SEATTLE, WASH. - Goals on either side of halftime from Chad Marshall and Nicolás Lodeiro propelled Seattle Sounders FC (9-9-5, 32 points) to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Western Conference-leading FC Dallas (12-5-6, 42 points) in front of 39,522 fans at CenturyLink Field in Sunday night primetime action. In addition to the assembled crowd inside CenturyLink, a national television audience on FS1 witnessed Brian Schmetzer's side extend its unbeaten run to eight matches (6-0-2), bolstered by five consecutive victories. That mark ties the franchise-best mark for consecutive wins, with Seattle continuing its climb over the past two months from the bottom of the Western Conference and into postseason contention. With tonight's win, Sounders FC is just three points outside the sixth and final MLS Cup Playoffs position, with Vancouver (33 points) and Real Salt Lake (35) currently sitting directly in front of the Rave Green. Of Seattle's remaining 11 regular-season matches, nine are against Western Conference opponents.
Marshall rose to meet a Lodeiro corner kick before the stroke of halftime, bagging his ninth Sounders FC goal since joining the club in 2014 (including postseason play). The three-time MLS Defender of the Year beat Matt Hedges on a near-post run, converting Lodeiro's lofted ball across the face of Dallas goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez in the 41st minute.
FC Dallas responded following the intermission with an intricate team goal that was punctuated by striker Dominique Badji. Fullback Marquinhos Pedroso initiated the attack from the left flank, before Maxi Urruti and Michael Barrios played a deft one-two combination that was squared for an onrushing Badji in the 52nd minute of action.
However, Dallas' lead was short-lived, with Lodeiro firing a crafty free kick through traffic inside the 18-yard-box that spun and skipped into the back of Gonzalez's net, vaulting the Rave Green back into the lead. With the strike, Lodeiro now has five goals and five assists in his past nine outings, bringing him to six goals and seven assists on the season. He leads the Rave Green in the latter category, and is now tied with Will Bruin for the team scoring lead. Since joining Sounders FC as a Designated Player two years ago in the summer transfer window, Lodeiro has logged 77 appearances, 23 goals and 31 assists in all competitions.
Now three points back of the sixth and final Western Conference postseason position, Seattle readies for another critical matchup against conference rival LA Galaxy on Saturday, August 18. The Rave Green face former manager Sigi Schmid for the third time since he took over at the Galaxy midway through the 2017 campaign. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field, with ESPN broadcasting the match to a national audience. Sounders FC is 6-9-9 all-time against the Galaxy in MLS regular season play, with Seattle holding a 3-4-5 home record.
MATCH NOTES
- Sounders FC is now 9-9-5 on the season, and currently sits eighth in the Western Conference with 32 points, just three points shy of the sixth and final postseason position. Vancouver currently occupies seventh place with 33 points, while Real Salt Lake sits in the sixth position with 35.
- The result extends Seattle's unbeaten streak to eight games (6-0-2), dating back to July 4 at Colorado. The run is the longest spell without a loss this season, and matches the club's third-longest unbeaten streak in club history (4-0-4 from August 30-October 25, 2015). The longest unbeaten streak in club history is 13 games (6-0-7) from June 21-September 23 of last season.
- Part of the club's eight-match unbeaten run, Sounders FC has now won five straight matches, equaling the club record set on four previous occasions.
- Chad Marshall scored his second goal of the season when he redirected a Nico Lodeiro corner kick into goal in the 41st minute. It marked the 24th career MLS regular-season goal for Marshall, and his eighth with Seattle in regular season play.
- Nico Lodeiro recorded his sixth goal of the season to give Seattle a 2-1 lead in the second half. He is now tied with Will Bruin for the team lead in goals, while also leading the squad with seven assists this season. The Uruguayan now has five goals and five assists in his last nine games, dating back to June 30.
- New signing Brad Smith made his first appearance for Sounders FC with a start at left-back on Sunday. The fullback is on loan from Premier League side Bournemouth and joined the club on August 8.
- On the season, Sounders FC is now 5-4-2 at home in 2018, earning 17 of its 32 points at CenturyLink Field. The club has six regular-season home matches remaining in 2018.
- Seattle has allowed one goal or fewer in each of the club's eight matches during the current unbeaten run, and its 26 goals allowed is the second-fewest in MLS this season.
- Sounders FC set a new franchise record for corner kicks in a single match with 14, surpassing the previous mark of 12 (five times). The club's 11 in the first half also set a new record for a single half, breaking the mark of 10 in the 2018 season-opener against Los Angeles FC on March 4.
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 2 - FC Dallas 1
Sunday, August 12, 2018
Venue: Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field
Referee: Ted Unkel
Assistants: Kyle Atkins, Jose J. Da Silva
Fourth Official: Jon Freemon
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic
Attendance: 39,522
Weather: 72 degrees and partly cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY
SEA - Chad Marshall (Nicolás Lodeiro) 41'
DAL- Dominique Badji (Michael Barrios, Maxi Urruti) 52'
SEA- Nicolás Lodeiro 63'
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
SEA - Gustav Svensson (caution) 51'
SEA- Kim Kee-hee (caution) 78'
DAL- Reggie Cannon (caution) 80'
DAL- Reto Ziegler (ejection) 90'+1'
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC - Stefan Frei; Kelvin Leerdam (Román Torres 88'), Kim Kee-hee, Chad Marshall, Brad Smith (Waylon Francis 73'); Gustav Svensson, Osvaldo Alonso, Cristian Roldan, Nicolás Lodeiro, Harry Shipp (Victor RodrÃguez 77'); Raúl RuidÃaz
Substitutes not used: Bryan Meredith, Will Bruin, Jordan McCrary, Jordy Delem
Total shots: 13 (Lodeiro, 3)
Shots on goal: 4 (Lodeiro, 2)
Fouls: 10 (Four players, 2)
Offside: 0
Corner-kicks: 14 (Lodeiro, 14)
Saves: 1 (Frei, 1)
FC Dallas - Jesse Gonzalez; Marquinhos Pedroso, Reto Ziegler, Matt Hedges - captain, Reggie Cannon (Cristian Coleman 90'); Carlos Gruezo, Victor Ulloa (Tesho Akindele 90'), Roland Lamah, Michael Barrios; Maxi Urruti, Dominique Badji (Pablo Aranguiz 62')
Substitutes not used: Jimmy Maurer, Ryan Hollingshead, Jacori Hayes, Maynor Figueroa
Total shots: 7 (Gruezo/Urruti, 2)
Shots on goal: 2 (Badji/Urruti, 1)
Fouls: 12 (Barrios, 3)
Offside: 3 (Three players, 1)
Corner-kicks: 3 (Ulloa, 2)
Saves: 2 (Gonzalez, 2)
