In Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins, Seattle has one of the most lethal scoring duos in Major League Soccer. Now, after a two-and-a-half month stretch when they didn’t play together, the one-two punch of Dempsey and Martins is back on track and has the Seattle offense flying high heading into the final two months of the regular season.
Teams have rarely been able to hold the duo off the score sheet and often find themselves needing to pick their poison when facing Seattle.
“We’re just happy that they continue to find each other and combine. That each of them is playing well helps the other,” Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid said. “When you’re the opposition, you can’t focus on one because the other one will hurt you. All that takes pressure off everybody. Both of them playing well makes it difficult for the opposition.”
On Wednesday against Chivas USA, they combined to put Sounders FC in on the attack throughout the match as Seattle rolled to a 4-0 halftime lead, eventually winning its third consecutive match by a 4-2 score. Martins scored the first two goals of the night while Dempsey was credited an assist on the second.
In 14 matches that Dempsey and Martins have started together, Dempsey has 10 goals and five assists while Martins has scored seven goals and notched seven assists. With its top strike tandem intact, Seattle has run a 9-4-1 record, including victories in the last four matches they started together against the Houston Dynamo, Portland Timbers, Colorado Rapids and Chivas USA.
When they have started together, they have only been held without a goal or an assist three times. Two of those came after Martins returned from injury following the World Cup break when Seattle was shut out in consecutive matches against the LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes.
Now Martins leads the team with 12 goals and nine assists with Dempsey close behind with 11 goals and six assists. Dempsey’s 11 goals marks a career best in his five MLS seasons, while Martins has surpassed his all-time best single-season tally of 11 goals that he scored in the 2004-2005 season with Inter Milan and the 2006-2007 season with Newcastle United.
“It’s the most goals that Oba has ever scored in a season, so it’s good. He’s played well. I wish Clint could have gotten one tonight,” Schmid said after Wednesday’s game. “Today was maybe a little bit of an easier game. If Clint saves his goals for the harder games, then I’m happy. I’m ok with that.”
