Winners of three-straight games, Seattle Sounders FC continues its home stand on Saturday night with a matchup against the Philadelphia Union. Kickoff is set for 7 pm. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.

Saturday’s match will be televised locally on Q-13 FOX with Ross Fletcher and Kasey Keller on the call, and can be heard on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM. The match will also be televised live in Spanish on THIS-TV (KOMO2) with Jaime Mendez and Diego Arrioja on the call, and Spanish radio is available on ESPN Deportes 1490 AM with Rene Aleman and Noe Menendez.

Sounders FC (5-2-1, 16 points) jumped to the top of the table with a dominating 4-1 win over the Colorado Rapids last Saturday. Tied for the most goals scored in MLS, Seattle has tallied in each of its eight games, including multiple goals in the past four outings.

Clint Dempsey has continued his remarkable run of form, netting a pair of goals for his third multi-goal game of the campaign. Dempsey leads MLS Golden Boot race with eight goals and has recorded a goal (8) or assist (3) in all six appearances. Strike partner Obafemi Martins has also continued to contribute, netting his third goal of the season to go with his league-leading four assists.

Amidst a stretch of three-straight home matches, Sounders FC will look to extend its four-game (3-0-1) unbeaten run and improve its 1-2-0 record at CenturyLink Field. The Philadelphia contest will mark the first of six matches in May, including three games in an eight day stretch to begin the month.

Philadelphia Union (1-3-5, 8 points) have gone winless in the past seven (0-3-4) outings after falling to the Montreal Impact, 1-0, last Saturday. The Union currently sit eighth in the Eastern Conference led by the trio of U.S. National Team midfielder Maurice Edu, Brazilian midfielder Leo Fernandez and former Sounders FC forward Sebastien Le Toux.

Saturday’s match will be the lone meeting of the season between the two sides. The all-time series is currently level at 2-2-2, as Philadelphia has earned the only road victory in the series.

The three-game week will continue when Seattle hosts FC Dallas on Wednesday and visits the New England Revolution on Sundaynight. Kickoff for Wednesday’s match against Dallas is set for 7 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.

Tickets for Sounders FC home matches, including the Tottenham Hotspur friendly, are available now at www.SoundersFC.com and 1-877-MLS-GOAL. The 6-Match ticket package is also available now with expanded seating to include the upper bowl at CenturyLink Field.

Competition Schedule (All times Pacific; subject to change)

May 3, 7 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. Philadelphia Union, CenturyLink Field

May 7, 7 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. FC Dallas, CenturyLink Field

May 11, 3 p.m. – Sounders FC at New England Revolution, Gillette Stadium

May 17, 7 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes, CenturyLink Field

May 24, 4 p.m. – Sounders FC at Vancouver Whitecaps FC, BC Place

May 31, 1 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. Real Salt Lake, CenturyLink Field

Top of the Table

Sounders FC vaulted to the top of the table with an impressive 4-1 home win over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday afternoon, extending its run to three-straight wins. Seattle and FC Dallas are even with 16 points (2.00 PPG), 18 goals scored and five wins, with Sounders FC holding the goal differential tiebreaker. The last time Seattle was leading the race for the Supporters’ Shield was September 2013 following a seven-game unbeaten run, including five-straight wins.

League Leaders

In addition to leading the league in points and goals scored, Sounders FC also ranks first in several other categories. Seattle’s plus-6 goal differential, 11 road goals and 19 assists are top in MLS. The team ranks first with 48 shots on goal and second with 114 total shots, sitting first with a 42.1 shots on goal percentage. Seattle is also tied for the most three-goal games (3) this season and has recorded the second-most multi-goal games (5).

Top 5 Team Points Leaders – 2014 season

Team GP Pts. G A

Seattle 8 55 18 19

Dallas 8 50 18 14

New York 9 40 13 14

Salt Lake 8 37 13 11

Vancouver 8 35 12 11



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Dominant Duo

The Seattle attack has been driven by the most potent scoring duo in MLS this season in Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins. Dempsey currently leads the league in goals (8), points (19), shots (30), and shots on goal (14), while Martins is tied for the league-lead in assists (4) and tied second on the team with three goals. Combined, the pair has scored more goals (11) than all but five MLS teams and has recorded more points (29) than all but six sides. The model of consistency, Dempsey has recorded a point in every game he has played while Martins has done so in six of his eight appearances.

Overall, the duo has contributed to 16 of the club’s 18 goals scored this season, including the own goal at Dallas on April 12 and the first-half goal against Colorado on April 26. Dempsey’s 1.33 goals per game leads MLS, and both Dempsey and Martins are tied third with an average of 0.50 assists per game.

Consecutive Games with a Goal/Assist – 2014 season

Player, Team Games Dates

Clint Dempsey, SEA 6 March 8-present

Fabian Espindola, DC 5 March 29-present

Obafemi Martins, SEA 4 March 15-April 5

Quincy Amarikwa, CHI 4 March 29-April 19

Erick Torres, CHV 4 March 9-March 30

Robbie Keane, LA 4 March 22-present

Streaking Sounders

The Rave Green are currently riding a three-game winning streak, dating back to a win at FC Dallas on April 12. The run marks the 11thtime in club history that Seattle has won three-straight matches. The club record for consecutive wins is five games, which has been accomplished three times, most recently from August 25-September 13, 2013. Sounders FC has a chance to match the club record with two home games on the horizon, with a chance to break the record on the road at New England on May 11.

Most Consecutive Wins – Club History

Games Dates

5 August 25-September 13, 2013

5 April 28-May 9, 2012

5 September 18-October 15, 2010

4 July 15-August 8, 2010

3 7 times, most recent: April 12, 2014-present

Record April Unbeaten Streak Extended

Saturday’s win over the Colorado Rapids set the MLS record for consecutive games without a loss in any month with its 14th straight result (9-0-5) in April, dating back to April 2, 2011. The team is 12-4-7 in 23 all-time April matches, outscoring opponents 35-23. The Sounders FC roster boasts two of the top five active goal scorers in April as Kenny Cooper has totaled 18 career goals (2nd) and Clint Dempsey has scored 13 times (3rd).

Seattle will look to continue the trend into the month of May, where the team has posted a record of 9-8-11 in 28 all-time matches. The team has earned three May victories in each of the past two seasons after winning just three times from 2009-11. Two of Seattle’s newcomers have historically performed well in May as Cooper’s 13 goals in the month ranks third amongst active players and Chad Barrett’s 10 goals is tied for the seventh-most.

Dempsey and Schmid Named to Team of the Week

Forward Clint Dempsey and Head Coach Sigi Schmid were named to the MLSSoccer.com Team of the Week for Week 8 following Seattle’s 4-1 home win over Colorado. Dempsey recorded his third multi-goal game of the season after scoring twice in the opening seven minutes of the second half, including his second game-winning goal of the season. It marks the second Team of the Week selection in three weeks for both Dempsey and Schmid, as coach and captain have guided Sounders FC to a four-match unbeaten streak, scoring 13 goals over the span.

Neagle Picking Up Where He Left Off

Midfielder Lamar Neagle recorded a goal and an assist in Saturday’s win over Colorado, knocking in a score right before halftime after a strong build-up, then feeding Obafemi Martins with a throw-in that led to his 75th minute goal. The Federal Way native now has nine points on the season, trailing only Dempsey and Martins for the team-lead. Neagle is ahead of last season’s pace in which he set a career high with 20 points. His three assists are just shy of his career high (4) set last season.

Iron Men in the Back

DeAndre Yedlin and Chad Marshall have provided stability and consistency on the backline this season as they are the only field players to play every minute. As a rookie last season, Yedlin led Sounders FC with 30 starts and 2,710 minutes played, including a streak of 18-straight starts without being subbed off to end the season. Overall, Yedlin has played the full 90 minutes in 26 consecutive regular season games. Marshall, an 11-year MLS veteran, has logged at least 24 appearances and 2,100 minutes eight times in his career, including a career-high 32 starts and 2,835 minutes in 2011. With two assists already in 2014, Marshall is just one shy of his career high set in 2005.

Series Notes

Seattle and Philadelphia are level on the all-time series at 2-2-2, with Seattle holding the edge at home with two wins and one loss. Sounders FC earned a 2-2 road draw in the lone meeting last season and downed the Union, 1-0, in the last meeting at CenturyLink Field on May 5, 2012. Seattle has scored in five of the six meetings, holding a 4-1 advantage in the opening 45 minutes. The two sides have played a pair of memorable matches over the past four seasons. In the Union’s first-ever MLS match on March 25, 2010, Sounders FC beat the Union, 2-0, with goals from Brad Evans and Fredy Montero. Three months later, Seattle opened Philadelphia’s PPL Park with a 3-1 loss on June 27, 2010.

* Seattle has outscored Philadelphia, 4-1, in the opening 45 minutes while seven of the Union’s eight goals have been scored in the second half.

* Despite being slightly outshot (64-66), Philadelphia holds the advantage with 29 shots on goal to Seattle’s 19.

* Philadelphia earned the lone road victory in the series with a 2-nil win on October 8, 2011.

* Seattle has held the Union scores twice, but has allowed three multi-goal games.

* Kenny Cooper leads all Sounders FC players with five career goals in just six matches against Philadelphia.

About Philadelphia

Sitting eighth in the East, Philadelphia looks to end its seven-game (0-3-4) winless stretch this Saturday at CenturyLink Field. The Union have gone 0-3-2 in five road outings, including two-straight road losses. The seven-game winless stretch is one short of the club record, set during the 2011 season and again in 2012. Philadelphia has played the most games (9) in MLS this season, taking the second-most shots (114) while earning the most corner kicks (50). The defense ranks ninth with a 1.22 goals against average, posting two shutouts with 11 goals allowed.

Union Notables

The Union attack is led by a trio of players with two goals scored. U.S. National Team midfielder Maurice Edu returned to MLS in the offseason and has recorded five points in nine starts, playing all 810 minutes. Brazilian midfielder Leo Fernandez has also tallied twice with one assist, starting in four of his seven appearances. Sebastien Le Toux has contributed two goals while Andrew Wenger has scored once in four games since his trade from the Montreal Impact. Philadelphia also features newcomer Vincent Nogueira, a 26-year-old midfielder who has played every minute this season, recording one goal and one assist. Goalkeeper Zac MacMath has started all nine matches, making 23 saves on 34 shots.

Academy Unbeaten in NorCal Road Trip

Sounders FC Academy traveled down to California on April 26 for a divisional matchup with the San Jose Earthquakes academy, the U18’s coming away with a 3-2 win while the U16’s held on for a 2-2 draw, extending strong runs of form for both squads.

After falling down 2-0 before the half, the U18’s came roaring back with three second half goals-including a brace from Yoshi Chaffin-to extend their unbeaten streak to 10 games (9-0-1). At 14-3-5, they remain atop the USSDA Northwest Division, a point ahead of Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy with a game in hand.

Connor Noblat and Lorenzo Ramos scored goals for the U16’s, but a late Earthquake equalizer forced a 2-2 draw between the second and third place teams in the Northwest Division. The U16’s have a three-match (1-0-2) of their own and are 7-1-3 in their past 11, trailing first-place Vancouver by just four points with two games in hand.