The Sounders had an excellent month from a league perspective but weren't able to overcome Sporting KC in the U.S. Open Cup Final.
Record: 3-1-0 in MLS. 0-0-1 in the Open Cup. 2-0-0 in CONCACAF Champions League
Player of the Month: It’s not often that a player with six assists in a single month isn’t the top player on his team, but Mauro Rosales’ impressive August was a distant second to Fredy Montero’s unbelievable form, scoring six goals and one assist in four matches, including his first career hat trick against Chivas USA.
The Matches: The Sounders started and finished the month with wins in the CONCACAF Champions League, getting 3-1 victories at home and on the road against Caledonia AIA from Trinidad. Seattle also battled Sporting Kansas City to a draw over 120 minutes in the US Open Cup final, falling on penalties for their first taste of defeat in the tournament in their four years of existence.
In MLS play, they extended their home unbeaten streak to five games with home wins over the LA Galaxy and Vancouver Whitecaps FC as Montero and Eddie Johnson each notched goals in shutout victories. Alex Caskey and Andy Rose also added their first career MLS goals in a 4-0 win over the Galaxy. Meanwhile, they split road matches in California, falling 2-1 to the San Jose Earthquakes and dominating in a 6-2 win over Chivas USA.
The Story: Michael Gspurning was welcomed back to CenturyLink Field in style as he had clean sheet victories over the LA galaxy and Vancouver Whitecaps FC, extending his shutout streak at home to 381 minutes.
Seattle dominated in their Champions League matches against Caledonia to continue their progress in that competition, but were devastated by their defeat in the final of the US Open Cup. Some of that fatigue showed in a 2-1 defeat to the San Jose Earthquakes, though they fought back valiantly to get an equalizing goal in stoppage time, only to have San Jose tally the game-winner moments later.
As the team worked newcomers Christian Tiffert and Mario Martinez into the lineup, Brad Evans started seeing time on the left side and flourishing in his new role. After the two difficult results against Kansas City and San Jose, the Sounders were galvanized and came back with convincing wins while showing their quality through the midfield.
In addition to Montero exploding for six goals, Sammy Ochoa also had a chance to shine, scoring in both Champions League matches and adding another goal in the 6-2 win over Chivas USA.
