SEATTLE — Midfielder Marco Pappa’s first-half tally led the Sounders (7-3-2) to a 1-0 victory over the last place Colorado Rapids (2-3-7).
Colorado was coming off an impressive 1-0 victory against Vancouver that ended a five-match stretch of draws.
The win gave Seattle 23 points on the season. The Sounders now have a two-point edge over FC Dallas in the West and a one-point lead over D.C. United in the Supporters’ Shield standings.
Facing their second-of-three matches in a nine-day stretch, head coach Sigi Schmid decided to go with five new players into the starting lineup. He inserted defenders Zach Scott and Leo Gonzalez, midfielders Cristian Roldan and Andy Rose, and forward Obafemi Martins.
The changes improved the on-field chemistry and resulted in Seattle’s impressive performance as they controlled the match from start-to-finish. The Sounders finished with a 70-30% possession advantage and a 5-4 shots-on-goal edge.
Pappa notched his first goal of the year and game winner in the 15th minute to give Seattle a 1-0 lead. His right-footed curling shot eluded Colorado goalkeeper Clint Irwin’s outstretched left hand and sailed inside the left post.
Stefan Frei needed to make one difficult stop late in the first half on forward Kevin Doyle’s long-range shot to record his seventh shutout in 12 matches.
Earlier in the week Schmid lauded Frei for his early season accomplishments. He went on to note that clean sheets were a team effort. This victory over Colorado backed up the Seattle head coach’s comments.
Seattle next plays the New York Red Bulls in a Sunday afternoon encounter. The Rapids return home and host Portland on Saturday.
