CARSON, Calif. -- Leading assist man Obafemi Martins set up one for himself, scoring in the 81st minute to propel Seattle Sounders FC to a 2-1 comeback victory against Chivas USA on Saturday night at StubHub Center.
Both sides capitalized on miscues for their goals, but the Sounders made the most of playing with a man advantage following the ejection of Chivas USA midfielder Marco Delgado in the 73rd minute. Martins scored his second goal of the season on a give-and-go with Clint Dempsey, beating Dan Kennedy with a chip shot.
Erick “Cubo” Torres scored on a penalty kick five minutes in to give the Goats a quick lead, but Lamar Neagle responded some 20 minutes later, cleaning up a Dempsey shot attempt after Kennedy fumbled the ball inside the box.
Delgado, who was in the starting lineup in place of injured rookie Thomas McNamara (ACL tear), received a straight red card for his tackle on Gonzalo Pineda. Seattle needed only eight minutes to jump ahead.
With the result, the Sounders (4-2-1) extended their unbeaten streak on the road to four matches, while the Rojiblancos (1-3-3) remained winless since the season opener.
A break arrived early for the Goats, who were coming off an uplifting draw against the Portland Timbers. Leandro Barrera beat Osvaldo Alonso to a loose ball and was taken down just inside the box to draw a penalty. Torres converted with ease, beating Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei for his sixth goal of the season to pull even with Dempsey atop the league leaderboard. Despite joining Chivas USA on loan from C.D. Guadalajara last July, Torres is only two goals shy of tying Sacha Kljestan for fourth place on the club’s all-time list.
Chivas USA nearly tied the score in the 87th minute, but Luke Moore’s shot was punched away by Frei and the result was secure.
Chivas USA nearly went in front in the 45th minute, but a goal from Delgado was disallowed when it was ruled that Torres crashed into Frei while lunging for a Mauro Rosales centering pass.
Seattle claimed their eighth win in 14 games against Chivas USA. The sides have two other meetings this season; both scheduled for September.
Next up for the Sounders is a three-game home stand beginning with a matchup against the Colorado Rapids on April 26. Chivas USA hit the road for a game against the San Jose Earthquakes.
MLSsoccer.com Men of the Match
Rank |
Player |
What We Saw |
1 |
<a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/players/clint-dempsey" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Clint Dempsey</span></a> |
Didn't tally this time around, but continued to be essential to Seattle's attack in setting up both goals on the night |
2 |
<a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/players/obafemi-martins" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Obafemi Martins</span></a> |
Was rather wasteful for much of the match with his chances, but hit the winner when it mattered |
3 |
<a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/players/gonzalo-pineda" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Gonzalo Pineda</span></a> |
The game was largely played in the midfield, and Pineda was at the center of it, on both sides of the ball |
