Eddie Johnson Leads Sounders to Victory Against Chivas USA

The Seattle Sounders FC increased their current unbeaten streak to five matches on Sept. 8 defeating Chivas USA 2-1 at CenturyLink Field.

With the win, the Sounders move up to the second spot in the MLS Western Conference table, trailing the first place San Jose Earthquakes by six points.

For a moment, it looked like the Sounders were going to be in for a tough game, as the "Goats" opened up the scoreboard early in the contest. Chivas midfielder Nick LaBrocca capitalized on a nice pass from Shalrie Joseph, firing a shot past Sounders goalkeeper Michael Gspurning in the 8th minute.

Fortunately for the Sounders, Eddie Johnson had another impressive game, and he evened things out in the 29th minute, nodding in a free kick past Chivas goalkeeper Dan Kennedy.

Seattle dominated the match from that point on, but they weren't able to get anything into the post.
Just when it looked like the Sounders would have to settle for a draw, Johnson struck again in the 89th minute, heading a Fredy Montero cross into the post.

"Obviously, we didn't start off well," Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said after the match. "We put ourselves behind 1-0, but I think it's our first come-from-behind win all year. Then we showed some character in terms of coming back."

Even though the final score doesn't reflect how well the Sounders played on Saturday, I was impressed with the way they handled the ball. They did fail to capitalize on a few scoring opportunities, but it didn't matter thanks to Johnson's impressive performance. With his second goal, Johnson set a new franchise record for the most goals in a season.

"[It's about] winning games as a team, trying to get better as a team week in and week out," Johnson said after the game. "Everything else is a bonus. That's a bonus. I couldn't ask for a better team to share that with. They're the reason why I'm getting my goals."

With seven games left in the 2012 MLS regular season, the Sounders should be able to close out the year with the top spot in the Western Conference. Their defense has held opposing teams to only 5 goals in their last 5 matches, while their offense has scored 14 goals.

The Sounders will suit up next on Sept. 15, against the Portland Timbers.

David has been a fan of the Seattle Sounders for the past 3 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter.

Sources:
Joshua Mayers, "Eddie Johnson: 'All the hard work we put in week in and week out, it's paying off.'"