COMMERCE CITY, Colo. - Obafemi Martins scored two goals and Clint Dempsey added a goal and an assist as Seattle Sounders FC (19-9-3, 60 points) defeated the Colorado Rapids (8-15-8, 32 points), 4-1, Sunday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Seattle is now tied at the top of the table with the LA Galaxy for the Supporters' Shield, but holds the tiebreaker with more total wins.
Martins now has 17 goals, extending his club single-season scoring record, and has scored nine goals in the past eight games. Dempsey has tallied a goal or an assist in eight straight matches.
Seattle began the scoring in the 11th minute with a penalty kick by Dempsey. Off a corner kick, Chad Marshall directed a header that struck the hand of Marvell Wynne in the box. Dempsey chipped in the penalty for his 14th goal of the season, including four goals in three games against Colorado. It was the team's sixth penalty-kick goal of the season, tying the club record (2011).
In the 28th minute, Martins extended the lead to 2-0. Marco Pappa sent a ball into the middle of the field that was chased down by Martins. The striker streaked past the backline, stretched Clint Irwin off his line, hesitated to his right, and knocked it into the net.
Seattle added another goal in the 33rd minute to make it 3-0. Pappa played a ball into the box to Dempsey, who then passed it back with a no-look back heel. Pappa ran forward to the ball, pulled back to evade Irwin's sliding challenge, and chipped a shot over the defenders and into the net for his fourth goal of the season.
Colorado scored its lone goal in the 42nd minute. The Rapids possessed the ball into the box then took advantage of a mis-clearance as Deshorn Brown retrieved the ball and slotted it inside the left post.
Martins completed the brace in the 70th minute to push the lead to 4-1. Lamar Neagle received a pass from Dempsey at midfield and brought the ball down the left side of the pitch. From two yards out, Neagle crossed to the far post, where Martins hit it in from close range.
Sounders FC returns home to face the Vancouver Whitecaps on Friday, October 10. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.
Scoring Summary:
SEA- Clint Dempsey (penalty) 11'
SEA- Obafemi Martins (Marco Pappa) 28'
SEA- Marco Pappa (Clint Dempsey) 33'
COL- Deshorn Brown 43'
SEA- Obafemi Martins (Lamar Neagle) 70'
Seattle Sounders FC - Stefan Frei, DeAndre Yedlin, Chad Marshall, Jalil Anibaba, Brad Evans, Lamar Neagle (Kenny Cooper 86'), Micheal Azira, Osvaldo Alonso, Marco Pappa (Andy Rose 76'), Clint Dempsey, Obafemi Martins
Substitutes Not Used: Marcus Hahnemann, Djimi Traore, Sean Okioli, Chad Barrett, Dylan Remick
TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Clint Dempsey, 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Obafemi Martins, 2); FOULS: 7 (2 tied at 2); OFFSIDE: 1 (Lamar Neagle, 1); CORNER KICKS: 7 (Marco Pappa, 3); SAVES: 3 (Stefan Frei, 3).
Colorado Rapids - Clint Irwin, Chris Klute (Marlon Hairston 74'), Shane O'Neill, Marvell Wynne (Zat Knight 45'), Marc Burch, Vicente Sanchez (Dillon Serna 59'), Jose Mari, Nick LaBrocca, Dillon Powers, Deshorn Brown, Gabriel Torres
Substitutes Not Used: Joe Nasco, Thomas Piermayr, Edson Buddle, Kamani Hill
TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Deshorn Brown, 7); SHOTS ON GOAL 4: (Deshorn Brown, 7); FOULS: 13 (6 tied at 2); OFFSIDE: 1 (Deshorn Brown, 1); CORNER KICKS: 3 (Vicente Sanchez, 2); SAVES: 2 (Clint Irwin, 2).
Misconduct Summary:
SEA- Brad Evans (caution) 21'
COL- Shane O'Neill (caution) 44'
COL- Nick LaBrocca (caution) 63'
SEA- Marco Pappa (caution) 75'
Referee: Edvin Jurisevic
Referee's Assistants: Sean Hurd, Mike Kampmeinert
4th Official: Tyler Ploeger
Attendance: 17,609
Weather: Mostly Sunny and 70 Degrees
