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Sounders bounce back with shutout win at Chivas USA

Obafemi Martins

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By JUSTIN FERGUSON

After a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of the Galaxy and a Third Round exit in the U.S. Open Cup, the Seattle Sounders headed back to Los Angeles needing a win to avoid falling back into another slump.

On Saturday night, they got back to their winning ways with a 2-0 win at struggling Chivas USA.

Obafemi Martins, who received a questionable red card midway through the second half, opened the scoring for Seattle in the 22nd minute. Eleven minutes later, Chivas doubled the Sounders’ lead with one of the worst own goals in recent memory.

The hosts, playing in their first game of the season without former head coach José Luis “El Chelís” Sánchez Solá, failed to capitalize on their offensive chances in their fifth straight MLS loss and seventh goalless effort. Tristan Bowen came close to pulling one back for the Goats late, but his 89th minute effort was stopped by Seattle’s Michael Gspurning.

The Sounders, who were missing Eddie Johnson, Brad Evans and Shalrie Joseph, found the back of the net on their first shot of the match. A swift no-look pass from Mario Martinez sent Martins through on goal, and the Nigerian striker beat Dan Kennedy on a perfectly placed chip shot.

The Chivas offense continued their attack after the opener, but one of their own defenders would find the back of the net—the one belonging to teammate Kennedy. A Mauro Rosales cross intended for Martins only found the head of Chivas’s Mario De Luna. The defender tried to play a header back to his goalkeeper, but Kennedy was frozen as De Luna sent in an inexplicable own goal.

Seattle took control of the match after the second goal, and controversy towards the end of the match did not put the visitors in much danger.

After getting tangled up with Gabriel Farfan after a hard challenge, Martins appeared to clip Farfan’s head while trying to step over him. Referee Ricardo Salazar immediately pulled out the red card—his fifth in five matches involving the Sounders.

However, the red card did not damage Seattle’s two-goal lead, and besides Bowen’s close shot late, the Sounders were able to see out the shutout with ease.

Seattle (5-4-3) will be back home next Saturday for a match against Cascadia Cup rivals Vancouver. Chivas’s (3-8-2) next MLS match is also against the Whitecaps, but the Goats face the Carolina RailHawks in the U.S. Open Cup Fourth Round before the trip to Vancouver on June 19.

Comments

  1. Beckhams deal is new franchise. (Probably price frozen from when he wrote the contract)
    hate the Sounders but Martins tangle was a foul, yes but not card worthy. This Refs out of control.

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  2. I am surprise was only 2-0.

    Chivas could be taken by Beckham group, move somewhere else like, and create a new vibe and excite for the new team, because Vergara and friends really killed this team’s future.

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      • I’m willing to bet that a good chunk of that $100M went to the red bulls as compensation for having to split NY.

      • Chivas was mistake from the start. Chivas is playing where Galaxy’s plays, never had a fanbase (mexicans will never support MLS), while Galaxy had strong Centrel Americans, so there never was a true derby, I consider San Jose are true Galaxy’s rival.

        Two different stories, while NYCFC is real New Tork’s team, Red Bulls is reduce to New Jersey’s team.

      • Mexicans will support mls. The problem is mls didn’t target Mexicans. They targeted chivas fans. Why would a tigres fan support chivas USA?

        Worse… Mls didn’t learn from the mistake and has now alienated baseball fans who don’t like the Yankees and premier league fans who don’t like man city. Stupid Mancees.

      • I support Galaxy from start, my father sold Galaxy’s tickets in store, we’re both native Uruguayans, we never saw mexican(natives) fans at the games, Rose Bowl had at least 50% Salvadorians at the games, the rest Guatemalans and Honduras, a couple Ecuadorian family we knew, and some second and third generation mexicans.

        Chivas USA could be built strong MX feeling with bringing the big stars from MX league : Gaitan, Cardozo, Vincent Sanchez, Abreu, DaSilva etc…players that were DP caliber well known by MX fans and well known by South American market.

  3. Like beating Chivas means anything. It’s good to have a team everyone can “bounce back” against I guess. Please Don, find Chivas an owner who cares.

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  4. Dude, why is Chivas USA still a team in MLS?

    Senor Vergara – sell your franchise, make your money and please leave!

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  5. Pretty convinced Salazar is just the world’s biggest troll. A ref cannot possibly be THIS bad THIS consistently. Most 15-year olds that ref little kid games are better than this moron.

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  6. How did Farfan -hacker- get through the match with no yellow? I’m one to believe Oba went after him in retaliation to all his misdeeds.. That being said.. Salazar should be benched for letting things get to a point where situations like these evolve. The guy misuses his authority over matches.

    the dude sucks

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    • It was card worthy, just not a straight red. Martins didn’t need to kick Farfan in the head during that play. I doubt it gets overturned.

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  7. Salazar is a hack, gives out a red card everytime he refs Seattle (5 in last 5 games) and generally gets to involved in all the games he refs. He is the only ref in MLS that I recognize by name/look which is not a good thing. Hopefully the Alonso injury isn’t serious cause Sounders haven’t won any of the last 6 games he didn’t start.

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