The Seattle Sounders FC showed why they are the best team in Major League Soccer right now with a 4-0 win over second-place Real Salt Lake in front of 39,245 at a sun-drenched CenturyLink Field. The win moves Seattle to 29 points from 14 matches, increasing their lead over RSL to five points in both the Western Conference and Supporters' Shield races.

This match looked like it was going to turn into one of the cookie-cutter past match-ups between these two clubs; a defensive struggle that ends 0-0 or 1-1. The first fourty minutes of the match featured about 20 fouls and only one shot on goal.

Seattle's luck would change though at the turn of the 41st minute as Lamar Neagle would draw a penalty kick after being fouled by Real Salt Lake defender Aaron Maund. The sequence would start on a goal kick nearly a minute earlier. Seattle would work the ball up the field before Osvaldo Alonso played a long-ball to Brad Evans on the right-side of midfield.

The ball would find its way to Marco Pappa who used some quick dribblings skills to draw two defenders to him leaving Evans open. Pappa dropped the ball back to Evans who sent in a cross to Chad Barrett on the penalty spot. A few deflections sent the ball straight up in the air where Nat Borchers, Maund and Neagle all challenged for it.

Borchers headed the ball back towards goalkeeper Jeff Attinella but the keeper was not able to get his hands on the back pass before Neagle poked it away from him. Neagle made a dash for the loose ball in the six yard box before being hit with a hard shoulder-to-shoulder challenge from Maund. Without hesitation, referee Ricardo Salazar pointed to the penalty spot.

The call was correct by Salazar as Maund made contact with Neagle without touching the ball on the challenge; a clear penalty.

Gonzalo Pineda stepped up for the second consecutive week to the spot and put his shot right past the out-stretched fingers of Attinella on the left side to give Seattle the 1-0 lead.

The goal came as a much-needed boost to Seattle who struggled with some miscommunication between the back-line and Stefan Frei during the first half. Other than that though, Seattle and their fans could go into the halftime break with confidence.

Seattle would get a great chance to extend the lead in the 51st minute as Brad Evans made an offensive run unmarked up the right wing and whipped in a beautiful low first-time cross that nearly connected with Chad Barrett on the back-post run but the ball was just a few feet too far ahead of the forward.

Three minutes later, it would be Evans again involved in the attack this time he was fouled about 25 yards from goal angle right. Neagle and Pappa would stand over the ball but it was Pappa who would take the shot delivering a perfect placed curler up and over the five-man wall into the right corner to double the Sounders lead.

A much-needed goal for the former Chicago Fire man, his first as a Seattle Sounder. That is the reason why he was brought in from SC Heerenveen over the window. Mauro Rosales was the team's set-piece man before being traded to Chivas USA. It looks like Pappa has earned the set-piece taker role.

Real Salt Lake would finally start to push numbers forward after the second Seattle goal but would be punished by the lethal Sounders counter-attack in the 62nd minute.

The play starts with a scuffed crossing attempt by Kenny Mansally cleared out by a sliding Chad Marshall. Obafemi Martins would gather the clearance on the right wing before fighting through a shoulder challenge from Aaron Maund. He somehow got a pass through to a streaking Lamar Neagle who attacked at the goal two-on-one with Chad Barrett off to his left. Neagle would take into the box drawing the RSL defender over before slipping a ball over to Barrett. Barrett got the best shot he could off considering the pass was behind him. His shot was enough though as it eluded the diving Maund to extend Seattle's lead to 3-0.

The goal is Barrett's third of the year for the Sounders in primarily a substitute role.

The final tally would come from Obafemi Martins who did exactly what coaches teach their forwards from a very young age; the back post run. Martins anticipates the shot of Kenny Cooper perfectly meeting the ball as it comes across the face of goal to slam home the fourth and final goal of the day to secure the three points and a 4-0 win for the Seattle Sounders.

The defense earned their fourth clean sheet of the season while the offense earned their third four-goal game of the season. Seattle has one more match before the league takes a break for the FIFA World Cup Group Stage; they travel to Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois to face off with the Chicago Fire. The match will be Chicago's third match in six days.

Seattle does not have the whole group stage off though as their next home match will be a US Open Cup fourth-round match with amateur side PSA Elite at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila on Wednesday, June 18. Tickets are still available through the Sounders FC Ticket Office or Ticketmaster.com. If you cannot make it to the match, it will be broadcast live on Soundersfc.com.