Every match between the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers is a big deal.
But the argument can be made that few — if any — of the MLS clashes between the rivals has been as significant as the one that will take place on Sunday afternoon at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.
Of course, for pure satisfaction of Timbers fans, the 2013 playoff series won by Portland would be more significant. But those Timbers lost to Real Salt Lake in the conference final.
So, given that a Timbers win on Sunday would move Portland eight points ahead of Seattle with seven games left (think almost three games ahead if this were a baseball pennant chase), this is a match that might have more lasting significance. For all of the bluster and emotion around matches between the Timbers and Sounders, the result rarely has a lasting impact for either side.
Sunday’s match is the 18th meeting across all competitions between Portland and Seattle since the Timbers joined MLS in 2011.
The Sounders have won seven of the previous 17, the Timbers have won six, and four have been draws.
Because they are elimination games, the U.S. Open Cup matches between the rivals have been more intense and riveting than many of the league matches.
The rivals have split two U.S. Open Cup matches since Portland joined MLS — both overtime games at Starfire in Tukwila.
Seattle’s win in 2014 launched the Sounders to their fourth Open Cup title in six seasons. Portland did not advance after knocking of Seattle this season, but the injury to Obafemi Martins in that match is a big reason the Sounders went from Supporters Shield contenders to fighting for a playoff spot.
In 2010 — before Portland joined MLS, the Sounders won a penalty-kick tiebreaker at Portland on their way to an Open Cup title.
Still, it is the league matches that fans circle on the calendar. Of the 13 MLS regular-season matches between the rivals, here are the three most significant:
• April 5, 2014: In the wildest match of the bunch, Seattle rallied for a 4-4 draw at Providence Park. The Sounders won their next six matches to jump start their run to the Supporters Shield. It would be another month before the Timbers notched their first win of the season as they started 0-5-3 and wound up one point out of the playoffs.
• March 16, 2013: In only the third match of Caleb Porter’s first season, a stoppage-time goal from Rodney Wallace earned the Timbers a 1-1 draw at Century Link Field. The Timbers, who had lost at home the week before to Montreal, posted six wins and six draws over the next 12 matches to establish the foundation of a season in which they finished with the best record in the Western Conference.
• Aug. 24, 2013: Clint Dempsey’s debut for Seattle brought out a record crowd of 67,385 to CenturyLink Field. Dempsey did not score — Eddie Johnson’s goal gave Seattle a 1-0 win — but the Sounders gained momentum and won their next four matches in a season where they came within two points of missing the playoffs for the first time. The loss did not hurt Portland, though. The Timbers finished atop the Western Conference, and beat Seattle three times in a row between Oct. 13 and Nov. 7, including the two playoff matches.
