Seattle survives red card to win

SEATTLE – Obafemi Martins’ third goal of the season was a display of skill, doing a 360-degree spin around a defender and beating the goalkeeper with a powerful right-footed shot.

The rest of the Seattle Sounders’ 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night was a grind.

“It was a game we sort of had to roll up our sleeves with a little bit,” Seattle coach Sigi Schmid said.

Seattle picked up its second victory in four games early in the MLS season thanks to Martins’ goal and a third shutout from goalkeeper Stefan Frei.

Martins’ goal came in the 39th minute as Seattle quickly countered off a Houston turnover. Martins took a pass from Clint Dempsey, did a 360-degree spin around Houston defender Jermaine Taylor and put enough power on the shot that goalkeeper Tyler Deric’s deflection couldn’t keep it out of the net.

Martins and Dempsey have scored all six goals in Seattle’s four MLS matches this season.

But Seattle’s challenge was handling Houston’s pressure for the final 35 minutes after midfielder Gonzalo Pineda was given a red card in the 56th minute when he caught Ricardo Clark in the stomach with his left foot.

It caused a significant strategy change for Schmid and the Sounders, and, instead of trying to add another highlight-reel goal, the challenge became doing whatever was necessary to keep Houston off the board.

Houston outshot Seattle, but the majority of the chances were wide of the goal.

Nathan Sturgis’ half-volley moments after Pineda’s red card went just wide of the post and may have been the Dynamo’s best scoring opportunity.

Houston remained winless since its season-opening victory over Columbus and has gone 259 minutes without a goal.

Seattle welcomed back four key starters, with the return of Dempsey, Martins and defender Chad Marshall from injuries, and the season debut of midfielder Osvaldo Alonso following surgery.