Twice this season, Sounders FC has had a player come in off the bench to score a stoppage-time winner, and both have come against a 2013 MLS Cup finalists. After topping Sporting Kansas City 1-0 in the season opener, the Sounders beat Real Salt Lake 3-2 on Friday night at CenturyLink Field on a 94th minute goal by the suddenly-scorching Andy Rose.
“We’ve got to beat the good teams to be a championship team. Salt Lake is one of those premier teams in this league and no matter how you get the result against them, it’s always a positive. Early in the year we showed that character,” Seattle captain Brad Evans said after Seattle posted its fourth consecutive victory.
“Tonight was a good game for us, to score that last minute goal says a lot about the guys. To be able to push beyond that 90 minutes is a testament to the hard work the guys have put in.”
Sounders FC extended its lead in the Supporters’ Shield chase to four points over the LA Galaxy with the win, but it was a victory that took the resilience that was so prevalent for Seattle in the first half of the season. Over the first 13 matches of the season, Seattle earned five wins and two draws by scoring goals in the 80th minute or later, building the league’s best record with character and spirit in the first three months of the season.
“We said at the beginning of the season that we are a team that is going to play from minute one through minute 90 or 95. That’s something we have showed often and we showed it again tonight,” Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid said. “It’s tremendous to get the three points—it was a big win for us in terms of separation and in terms of staying in first place and continuing to push for the Supporters’ Shield.”
Salt Lake nabbed a 1-0 edge in the 30th minute when Chris Schuler sent a long ball across to Luke Mulholland up the right side and he laid it off for Javier Morales at the edge of the box. Morales took a touch, then blistered a shot through Zach Scott and inside the far post for his eighth goal of the season to put Seattle into a 1-0 deficit.
Seattle equalized in the 38th minute when Lamar Neagle unleashed a stunner from 30 yards out. After taking an innocuous pass from DeAndre Yedlin, Neagle sent a left-footed rocket that skimmed just under the crossbar for his sixth goal of the season – and first since June 7 – to even the match up at 1-1.
Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey worked their magic in the 43rd minute with Martins finding the back of the net for a 2-1 lead. Martins took a pass with his back to goal and turned it to Dempsey on the run. Dempsey sent a return pass to Martins up the right side of the box and in behind the Salt Lake defense, where Martins pinged it past goalkeeper Nick Rimando for his 13th goal of the season.
Salt Lake would even it back up in the 50th minute on a ball from Joao Plata that skimmed off of Osvaldo Alonso and looped into the far post and in for his 12th goal of the season, making it 2-2.
The even battle would take a turn in the 68th minute when Seattle went on the man-advantage. Martins got in behind Nat Borchers and the Salt Lake defender was left with no other option but to pull him down on the run just outside the box, drawing a red card from referee Kevin Stott.
Seattle outshot Salt Lake 6-1 after the ejection, but couldn’t solve Rimando until four minutes into stoppage time. Yedlin touched a pass off to Rose in the box, who thumped a shot into the net for his third goal in the last two matches, giving Seattle an emotional 3-2 win.
“When you come on as a substitute you want to make an impression on the game,” Rose said. “The last five minutes of a game are so jarring at home. We kept going and showed great character to find the winner.”
Sounders FC hopes the club’s fourth straight win can create some momentum to carry the team into the U.S. Open Cup final on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Union.
