BEAVERTON, Ore. – Perhaps lost in the mayhem of the Portland Timbers’ 3-1 win over the Seattle Sounders in the US Open Cup two weeks ago was the reversal of a very dark trend for soccer fans in the Rose City.
In addition to the three Sounders ejections in the extra-time thriller, it was Portland’s first victory over their hated Cascadia rival to the north since the 2013 Western Conference semifinals of the MLS Cup Playoffs, when the Timbers sent Seattle skidding out of the postseason in a series sweep. The USOC win ended a streak of four straight losses and five winless matches to Seattle across all competitions, a definitive sore spot among the team and supporters – especially after head coach Caleb Porter claimed the tide had turned in the rivalry after the 2013 playoff triumph.
Now, with an another match against Seattle looming Sunday at Portland’s Providence Park (7 pm ET; Fox Sports 1), would a second straight win over the Sounders – who have hoisted both the Supporters’ Shield and US Open Cup trophies since Portland sent them crashing out of the playoffs – get the Timbers back on the right side of the rivalry?
“It never hurts when you get big wins, especially against a rival,” Porter said after a training session this week at the team facility. “I think in that Open Cup game we definitely went for the momentum. When you can beat Seattle, your players gain momentum and so do the fans; they, I think, feel a bit more confidence and belief in the team as well when you’re able to knock off a rival.”
The momentum has rarely rested on the side of the Timbers in this rivalry – aside from the 2013 blip, which also included just their second regular-season win over the Sounders in a 1-0 win at Providence Park on Oct. 13, 2013. Seattle hold a 6-2-4 record over the Timbers in regular-season play after their 1-0 victory over Portland earlier this season in a game played at Seattle’s expansive CenturyLink Field.
Portland’s Open Cup victory was certainly another in the long line of memorable games between the two rivals, but did it add fuel to the Timbers’ desire to continue what they left off in 2013, a season in which they won the Western Conference regular-season title and advanced to the conference championship?
“Both teams are going to have a chip on their shoulder because it’s a rivalry, because of the Open Cup game, because we’re coming off a loss, because they’re coming off two losses,” Porter said, referring to the Timbers midweek 5-0 rout at the hands of the LA Galaxy. “All those things are going to make for, I think, a real edgy game.”
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Some of the luster of the rivalry may be faded due to the fact that Seattle will be without two of their star attackers in Clint Dempsey, who is suspended due to his tirade in the Open Cup loss that saw him sent off for tearing up the head referee’s notebook, and the injured Obafemi Martins. Portland are also without one of their Designated Players in center back Liam Ridgewell, who is suspended due to being shown a red card in the LA loss.
“Even though they have some talented players out, they’re going to be up for it, and they’re going to come in with an edge to them, and we will too,” Porter said.
Dan Itel covers the Timbers for MLSsoccer.com.
