Plaudits for unselfish Martins

Obafemi Martins has received praise for his unselfish approach in last weekend’s game between Seattle Sounders and Chivas USA.

The Nigerian attacker was at his creative best as Seattle Sounders came from behind to beat Chivas USA 2-1 at CenturyLink Field on Sunday.

The Sounders star player created both goals as he added assists to his bag of tricks, which has so far yielded six goals in 13 Major League Soccer appearances.

“I think he can set people up,” Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said. “It’s a part of his game that he’s certainly able to add as well. A player like that, you want him involved in goals.”

Both assists came in situations that showed a particularly unselfish side to the Nigerian’s game.

On the first, Martins gathered a ball about 35 yards out. Despite having room to run at his defender, Martins spotted Brad Evans making a run from a deep position. Martins then put a perfectly weighted ball through three defenders, allowing Evans to run onto it without allowing Dan Kennedy to cut down the angle.

“It was a good battle of possession, some good passing and Oba found me slipping through the middle,” Evans said of his 23rd minute equalizer. “First time shot and luckily beat Kennedy.”

With another opportunity to take on a defender, Martins again chose to set up a teammate for a better look on his second assist. After receiving a ball down the right wing, Martins got rid of his marker with a quick feint and then sent the ball to the top of the penalty area to Mauro Rosales, who was able to get just enough of the ball to send it on to Lamar Neagle on the opposite wing.

And Neagle was delighted with the way the former Inter Milan and Newcastle United star had performed.

“Yeah, we’ve played together for a little while and we kind of know each other’s tendencies now. A couple of passes went astray but that’s always going to happen when we’re trying to pressure and get in behind.”

Martins now has three assists in his MLS career.