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A wrench has been thrown in Group B making for some exciting results as we head into the last matchday of the group stage in the 2025 Club Eorld Cup. Get ready for some do-or-die action between the Seattle Sounders and UEFA Champions League winners PSG. The action kicks off at 3 PM ET sharp on Monday, June 23 so be sure to review our in-depth picks for the game and decide whether they’re something you want to fade or follow!
Recapping the Sounders’ MLS season so far, they sit in 6th place in the Western Conference with 26 points and a 7-5-6 record. The Seattle Sounders find themselves at the bottom of Group B after two losses to start their Club World Cup Campaign. It will take a full-on miracle to allow them to progress to the knockout stage as they take on arguably the best team in Europe, PSG. For the Sounders to go through, they will not only have to defeat PSG by a large goal margin, but Botafogo will need to beat Atlético Madrid, causing PSG, Atletico, and the Sounders to all sit at 3 points each. Their only sliver of hope this afternoon stems from the fact that Botafogo themselves managed to defeat PSG 1-0, although as we said, a small-margin win will not be enough to put the Sounders through.
As far as MLS league leaders go, only midfielder Albert Rusnak has managed seven goals in 17 games during the season. Forward Danny Musovki hit the back of the net six times in 15 games, leading the team’s top goal scorers to have a combined 13 goals, part of the reason their seasonal goal differential sits even at 0. So far in the Club World Cup, only Cristian Roldan managed a goal in Seattle’s 2-1 loss against Group B leaders Botafogo, while Albert Rusnak scored in the 50th minute against Atletico in the Sounders’ 3-1 loss. While the scoreline against Atletico was telling of the game, the Sounders didn’t play half-bad, attempting 16 shots (four on target), and out-shooting their Spanish opponents, so if they can get as many chances against PSG, they may be able to steal a lead.
PSG comfortably took the French Ligue 1 title for the 2024/25 season with 84 points, a 57-goal differential and a 26-6-2 record. To add to their silverware closet, they claimed the French Cup (Coup de France) in a 3-0 crushing over Reims on May 24 and completed their perfect-treble season with a dominant 5-0 victory over Serie A’s Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final on May 31. Despite their golden record on paper and a reassuring start to the Club World Cup with a 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid, PSG recently fell 1-0 to Group B leaders of Botafogo. If PSG wins tonight, they will likely go through on six points, because even if Atletico Madrid beats Botafogo, PSG has a better goal differential (and has the advantage head-to-head since defeating Atletico), so they will secure a spot in the Last 16.
While Ousmane Dembélé concluded Ligue 1 as top goalscorer with 21 in 29 games, he’s been nursing an injury and has yet to see the field in the Club World Cup campaign. Substitute Bradley Barcola ended the season with 14 goals, with center-forward Goncalo Ramos netting 10 in just 22 games. While PSG were shut out completely against Botafogo with their starters playing, their 4-0 victory against Atletico Madrid saw four separate goalscorers including Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Senny Mayulu, and Lee Kang-in. Desire Doue has been a spectacle in recent weeks, so we think if he can hit second gear, he should be able to get on the scoresheet, especially against the Sounders’ shaky defense.
Botafogo’s victory against PSG on June 19 really twisted the expected results of Group B. The Sounders will likely be playing for their pride today, although there’s no shame in losing to the best team in the world (by an acceptable margin), while PSG will be full-on playing to avoid getting knocked out and save themselves the embarrassment. However, there’s still a chance for any of the four teams in Group B to go through, but with this factor considered, we assume PSG will be treating the game like an important final, where they will find the win to move on to the next round with Desire Doue leading the charge with at least 1+ goals.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.