Sounders FC vs. Chivas USA
MLS Regular Season
Saturday, September 27; 1 pm PT; CenturyLink Field
TV/Radio: JOEtv (KZJO-Ch 22/Cable 10); THIS-TV (Spanish); KIRO Radio 97.3 FM; ESPN Deportes Radio, 1490 AM (Spanish)
Sounders FC plays the final of three matches against Chivas USA on Saturday afternoon at CenturyLink Field. Here are three key matchups as Seattle looks to extend its seven-match winning streak and 13-match unbeaten run in the all-time series.
Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins vs. Chivas center backs
Speed in transition has proven to be troublesome for the Chivas defense, and Dempsey and Martins have found ways to exploit that in the past. This year, Martins has three goals and Dempsey has three assists against Chivas USA. Seattle’s attack tandem is highly motivated after two consecutive losses and is fast-approaching the club’s all-time individual and duo scoring records. Martins leads the team with 13 goals and Dempsey is close behind with 12, giving them 25 goals between them.
Eddie Johnson set the club scoring mark in 2012 with 14 goals and he combined with Fredy Montero’s 13 goals that season for the club-record total of 27 goals for two players.
Seattle’s dead ball delivery vs. Chivas set-piece defense
Last time out, Seattle had four goals before halftime thanks in large part to Sounders FC’s efficiency on free kicks and corner kicks. At the StubHub Center, Brad Evans tied an MLS record with three assists in one half, setting up two Andy Rose goals with free kicks and one Obafemi Martins score with a corner kick. That was no anomaly, though, as Seattle has scored 13 goals off of non-penalty dead balls while Chivas has allowed 12.
Erick Torres vs. Seattle’s defense
Torres leads Chivas with 14 goals and nobody else on the team has more than two. He is the biggest scoring threat by a long shot and has shown he can score in many different ways. Although he hasn’t scored since July 20, he has missed the last four matches while making his debut for the Mexican National Team and serving two-match suspension. Prior to that drought, he had scored in six straight matches. If Seattle is going to turn around its recent defensive woes, it will have to keep Torres at bay.
