG from their 16 attempts, with seven of those on target, while limiting their opponents to just 0.33 xG and two shots on target.
