Seattle Sounders have had a very poor striking combination in the form of Obafemi Martins and Eddie Johnson. Even though the duo have certainly not been good, the club are planning to stick with the partnership according to the latest interview given by manager Sigi Schmid. He has said that he believes Martins and Johnson complement each other well and they will eventually come good. The arrival of Clint Dempsey has certainly given a huge threat to the duo since the former Fulham and Tottenham player is capable of playing as a striker.
In the nine matches that Martins and Johnson have played together, they have contributed just five goals and one assist. Despite this poor form of the strikers, Seattle Sounders are currently top of the table. They can substantially increase clear advantage to 6 points if they win the two matches in hand over Real Salt Lake. After managing the 1-1 draw with LA Galaxy, which was a game that Dempsey missed due to injury, Schmid said that there were not many combinations between the two strikers, but they are improving with every minute.
Former Newcastle United striker Martins has a great reputation of scoring goals, but he has so far failed to produce magic at Seattle Sounders.
“I thought last game was better than the game before. The game in LA there wasn’t a lot of combinations. The last game there were a lot of combinations. I think it’s something that, with game time, it improves all the time. That combination can work when we play that combination. When Clint [Dempsey] gets into the mix, it changes things up again,” said the manager about the striking options at the club. Seattle Sounders have another big match in the form of a home encounter against New York Red Bulls in the next match.