Seattle Sounders Vs. Columbus Crew: Lamar Neagle Is Pretty Good

Sometimes this game of soccer can be pretty fun to watch. On a day in which Lamar Neagle became the second Seattle Sounders player to ever score a hat trick, Mike Fucito finally got off the scoring schneid and Mauro Rosales bolstered his darkhorse MVP candidacy with a goal and two assists, the Sounders won in an absolute rout of the Eastern Conference leading Columbus Crew. The Sounders jumped out to a 4-0 halftime lead and never really looked back, ultimately settling for a 6-2 win that was every bit as dominant as that scoreline looks.

Perhaps even more amazingly, the Sounders probably could have scored a few more goals. Fredy Montero, while turning in a solid effort and doing some of the little things well, had a couple good scoring chances go to waste and if the game had been closer, probably would have been awarded a penalty in the closing minutes.

It's all just a continuation of an almost magical month for the Sounders. With one match left to play in August, the Sounders have gone 6-0-1 across all competitions, outscored their opponents 14-4, moved to within three points of the Supporters' Shield and jumped to the top of their CONCACAF Champions League group. They can finish out the month by possibly qualifying for their third straight U.S. Open Cup final. 

They've done this all without picking up the foreign striker that just about everyone who follows the team hoped they would get. They did it while travelling all over the continent, playing in oven-like conditions and facing what was supposed to be the toughest stretch of their schedule.

While it's far too early to say this is a truly special season -- some kind of silverware would be required for that -- there's absolutely no reason to doubt this team's ability to make that happen. Enjoy this guys. Who knows how long it will last?