HOUSTON, TEXAS – Securing a critical point in the race for the 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs, Seattle (14-13-6, 48 points) drew the Houston Dynamo (11-13-9, 42 points) 1-1 thanks to Obafemi Martins’ 15th goal of the season at BBVA Compass Stadium on Sunday. With the draw, Sigi Schmid’s side remains above the red line in the race for the postseason, with Seattle currently occupying fifth place in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference. Currently only four points separate six teams occupying second through seventh position in the West ahead of MLS Decision Day: the final weekend of 2015 regular season action where all conference matchups are played simultaneously ahead of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
After a scoreless first half of play, Houston earned the lead in the 65th minute of the contest through Ricardo Clark. After referee Edvin Jurisevic played advantage during a Dynamo counterattack, midfielder Brad Davis slipped a pass to Clark at the edge of Seattle’s 18-yard-box. Clark’s shot beat Sounders FC goalkeeper Stefan Frei at his far post, vaulting the home side to a 1-0 lead.
Seattle found the equalizer in the 82nd minute, when Martins converted a corner-kick from Andreas Ivanschitz. Ivanschitz’s in-swinger bounced through the Houston defense to Martins, who re-directed a header into the net for his 15th tally of the season. Martins now has nine goals in his last 10 matches, while Ivanschitz recorded his first career assist for the Rave Green.
Following today’s match, Seattle prepares for its regular season finale on Sunday, October 25 on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field. The Rave Green are set to face Western Conference rival Real Salt Lake in the club’s fourth and final full-stadium contest of 2015. Kickoff is slated for 4:00 p.m. PT as part of MLS Decision Day, and the match is being carried on JOEtv, THIS-TV, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM and El Rey 1360 AM. Seattle is aiming to qualify for its seventh consecutive MLS postseason berth in as many seasons since entering the league in 2009.
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 1 – Houston Dynamo 1
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Venue: BBVA Compass Stadium
Referee: Edvin Jurisevic
Assistants: Ian Anderson, Kathryn Nesbitt
Fourth Official: Juan Guzman
Attendance: 20,145
Weather: Sunny and 82 degrees
SCORING SUMMARY
HOU – Ricardo Clark (Brad Davis) 65’
SEA – Obafemi Martins (Andreas Ivanschitz) 82’
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
SEA – Gonzalo Pineda (caution) 40’
SEA – Andreas Ivanschitz (caution) 55’
HOU – Luis Gariddo (caution) 64’
SEA – Chad Barrett (caution) 71’
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC – Stefan Frei; Tyrone Mears, Brad Evans – captain, Chad Marshall, Dylan Remick (Zach Scott 82’); Erik Friberg (Andy Rose 62’), Osvaldo Alonso, Gonzalo Pineda (Chad Barrett 68’), Andreas Ivanschitz; Clint Dempsey, Obafemi Martins
Substitutes not used: Troy Perkins, Leo Gonzalez, Cristian Roldan, Lamar Neagle
Total shots: 6 (Dempsey, 3)
Shots on goal: 3 (Dempsey, 2)
Fouls: 13 (Alonso, 4)
Offside: 1 (Martins, 1)
Corner-kicks: 5 (Ivanschitz, 5)
Saves: 3 (Frei, 3)
Houston Dynamo – Tyler Deric; Boniek Garcia, David Horst, Sheanon Williams, DaMarcus Beasley; Luis Garrido, Ricardo Clark, Leonel Miranda (Alex 74’), Giles Barnes, Brad Davis (Rob Lovejoy 90+2’); Will Bruin (Mauro Manotas 87’)
Substitutes not used: Joe Willis, A.J. Cochran, Rasheed Olabiyi, Erick Torres
Total shots: 11 (Bruin, 4)
Shots on goal: 4 (4 players, 1)
Fouls: 11 (Garrido, 7)
Offside: 2 (Clark/Davis, 1)
Corner-kicks: 4 (Davis, 4)
Saves: 2 (Deric, 2)
MATCH NOTES
- Sounders FC sits in fifth place in the Western Conference standings with 48 points (14-13-6), level with Sporting Kansas City but holding the total-wins tiebreaker. SKC holds a game in-hand, with Peter Vermes’ side scheduled to play Colorado on Wednesday, October 21. The Rave Green aim to secure a spot in the postseason in the final match of the 2015 regular season next Sunday vs. Real Salt Lake at CenturyLink Field.
- Seattle leads the all-time series with Houston at 5-3-3, but the away side has failed to win in 11 all-time meetings. The Dynamo are now 3-0-2 against Sounders FC in Houston, while Sigi Schmid’s side is 5-0-1 against Houston at CenturyLink Field.
- With the draw, Sounders FC extends its unbeaten streak to seven games (3-0-4), tied for the second-longest run in club history. The longest streak without a loss for Seattle is nine matches (6-0-3) back in 2009.
- Obafemi Martins now has 15 goals this season, matching Clint Dempsey’s 2014 total for the second-highest in club history. Martins, who has scored nine times in his last 10 appearances, is now just two goals short of his club-record 17 goals set last season.
- Andreas Ivanschitz recorded his first assist as a Sounder when his corner-kick found Martins for the equalizer in the 82nd minute. The Austrian midfielder, who signed with the club on August 4, scored his first MLS goal against Vancouver on August 19.
