Score: Sounders FC 4 vs. Rapids 1
Site: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
Records: Sounders FC (19-9-3, 60 points). Colorado Rapids (8-15-8, 32 points).
Man of the Match: Obafemi Martins scored his fifth brace of the season and fourth in the last eight matches. After earning Etihad Airways MLS Player of the Month honors for September, he opened October with two goals to extend his club record to 17 goals on the season.
Telling Stat: 8. Clint Dempsey has scored or assisted in eight straight matches, tallying five goals and five assists in that stretch. Seattle is 6-2-0 in those matches.
What You Missed: In the second half of the match, Colorado defender Zat Knight made his MLS debut as a halftime sub. The former Fulham center back spent much of the half marking Martins, toting a distinct size advantage over the Seattle striker of 11 inches and 71 pounds.
So What: Seattle moved back into first place in the Supporters’ Shield standings after the LA Galaxy claimed the top spot on Saturday with a 3-0 win over Toronto FC. Now with three matches to play, the two teams are even on points with 60 and will meet in the final two games of the season, first at the StubHub Center on October 19 and then at CenturyLink Field on October 25. Sounders FC will also have the chance to lift the Cascadia Cup in its match on Friday against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. A win or draw for Seattle would see the Sounders reclaim the Cascadia Cup – played for between Seattle, Vancouver and the Portland Timbers – for the second time in four MLS seasons since Vancouver and Portland joined the league in 2011.
