• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Sounders aim for third straight win against Rapids

Apr 25, 2014 - 8:29 PM Seattle, WA (SportsNetwork.com) - Seattle Sounders FC will go after their third straight win in league play on Saturday when the club returns home to CenturyLink Field to face the Colorado Rapids.

Seattle continued its winning ways last time out, earning a 2-1 victory over 10-man Chivas USA at the StubHub Center last Saturday.

Things started poorly for Seattle as Erick Torres converted a penalty just five minutes in, but Seattle drew level in the 24th minute when Chivas goalkeeper Dan Kennedy jumped off his line to catch a bouncing ball but couldn't control it. Clint Dempsey quickly sent the ball back into the box where Lamar Neagle smashed it into the net for his second goal of the season.

Chivas USA played a man down for the final 17 minutes after Marco Delgado was sent off in the 73rd minute for a late challenge on Gonzalo Pineda, and the Sounders netted the winner nine minutes from time.

Dempsey played a ball down the left side to Martins, who chipped it over the diving Dan Kennedy. It was Martins' second goal of the season and Dempsey has recorded a goal or assist in all five appearances in 2014.

With the victory, Seattle remained unbeaten in four matches away from home this season.

"Our road record has been very, very good and our home record is not so good at the moment," Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid said. "The games have been physically demanding for us, so we have to make sure that we recover and get our team ready to play the next battle as we prepare for Colorado because it's a big in-conference game. Winning this game, winning in Dallas -- in conference and being able to win on the road -- is really important."

Colorado, meanwhile, earned a well-deserved point in a scoreless draw with the San Jose Earthquakes at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Scoring chances were difficult to come by for both sides as the rain was cascading down all match.

Colorado went a man up with four minutes to play after San Jose's Adam Jahn was sent off for a rash tackle on rookie Jared Watts, but were unable to take advantage and had to settle for a point.

"I think for the first time this year we encountered a team that actually came in to make it hard for us to play, as opposed to trying to go out and find the game themselves," Colorado head coach Pablo Mastroeni said.

"This is a great learning experience for our group, and if we continue on the same form, there's going to be more and more teams that come to this place and try to sit in and look to break," Mastroeni continued. "So now it's a whole different element and a different way of playing the game. Having said that, I think the guys gave themselves plenty of opportunities to find a goal, with so many corners and possession higher up the field. The game of soccer is tricky: sometimes the ball bounces in the right spot and you can knock it in, and sometimes it doesn't. But I think overall, again, the effort was great, and a good performance to build on."

In three regular-season meetings between the sides last year, each team earned a win, while the third meeting ended all even.