COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – It was as much of a business trip as Sounders FC has had all season as it rolled into Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Sunday afternoon. Seattle collected three points in an emphatic 4-1 win, then returned home to Seattle the same day.
Obafemi Martins scored two goals while Clint Dempsey and Marco Pappa both had one goal and one assist as Seattle returned to the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings with its 19th win of the season, establishing a new club record for victories in a season.
"I thought it was a good game for us. I thought we played well the first 35 minutes. I thought our counter was really dangerous," said Head Coach Sigi Schmid. "We scored our goals and had some other chances along the way. In the second half I thought we were really professional about what we needed to do. We probably could have scored three or four in the second half and we did a good job of keeping them off the board.”
In the 10th minute, Brad Evans found Chad Marshall with a corner kick and Marshall’s header caught the hand of Marvell Wynne, drawing a penalty for Seattle. Dempsey converted the spot kick with a Panenka-style shot for his 14th goal of the season, lofting it down the middle while Clint Irwin dove to his left and Seattle took a 1-0 lead.
In the 18th minute, Stefan Frei snatched a Deshorn Brown header out of the air to keep Colorado off the board on their best opportunity of the first half.
By the 35th minute, Seattle had extended its lead to 3-0 off of goals from Obafemi Martins and Marco Pappa.
On the first, Pappa lifted a ball over the top of the defense to play Martins into the box. He hesitated, avoided Irwin and put it away for his 16th goal of the season and a 2-0 lead in the 28th minute.
The second had some magic, as well.
Dempsey played Pappa into space up the right side with a back-heel pass at the top of the box with his back to goal. Pappa eluded his defender, then chipped a ball toward the far post for his fourth goal of the season to lift Seattle to the 3-0 advantage in the 33rd minute.
“We have great players with great technique. We played a combination and then when I was in front of the goalkeeper I decided to cut it because I’m not that good with my right foot,” Pappa smiled. “So I put it to my left foot and then I decided to chip it.”
Colorado would pull one back when Deshorn Brown scored on a scramble in the box in the 44th minute and Seattle went into the break with a 3-1 advantage.
Sounders FC added to that lead in the 70th minute when Martins netted his 17th goal of the season on an assist from Lamar Neagle, continuing the red-hot stretch that earned him MLS Player of the Month honors for September.
Seattle held on for the 4-1 win and drew level with the LA Galaxy at 60 points, though Seattle holds the first tie-breaker with 19 wins to 17 for the Galaxy.
Sounders FC returns home to face Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Friday at CenturyLink Field. A win or draw in that match will clinch the Cascadia Cup for Seattle.
