Obafemi Martins 2014 MLS Cup Final

Lore & Background

Seattle had built its identity around a particular kind of suffering: the 2009 final heartbreak, the 2011 final loss, the endless 'almost' that defined a generation of supporters. By 2014, the Sounders had assembled a squad around the engine of Clint Dempsey and the creativity of Obafemi Martins, a player whose pace and directness made him a nightmare for organized defenses. The Red Bulls, meanwhile, carried the weight of being the reigning champions and the most decorated team in the league at that point. The narrative was set: Seattle's long wait versus New York's established supremacy.

What made the night unforgettable was not just the result but the manner. Martins did not merely score; he dismantled. His goals came from different angles, different phases of play, and his movement off the ball forced the Red Bulls backfield into constant, anxious retreat. The crowd at CenturyLink Field—packed, deafening, draped in green—treated each goal as a personal vindication. When the final whistle blew, the scene was less a sporting event and more a communal exhalation after holding breath for years.

In the broader canon of Sounders history, the 2014 Cup is the anchor. Every subsequent season is measured against it. Martins' name is spoken in the same breath as the club itself, and the image of him sprinting down the touchline with the ball at his feet has become the defining visual of the franchise's golden era.

In Their Own Story

The air at CenturyLink Field was thick with the particular electricity of a city that had rehearsed this moment for years. Green scarves whipped in the December chill. Martins, number 11, tapped the ball back to his center-back at the kickoff, eyes already scanning, already hunting. The Red Bulls pressed high, confident, the champions from the year before. But Martins slipped between two defenders like water through a crack in stone, took one touch, and the ball was in the net before the keeper had even committed his weight. The stadium detonated. He did not celebrate. He jogged back, set his shoulders, and waited for the next phase. Because he knew—everyone knew—that this was only the first of three.

Reader's Guide

Trophy: 2014 MLS Cup (Seattle Sounders FC's first and, as of the established canon, only MLS Championship).

Opponent: New York Red Bulls. Final score: 3-1 to Seattle. Venue: CenturyLink Field, Seattle. Date: December 7, 2014.

Key plays: Obafemi Martins scored all three Sounders goals, completing a hat-trick that carried the team to the title. His goals came from varied sequences—penetrating runs, composed finishes in the box—showcasing both his pace and his composure under the pressure of a championship final. The Red Bulls, the 2013 champions, managed a single reply but could not contain Martins' movement or the Sounders' overall cohesion.

Statistical records associated with this match: Obafemi Martins' hat-trick in an MLS Cup Final is the defining individual performance of the Sounders' title run. The 3-1 aggregate in the final is the club's championship scoreline. Martins' three goals in this single match remain the benchmark for individual brilliance in the franchise's trophy history.

Context: This victory ended a prolonged run of final appearances without a title (notably the 2009 loss to Columbus) and established the Sounders as a genuine title-winning entity in MLS. The Red Bulls' loss marked the end of their brief period as the league's dominant force.

Did You Know?

• Obafemi Martins' hat-trick in the 2014 MLS Cup Final remains the only time a Sounders player has scored three goals in a single MLS Cup match in the club's established history.
• The 2014 triumph came after Seattle had lost the 2009 MLS Cup Final to Columbus Crew, making the wait for a first title span at least five years of high-profile disappointments.
• The New York Red Bulls entered the 2014 final as the reigning MLS Cup champions (2013), making Seattle's victory a direct dethroning of the league's most decorated side at that time.
• CenturyLink Field's capacity and the intensity of the Seattle support made the 2014 final one of the loudest and most electric atmospheres in MLS Cup history.