Sounders remain unbeaten in CCL play

Published: October 25, 2012 

sounders fc 3, marathon 1: Early lead keeps Honduras at bay, earns No. 3 seed

Sounders FC took a 3-1 win over Marathon of Honduras on Wednesday and clicked off a number of other accomplishments along the way.

Among them:

 • The victory completed Seattle’s unbeaten run through CONCACAF Champions League Group 4.

 • The Sounders’ 4-0 record in the group stage gives them the No. 3 seeding when the tournament resumes with a quarterfinal round in early March. Their opponent will be determined by the final group-stage results today.

 • The win marked a return to the pitch for goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, 16-plus years since his last appearance with the USL Sounders and about a month since coming out of retirement to join these MLS Sounders.

 • The Sounders got goals from Sammy Ochoa, Steve Zakuani and David Estrada, while resting enough regulars to be close to full strength Sunday, when they conclude their Major League Soccer regular season at Los Angeles.

 • Seattle even drew just enough fans – 7,874 – to avoid setting a record-low attendance mark at CenturyLink Field.

“We’re happy that we’ve gone through our group play undefeated,” coach Sigi Schmid said.

Seattle already had clinched the top spot in its group before the match. However, with more favorable seeding at stake, Schmid had hoped his team could jump ahead early to break the spirit of the visiting Green Monster, which was playing for pride.

Seattle made it happen by jumping two goals ahead in the first half hour.

The breakthrough came in the 23rd minute, when Martinez sent a cross into the box and Ochoa knocked it home from near the penalty spot. It was Ochoa’s fourth goal in four CCL matches.

“I think he’s been sharper at times than he was tonight ... but he scored a good goal,” Schmid said.

Seattle added to its lead five minutes later, when Zakuani cut past a defender and scored from about 10 yards.

Marathon (1-2-1) responded in the 37th minute, when Tulio Vega broke free down the right side of the area. Hahnemann came off his line, but Vega squared the ball across the box, where Michael Brown knocked it into the empty net.

“It was a really good run from (Vega),” Hahnemann said. “Then I came out and he shanked a cross – something, a shot, I don’t know what it was – and it went right to that guy. I’m sure it was offside.”

It was the only goal Seattle surrendered in group play that didn’t come by penalty kick. Hahnemann also recorded four saves.

Seattle put the game away in the 76th minute, when Estrada knocked in a shot from in front of the goal.

When the tournament resumes, the Sounders will be paired with a sixth-seeded club in a two-game aggregate-score quarterfinal series.

Don Ruiz: 253-597-8808 don.ruiz@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/soccer @donruiztnt

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