The second edition of Sounders FC Classics, a new weekly series in which we re-air some of the best matches in club history, is almost here (7:00 p.m. PT; JOEtv, SoundersFC.com, the Sounders FC App and 950 KJR AM)!
This week we have the 2014 Supporters’ Shield-clinching victory over the LA Galaxy at CenturyLink Field on October 25, 2014.
Here is the Delta Starting XI that secured the club’s first-ever regular season title.
It was a heavyweight bout between the two top clubs in Major League Soccer, with the winner taking home the Supporters’ Shield. The two Western Conference powerhouses entered the final matchday of the regular season level on 61 points.
This Sounders lineup was absolutely stacked, as Gonzalo Pineda and Osvaldo Alonso bossed the midfield while Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins provided one of the best striker partnerships in the history of the league.
The match was a fiery affair between two top teams that simply didn’t like each other. A brawl broke out at midfield in the 70th minute when Dempsey suffered a particularly heavy foul on an aerial ball, with players on both sides needing to be separated by teammates and match officials.
Through the first 80 minutes, the Galaxy carved out the most dangerous chances, forcing Stefan Frei into a string of smart saves. That all changed in the 85th minute, when Martins played a quick through ball for substitute Marco Pappa, who notched the game-winning goal with clever finish inside the near post. Pappa then secured the league title with an insurance goal in the 95th minute when he stole the ball from the goalkeeper and scored with a cheeky chip past a recovering Galaxy defender.
You can watch the full match here.
