Sounders FC sets club-record six-match win streak with 5-0 hammering of LA Galaxy

SEATTLE, WASH. - Seattle Sounders FC (10-9-5, 35 points) tied a club record for its largest margin of victory on Saturday afternoon, as the Rave Green stormed past the LA Galaxy (10-9-7, 37 points) with a 5-0 win at CenturyLink Field in front of 44,213 fans. Goal-scorers Chad Marshall, Harry Shipp, Cristian Roldan and Raúl Ruidíaz - in addition to an own goal from Galaxy midfielder Servando Carrasco - sealed the result, extending Seattle's current winning streak to a new club record of six games. The Rave Green have not lost in nine consecutive matches - a streak that dates back more than two months to July 4 at Colorado - and now Brian Schmetzer's side is above the red line for the first time in 2018. In the race for the MLS Cup Playoffs, Seattle is currently level on points (35) and wins (10) with Real Salt Lake, but ahead of the Utah side via goals scored.

Seattle wasted little time establishing its dominance in the match, recording its earliest goal of the season in the third minute of play, with Marshall rising to meet a Nicolás Lodeiro cross from the right flank, heading Sounders FC into the lead. For Marshall, the goal was his second in as many matches and third this season. Marshall now has 25 career MLS regular-season goals, including nine with Seattle.

Shipp added the second goal before halftime, capitalizing on a Galaxy misclearance that was collected by Gustav Svensson and played directly back to the Illinois native. Shipp now has three goals on the year, with the midfielder starting each of the past six matches for Seattle.

Carrasco's 50^th-minute own goal kick-started the scoring in the second half, as Lodeiro once again led Seattle's attack and forced the Galaxy player into the error by playing an incisive pass across LA's six-yard-box that was intended for Ruidíaz. Roldan recorded the fourth just nine minutes later, good for his third strike of the season, completing a beautiful open play sequence that was led by the passing of Lodeiro and Shipp.

Ruidíaz bagged the fifth and final goal in the 67^th minute, good for his second strike for Sounders FC since joining the club earlier this summer. The Peruvian now has two goals and one assist over six appearances in MLS play, with today's tally being his first at CenturyLink Field.

In the race for the postseason, four points currently separate second through seventh place in the Western Conference. On the season, Sounders FC is now 6-4-2 at home, earning 20 of its 35 points at CenturyLink Field. The club has five regular-season home matches remaining in 2018, and of the club's 10 remaining games, eight are against Western Conference opponents. Next up for the Rave Green is a nationally televised showcase at Portland on Sunday, August 26. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Providence Park, with FS1 carrying the match nationally.

MATCH NOTES

• Sounders FC is now 10-9-5 on the season, and currently sits in the sixth and final postseason position in the Western Conference with 35 points. Seattle is level with Real Salt Lake on points (35) and wins (10), but holds the goal-differential tiebreaker.

• Sounders FC set a new club record with six consecutive wins, surpassing the club mark set four times previously, most recently from April 12-May 7, 2014. The club's current four-match winning streak at home matches the third-highest total in club history, and two behind the franchise record of six (July 28-September 13, 2013 and April 26-July 13, 2014).

• The result extends Seattle's unbeaten streak to nine games (7-0-2), dating back to July 4 at Colorado. The run is the longest spell without a loss this season, and matches the club's second-longest unbeaten streak in club history (6-0-3 from May 28-July 16, 2011). The longest unbeaten streak in club history is 13 games (6-0-7) from June 21-September 23 of last season.

• Seattle's 5-0 win matches the club record for margin of victory, previously set on July 13, 2016 against FC Dallas.

• Sounders FC is now 7-9-9 all-time against the Galaxy in MLS regular season play, with Seattle holding a 4-4-5 home record.

• Chad Marshall scored his third goal of the season, one short of his career high, when he headed in a Nico Lodeiro cross in the third minute. After last weekend's goal against FC Dallas, Marshall now has now scored in consecutive appearances for the third time in his career (June 27-August 1, 2009 and April 10-16, 2016). Marshall now has 25 career MLS regular-season goals, including nine with Seattle. It marked the earliest goal scored this season by Seattle.

• Nico Lodeiro recorded two assists for the second time this season and fifth time in his Sounders FC career. He leads the club this season with nine assists, in addition to being tied with Will Bruin for the team lead with six goals. The Uruguayan now has five goals and seven assists in his last 10 games, dating back to June 30. With 29 career regular-season assists (in 64 appearances), Lodeiro now ranks third in club history behind only Fredy Montero and Mauro Rosales, who both have 34. 

• Midfielder Harry Shipp recorded a goal and assist on Saturday, giving him three apiece so far this season. The fifth-year midfielder has started each of the past six matches for Seattle. Gustav Svensson recorded his first assist of the season on Shipp's tally.

• Cristian Roldan scored his third goal of the season on Saturday, to go along with his five assists, which are tied for second on the team. 

• Raúl Ruidíaz netted his second strike for Sounders FC since joining the club earlier this summer. The Peruvian now has two goals and one assist over six appearances in MLS play. Today's tally was Ruidíaz's his first at CenturyLink Field.

• On the season, Sounders FC is now 6-4-2 at home, earning 20 of its 35 points at CenturyLink Field. The club has five regular-season home matches remaining in 2018.

• Stefan Frei made five saves and recorded his fifth shutout of the season on Saturday. His goals against average of 1.00 is tied for first in MLS and currently a career high for seasons in which Frei makes at least 20 appearances.

• Seattle has allowed one goal or fewer in each of the club's nine matches during the current unbeaten run, and its 26 goals allowed is the second-fewest in MLS this season.

• Today's attendance of 44,213 is the second-highest total of the season at CenturyLink Field, trailing only the June 30 match vs. Portland (47,521).

MATCH SUMMARY

Seattle Sounders FC 5 - LA Galaxy 0
Saturday, August 18, 2018

Venue: Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field
Referee: Mark Geiger
Assistants: Frank Anderson, Mike Rottersman
Fourth Official: David Gantar
VAR: Younes Marrakchi
Attendance: 44,213
Weather: 72 degrees and hazy sunshine

SCORING SUMMARY

SEA - Chad Marshall (Nicolás Lodeiro) 3'
SEA- Harry Shipp (Gustav Svensson) 18'
SEA- Servando Carrasco (own goal) 50'
SEA- Cristian Roldan (Harry Shipp, Nicolás Lodeiro) 59'
SEA - Raúl Ruidíaz 67'

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

None

LINEUPS & STATS

Seattle Sounders FC - Stefan Frei; Kelvin Leerdam, Kim Kee-hee, Chad Marshall, Nouhou; Gustav Svensson (Alex Roldan 84'), Osvaldo Alonso - captain (Will Bruin 62'), Cristian Roldan, Nicolás Lodeiro, Harry Shipp (Victor Rodríguez 60'); Raúl Ruidíaz

Substitutes not used: Bryan Meredith, Jordy Delem, Román Torres, Waylon Francis

Total shots: 19 (Ruidíaz, 6)
Shots on goal: 6 (Ruidíaz, 2)
Fouls: 9 (Kee-hee/Lodeiro, 2)
Offside: 1 (Bruin, 1)
Corner-kicks: 4 (Lodeiro, 4)
Saves: 5 (Frei, 5)                               

LA Galaxy - David Bingham; Rolf Feltscher (Chris Pontius 57'), Daniel Steres, Jorden Skjelvik, Ashley Cole - captain; Sebastian Lletget (Bradford Jamieson 63'), Perry Kitchen, Servando Carrasco, Dave Romney; Ola Kamara, Emmanuel Boateng (Ariel Lassiter 73')

Substitutes not used: Justin Vom Steeg, Baggio Husidic, Tomas Hilliard-Arce, Sheanon Williams

Total shots: 14 (Lassiter, 4)
Shots on goal: 5 (Lassiter, 3)
Fouls: 13 (Kitchen, 3)
Offside: 2 (Kamara/Lassiter, 1)
Corner-kicks: 4 (Lletget, 3)
Saves: 2 (Bingham, 2)