The Portland Timbers gave up an early goal against the Seattle Sounders in their first Cascadia match of the season, going down 1-0. Unlike previous years, the Timbers fought back the whole match, and their efforts were rewarded with a dramatic equalizer in the 90th minute. The game ended in a 1-1 draw — an excellent result on the road in a venue known for being hostile. Each team takes a point in the league standings and the Cascadia Cup competition.
The Timbers play their next Cascadia match in British Columbia on May 18 against Vancouver. Portland and the Sounders meet again in Seattle on August 25.
The Timbers debuted their Rose City Red kits this evening. Here are some of the highlights from the match:
Here we go. It’s Seattle Week. The first clash of the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders in this young Major League Soccer (MLS) season is Saturday evening in the Big Fishing Village to the north. There are quite a few storylines woven into the fabric of the game, and the winning club will have a great start toward capturing the Cascadia Cup in 2013.
The Cascadia Cup is a trophy and competition that was formed between the fan supporters of the Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps. The trophy goes to the team with the best record in meetings between the three clubs in league games. The Timbers won the trophy last year — a bright spot in an otherwise dismal season. Part of the reason was undoubtedly due to the number of home games the Timbers hosted versus their Cascadia rivals.
MLS has an uneven number of clubs, so teams play an unbalanced schedule. Cascadia teams play each other three times each year. In 2012 Portland played two home games and one road game against each rival. This year the schedules are reversed. Portland has four road games and only two home games, making defense of the cup more difficult.
The Timbers have won only three road games out of 34 in two MLS seasons. Even more daunting is Portland has never won at CenturyLink Field, where the Sounders pack in a bigger crowd than any other team in MLS. Saturday’s match is Portland’s first away trip of 2013 — a great time to break the miserable road curse that has plagued the club.
Other storylines include new Portland head coach Caleb Porter looking for his first professional soccer win as he rebuilds the team and Seattle coming off of a dramatic midweek win in the CONCACAF Champions League — a separate international competition. Did the Sounders expend a lot of energy that they’ll need to beat the Timbers on Saturday, or will the victory energize the team?
Both clubs also need points in the regular standings to keep up with everyone else in the Western Conference, so this promises to be an important early season match between two teams that don’t particularly like each other. This rivalry is considered to be the best in MLS and will be carried again nationally on the NBC Sports Network. It’s on!
Addendum: You may have noticed that Vancouver, while included in the Cascadia rivalry, was barely mentioned here. The Whitecaps are generally respected by both the Timbers and Sounders and their respective fanbases. The bad blood exists mainly between the Timbers and Sounders and their fans. Rest assured, Vancouver looks to be an excellent club this year and will be in the mix to win the cup.
