By CAITLIN MURRAY
With a pair of goals each from Obafemi Martins and Andy Rose in a first-half bombardment, the Seattle Sounders rattled off four unanswered goals before cruising to a 4-2 win over Chivas USA on Wednesday.
The Sounders surged to an early lead, scoring all four goals by the break, leaving a Chivas USA attempt at a rally too little, too late. Even in a loss, Chivas USA were able to snap a 597-minute scoring drought in front of a small home crowd of 4,021 at the StubHub Center.
It took Martins just 11 minutes to start the siege. A Brad Evans corner kick was flicked on by Chad Marshall’s head to Martins’ left foot, who swept the ball into goal.
Five minutes later, goalkeeper Dan Kennedy gave Martins another simple finish. With Lamar Neagle dribbling toward goal with a sprinting Martins on a tandem run, Kennedy came off his line toward Neagle, who calmly tapped it to Martins for an open-net shot.
In the 38th minute, it was Rose’s turn to pile on Chivas USA’s misfortune. An Evans free kick found the toe of a wide-open Rose, who slid into the cross to knock it past Kennedy. Four minutes later, some poor man-marking and an Evans free kick were again the ingredients for an easy Rose goal, this time scored on a header.
With the result, the Sounders extend their winning streak to four games as they continue to dominate the West. They sit five points above second-place Los Angeles Galaxy.
The Goats saved face with a pair of second-half goals from Marco Delgado and Ryan Finley. Near the edge of the 18-yard box, Eric Avila flicked a ball toward Delgado in the goal area, who managed to head the ball into the side netting from the end line at a tight angle.
Finley doubled the Chivas USA tally with a 60th-minute penalty kick, for the final 4-2 scoreline.
With their loss, the Goats remain stuck in last place, two points away from eighth-placed San Jose Earthquakes. The match extended Chivas USA’s winless streak to eight games and was also the Goats’ eighth home loss this season.
Up next, Chivas USA head to Columbus to face the Crew on Sunday. The Sounders get the next week off and return to action at home against Real Salt Lake on Sept. 12
Here are the highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gs6CixkzRM