Sounders at Timbers
Kickoff: 4 p.m. Sunday at Providence Park.
TV / radio: Fox Sports 1/ AM 750.
Tickets: Sold out.
Timbers notes: The Timbers (7-6-4, 25 points) are fifth in the Western Conference. Portland will try to rebound from a 5-0 loss on Wednesday at Los Angeles that ended a four-match MLS win streak. A win would move Portland to within one point of Seattle. … Defender and designated player Liam Ridgewell is suspended because he was given a red card for reckless play in the loss at Los Angeles. Norberto Paparatto figures to start at center back alongside Nat Borchers. The Timbers posted home shutouts in each of Paparatto’s two MLS starts this season, though those came against short-handed D.C. United and Houston teams. … Portland is 4-1-3 at home this season. The Timbers have won three consecutive home matches with shutouts over D.C. United, New England and Houston. … At the start of Wednesday’s match, the Timbers were tied with the Sounders for fewest goals allowed this season. Then the Galaxy happened. … Portland needs a win on Sunday to stay in the race for the Cascadia Cup. A Sounders win would officially eliminate the Timbers. Portland has only one point from three Cascadia Cup matches this season; the Sounders are 2-0 in Cascadia so far in 2015. This is the Timbers only home match of the season against the Sounders. Portland lost 1-0 at Century Link Field in April and will visit Seattle on Aug. 30.
Sounders notes: The Sounders (9-6-2, 29 points) still lead the Western Conference despite losing three of their last four league matches. Seattle has dropped four of its last five including the Open Cup loss to Portland. … The Sounders will be without their top two weapons, as Clint Dempsey is suspended for his Open Cup outburst that led to his first career red card and Obafemi Martins is still out with a groin injury also suffered in that Open Cup battle. In addition to Martins, the list of Sounders who have missed time with hamstring or groin injuries includes forward Chad Barrett, midfielder Osvaldo Alonso and defenders Brad Evans, Leo Gonzales and Andres Correa. Sounders coach Sigi Schmid listed Barrett and Alonso as the most likely of the injured to be available on Sunday. … The Sounders’ plus-9 goal differential (23 scores, 14 allowed) is three better than any other team in the league. … Seattle is 2-2-2 at Providence Park in MLS regular-season matches. The Sounders scored eight goals in two visits last season (a tie and a win), but Dempsey and Martins scored six of those.
— Follow Paul Danzer’s Timbers updates on Twitter, @col_timbers
