Union's Winless Streak Extends To 8 Games In 2-1 Loss To Sounders
SEATTLE (AP) — Chad Marshall headed in a corner kick from Marco Pappa in the 84th minute Saturday night as the Seattle Sounders completed a comeback from a first-half own goal to beat the Philadelphia Union 2-1.
The Sounders (6-2-1) won their MLS-leading fourth straight game, extended their unbeaten streak to five and took the overall league lead with 19 points.
"I think I'll be thinking about that goal tonight," said Marshall, whose tally was his first since Sept. 14, 2013, while still with the Columbus Crew before he came to Seattle in an offseason trade. "I've been close a couple times this year, so it was nice to get one, especially at home. And for it to be a game-winner was pretty sweet."
During their five-game unbeaten streak, the Sounders have come from behind in four of them to get the result.
"We said at the beginning of the season that we wanted to be a team that fought to the very end of games, and we're doing that," coach Sigi Schmid said. "Coming back, we made it a little bit hard for ourselves. We had some good chances in the first half. . We didn't put those chances away."
Philadelphia (1-4-5) saw its winless streak extended to eight games (0-4-4), tying a club record that was first set in 2011 and matched in 2012.
Pappa's corner kick from the right side floated into the penalty area just outside the 6-yard box. Marshall ran and headed it high into the net over goalkeeper Zac MacMath for his first of the year.
Marshall was also on top of his game at the other end of the field, blocking several Philadelphia attempts and clearing away two that were dangerously close to the Seattle net.
"I'm a big guy, and I'm just trying to get in their way," said the 6-foot-4 Marshall, who has played all 810 minutes this season. "I think I have a nice Adidas tattoo on my back from one of (the blocked shots)."
The Union took the lead late in the 13th minute when a long free kick into the penalty area went into the Seattle net off of Brad Evans' head.
The own goal was the result of a free kick by the Union's Cristian Maidana about 40 yards upfield and slightly toward the right side. He drove it into the box, where teammate Maurice Edu and Seattle's Evans both went up for it. The ball flew into the right side of the net and originally was credited to Edu, but was changed moments later to an own goal off of Evans.
Obafemi Martins tied it for Seattle in the 61st minute, his fourth goal of the season.
The Sounders created multiple opportunities to tie it before halftime, none better than Osvaldo Alonso's penalty kick early in the 40th minute after Philadelphia's Amobi Okugo was called for a hand ball in the box. Alonso went toward the right post, but MacMath dived to his left and blocked it.
Evans started the play that led to the tying goal when he headed a short ball into the penalty area. Martins caught up with it at the penalty spot, took it to the top of the 6-yard box and shot into a wide-open right side of the net for his fourth of the season.
"It's a difficult one to take because we came in and played well in the first half and we got up a goal," Union coach John Hackworth said. "Even in the second half, we had some chances to get a second one, and we didn't put those away. They came back to get back in the game, and Chad Marshall makes a great play on a corner kick - I don't know what to say.
"Once again, we kind of let ourselves down."
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