Seattle Sounders Hand Chivas USA 6-2 Thrashing

Fredy Montero put on a remarkable performance on Aug. 25, propelling the Seattle Sounders FC to a 6-2 win against Chivas USA.

With the win, the Sounders are now tied with Real Salt Lake for the second spot in the MLS Western Conference table. They're now trailing the first place San Jose Earthquakes by only seven points.

"We knew it was going to be a strange game just because of where they are at on the standings," Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid told reporters after the match. "We knew that we would have to take some risks and go forward, and one thing we talked about was the desire to go forward; we knew it was going to present us opportunities, which it did."

Sounders midfielder Brad Evans opened up the scoreboard early in the match, firing one past Dan Kennedy inside the box. Montero doubled the Sounders' advantage in the 27^th minute, capitalizing on a well-played pass by Mauro Rosales. Montero struck again in the 34^th minute, chipping in another nice pass from Rosales.

Fortunately for Chivas, they were awarded with a penalty kick shortly after, when Seattle defender Adam Johansson was called for a hand ball inside the box. Juan Agudelo converted on the ensuing kick, firing up Chivas' offense.

"The Goats" cut the Sounders' lead to a goal early in the second half, thanks to Miller Bolanos, who fired a shot past Seattle goalkeeper Michael Gspurning in the 64^th minute. However, Montero was far from done, and he redoubled the Sounder's lead three minutes later, once again making the most of a Rosales assist.

Sammy Ochoa added to the scoreboard in the 80^th minute, and Ante Jazic' own-goal gave them a four goal lead in stoppage time.

Given Seattle's struggles early on in the 2012 MLS season, it's easy to appreciate how well they're playing right now. With their offense firing on all cylinders, the Sounders are once again establishing themselves as one of the best teams in the MLS.

I really like the chemistry between Montero and Rosales right now, and that can only lead to good things in the future.

The Sounders might have failed in their quest to become the first team to win four consecutive US Open Cup titles, but I have a feeling they'll make some history when the MLS Cup rolls around.

Their next game will be in Trinidad against Caledonia AIA on Aug.30. It'll be the second leg of their first round series in the 2012/13 CONCACAF Champions League.

Follow me on twitter @davidkingwriter.
 
Sources:
Joshua Mayers, "Fredy Montero: 'We have a really good team. We have players…'"