Major League Soccer announced on Thursday that Seattle Sounders defender Chad Marshall has been voted the Etihad Airways MLS Player of the Month for September, the second straight such honor given to a Sounders player this season.
Marshall joins Sounders midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro as winners of the award after the Uruguayan import received the nod in August. Marshall is also the first defender to win the award this season.
Marshall anchored the Sounders' back four at center back all month en route to a 3-0-1 record. Seattle recorded two clean sheets and allowed just three goals, the fewest in the league over that span.
The 32-year-old veteran also scored the game-winning goal against the Chicago Fire on Sept. 28, his fourth of the season, which ties a career high and is tied for most among MLS defenders this year.
Alongside the now-healthy Roman Torres, the Sounders are 7-1-3 since interim head coach Brian Schmetzer took over in late July and are in their best run of form in recent memory. Marshall & Co. have shored up the defense and allowed the team to grind out results it likely would not have earlier in the season.
“When the organization made the move that we did with where we were at, everyone in here believed that we could still get it done,” Marshall said after the victory over the Fire. “The last few months have been promising and we’re happy to be moving up.”
Marshall has started 27 matches this year, logged nearly 2,400 minutes and could very well be in the running for his fourth MLS Defender of the Year award. He won the award in 2014 with the Sounders and twice with the Crew, in 2008 and 2009.
Marshall took down New York City FC forward David Villa, New York Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips, LA Galaxy forward Giovani dos Santos and Columbus Crew SC forward Ola Kamara in the fan voting for September’s award.
