Fernandez leads Seattle to 3-0 win over United

Seattle, WA – Seattle Sounders FC rewarded another huge crowd 0 win over D.C. United in front of 36,242 at CenturyLink Field in Major League Soccer.

Fernandez scored his seventh and eighth goals of the year, Michael Fucito also scored, and Mauro Rosales had two assists to run his total to a club-record 12 for the season.

Although Seattle has played two more games than Western foe Real Salt Lake, it maintained its three-point cushion for second place in the conference.

Sounders FC (14-6-9) has won three of its last four and four of its last six, with its only loss during the stretch to RSL at home.

D.C. United (8-8-10) lost for the second time in its last three matches but is still just five points out of third place and a guaranteed playoff spot in the East, and just seven points behind first-place Columbus.

United showed it still has some work to do to compete in the playoffs - if it qualifies - against Seattle, which notched two goals in the first half to take control of the match.

Fucito bagged the first goal in the 35th minute, converting to the bottom-left corner off a pass from Rosales. Fucito's goal was his second of the season.

The Sounders added a second goal just before half when Rosales provided a pass to Fernandez, who scored to the bottom left in stoppage time.

Fernandez added his second goal 15 minutes into the second half with a shot to the middle of the goal from close range.

Seattle visits Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Sept. 24 and United hopes to rebound on Wednesday at RFK Stadium against Chivas USA. D.C. has played fewer matches than every other club, so it could easily climb the table late in the year.