MLS Regular Season
Score: Sounders FC 3 vs. Real Salt Lake 1
Goal-scorers: Clint Dempsey (5’, 20’), Marco Pappa (10’), Luis Gil (77’)
Site: CenturyLink Field
Man of the Match:Clint Dempsey had scored just once in his last 12 appearances heading into Sunday’s contest, but the veteran forward put on an absolute show against RSL to give Sounders FC a comfortable lead early in the game. Dempsey found the back of the net twice in the opening 20 minutes – he's just the the third player in club history to do so – and also assisted on Marco Pappa’s goal in the 10th minute.
Telling Stat: Sunday’s match was the first in Sounders history in which the Rave Green scored twice in the first 10 minutes and three times in the opening 20 minutes. Real Salt Lake, meanwhile, didn’t record a shot on target until their only goal in the 77th minute.
The Sounders are now 7-0-0 this season when Pappa records a goal or an assist. The Guatemalan midfielder also scored twice in last year’s season finale, a 2-0 victory over the LA Galaxy that clinched the first Supporters’ Shield for Seattle.
What You Missed: With 55,435 in attendance on Sunday, the Sounders broke the MLS single-season attendance record they previously set in 2013, finishing with an average of 44,245 per game in 2015. Sunday was the club’s 124th consecutive sellout, and the Rave Green improved to 15-2-3 in front of full-stadium crowds.
So What: Sounders FC has qualified for the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs, marking their seventh straight postseason appearance. Seattle is the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and will host the fifth-seeded LA Galaxy in the Knockout Round on Wednesday.
