CARSON, Calif.- Obafemi Martins and Andy Rose each scored first-half braces as Seattle Sounders FC (16-7-3, 51 points) defeated Chivas USA (6-14-6, 24 points), 4-2, Wednesday evening at the StubHub Center. Sounders FC became the first team to reach 50 points this season and currently has a five-point lead in the Supporters' Shield race.
Seattle extended its winning streak to three games and has won the past seven matches against Chivas USA, going unbeaten in the past 13 (9-0-4) meetings. Martins now has a team-high 12 goals and Brad Evans' three first-half assists tied the MLS record.
Seattle began the scoring in the 11th minute with a goal by Martins. Chad Marshall redirected an Evans corner kick to Martins, who tapped it into the net for the early lead.
Martins scored again in the 16th minute. From the middle of the field, Clint Dempsey played the ball wide to Lamar Neagle. As goalkeeper Dan Kennedy approached, Neagle crossed it to Martins in the center of the box for an open-net finish. Martins' 12 goals rank fifth in MLS this season.
In the 38th minute, Seattle capitalized on a foul suffered by Martins. Evans sent a curling free kick to the left side of the box and a streaking Rose swept the ball to the far post for his first goal of the season.
Seattle extended the lead to 4-0 in similar fashion just four minutes later. Evans again curled a free kick to the far post where Rose directed a contested header into the net for his second goal.
Chivas USA pulled one goal back in the 51st minute on a goal by Marco Delgado. Delgado received a cross from Eric Avila and sent an acrobatic header to the upper left corner of the net. It was Chivas USA's first goal since July 20.
In the 60th minute, Chivas USA made the score 4-2 on a penalty. After drawing a foul from Zach Scott's challenge in the box, Ryan Finley slotted his penalty attempt inside the left post.
Sounders FC resumes regular-season action on September 12 against Real Salt Lake. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.
Scoring Summary:
SEA- Obafemi Martins (Chad Marshall, Brad Evans) 11'
SEA- Obafemi Martins (Lamar Neagle, Clint Dempsey) 16'
SEA- Andy Rose (Brad Evans) 38'
SEA- Andy Rose (Brad Evans) 42'
CHV- Marco Delgado (Eric Avila) 51'
CHV- Ryan Finley (penalty) 60'
Seattle Sounders FC - Stefan Frei, DeAndre Yedlin, Chad Marshall, Zach Scott, Leo Gonzalez, Brad Evans, Andy Rose, Osvaldo Alonso, Lamar Neagle (Chad Barrett 66'), Clint Dempsey (Gonzalo Pineda 87'), Obafemi Martins (Micheal Azira 76')
Substitutes Not Used: Josh Ford, Micheal Azira, Jalil Anibaba, Kenny Cooper, Sean Okoli, Gonzalo Pineda
TOTAL SHOTS: 12 (Clint Dempsey, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (2 tied at 2); FOULS: 15 (3 tied at 3); OFFSIDE: 1 (Obafemi Martins, 1); CORNER KICKS: 4 (Brad Evans, 3); SAVES: 3 (Stefan Frei, 3) .
Chivas USA - Dan Kennedy, Akira Kaji, Bobby Burling, Jhon Hurtado (Andrew Jean-Baptiste 45'), Tony Lochhead, Marco Delgado, Nigel Reo-Coker, Oswaldo Minda (Luis Bolanos 79'), Eric Avila (Marvin Chavez 69'), Felix Borja, Ryan Finley
Substitutes Not Used: Trevor Spangenberg, Nathan Sturgis, Leandro Barrera, Marvin Chavez, Agustin Pelletieri
TOTAL SHOTS: 16 (Felix Borja, 6); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (2 tied at 2); FOULS: 13 (4 tied at 2); OFFSIDE: 0 ; CORNER KICKS: 1 (Marco Delgado, 1); SAVES: 0 .
Misconduct Summary:
CHV- Bobby Burling (caution) 49'
CHV- Oswaldo Minda (caution) 72'
Referee: Ted Unkel
Referee's Assistants: Ian Anderson, Jonathan Johnson
4th Official: Kevin Scott
Attendance: 4,021
Weather: Clear and 69 Degrees
