Seattle at Portland
Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. today at Jeld-Wen Field.
TV: NBC, channel 8/708.
Radio: 101.1 FM (940 AM Spanish broadcast).
Tickets: A sellout of 20,438 is expected. Check Ticketmaster for availability of extra and obstructed-view seats.
Where they stand: Portland (7-14-6, 27 points) is last (ninth) in the Western Conference; Seattle (13-6-8, 47 points) is second in the Western Conference, six points behind San Jose.
All-time MLS series: Each team has one win and there was one draw in three MLS meetings. And each team has scored five goals in the three meetings.
All-time series: In league and tournament matches dating to 1975 in the North American Soccer League Seattle leads 40-28-9. Neither club played in 1983-84 or 1991-2000.
This season: On June 24 in Portland, goals by Kris Boyd and David Horst put the Timbers ahead 2-0 in the first 22 minutes and they won 2-1. The teams also play on Oct. 7 in Seattle.
Storyline: The Timbers have one prize within reach this season, and a win today would clinch their first Cascadia Cup trophy as a MLS team. The Cascadia Cup is a supporters-driven competition involving head-to-head play among Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
This and that: Leading scorer and Designated PlayerKris Boyd has not started the last five games and has played only 25 minutes off the bench during that stretch. … Referee Ricardo Salazar also officiated the Timbers win over the Sounders on June 24. … The Sounders and Timbers meet in a Reserve League match at 2 p.m. Sunday at Jeld-Wen Field. It is the last reserve match of the season for the Timbers. Tickets are general admission and cost $10.
Leaders: Goals — Kris Boyd (7) leads Portland; Eddie Johnson (13) leads Seattle. Assists — Eric Alexander (6) leads Portland; Mauro Rosales (13) leads Seattle.
Key absences: Timbers left back Steven Smith is suspended for yellow card accumulation. Sounders midfielders Osvaldo Alonso, Christian Tiffert and Mauro Rosales are expected to play despite recent injuries. … Portland’s Jack Jewsbury and Seattle’s Montero and Johnson each will miss their teams next game should they get a yellow card in this match.
Question of the day: Will the emotional lift the Timbers get from their passionate fans be enough for them to win the midfield possession battles and carry the attack at Seattle?
Follow Paul Danzer all Timbers season on Twitter at www.twitter.com/col_timbers.
