PORTLAND TIMBERS v. SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Sounders FC travel to the Morrison Street ground for another run-in with arch-rivals Portland Treecutters. Time to build a bonfire.

What: MLS league match and Cascadia Cup-tie, Portland Timbers v. Seattle Sounders FC.

Where: Morrison Street, Portland, Oregon.

When: 1:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Sunday 12 May 2024 CE.

At Stake: I mean…what isn’t at stake? Playing your arch-rival. Points in Cascadia on the line. Sounders FC are on 10 points sitting in 23rd place in the league, 14 points adrift of leaders Inter Miami CF. Portland are also on 10 points, only one place below us, with Sounders only ahead on goal difference. If Sounders are defeated, Portland would climb above us in the league table. This must not be permitted. 

Where to Watch: Apple TV and Fox.

Where to Listen: 93.3 KJR FM and El Rey 1360 AM

The Pacific Northwest Derby. Where the rubber meets the road. Where the sprinkles top the ice cream. Where the shit hits the fan. Where the– you get the idea.

What can I say about the magnitude of this match that hasn’t already been said? The mutual dislike runs deep. It’s a tale of two cities. We haven’t managed to defeat the auld enemy in nearly three years. The comeuppance is long past due.

If you are going to the match, link up with ECS and stick together. If you’re back here in The Evergreen link up with your mates at your place, your mate’s place, the pub, whatever it takes. We want this one so badly we can feel it in our teeth and bones.

It’s a Sunday matinee in Portland town under the boiling heat of the Solar Maximum. FUCK OFF, ROSE CITY! GO ON YOU SOUNDERS! GET IN!

Before kick-off, please join me in the auld toast: “TO THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS FOOTBALL CLUB…AND VICTORY!!!”

So shiny. Must have.

The Good News

We managed to advance in the US Open Cup. That’s good. Well done to the lads in the team and on the bench.

Portland are also having a crap season, and their record (2-4-5) is identical to ours. Levels the playing field, you’d imagine.

Although our auld rivals have been better at scoring goals than us this season, they are struggling to keep the football out of their own net, conceding an average of 2.09 goals/match.

Although our results haven’t been ideal, the Sounders FC defence has, generally, held and is only conceding 1.18 goals/match, which ties us for 5th best defence in the league.

Portland have only lost once at the Morrison Street ground this season in four home matches. Two of those matches saw the Trecutters only able to earn draws against their guests, and that provides a crack of daylight for the likes of us.

The Bad News

The Sounders FC, as an organisation, has to pick a way to go forward and go with it. We aren’t buying enough elite players to bolster the team. We’re not developing our young players with meaningful minutes in league matches, either. In fact, our young talent has left the organisation on several occasions. It’s not a hybrid of youth development and purchasing players from outside our system, either. So the question we should all be asking ourselves is: “What the fuck are the Sounders ownership and management doing with their time and money?” Granted, the investment in Longacres is a very good thing, but what good does it do us if our youngers only get in the team for US Open Cup but are buried in the squad for league matches?

The Treecutters haven’t had a match in eight days. In that time, the Sounders FC have played two matches.

The Treecutters are third best in MLS in goal scoring, averaging nearly two goals per match (1.82).

Unfortunately for us, we’re scoring goals at exactly the same rate we’re conceding them (1.18 goals/match).

Gomez Andrade and Atencio paid the price of being overused, with Gomez Andrade now expected to miss two weeks due to injury.

Former Manchester United (263/5) and England (59/0) player, and former England women’s team manager, Phil Neville, is the new Manager of the Treecutters. That’s bad news for our lot.

Maybe if we rotated more than 12 players in the team, we’d have less injuries, do a better job of developing our youngers, and be able to meaningfully compete in all competitions. But, nahhh, why would we want to do that?

The Side I Would Select

Here’s my selection for the Derby.

Rationale: Frei, Nouhou, Ragen, Vargas, Joao Paulo, Morris, Rusnak, Cristian, Ruidiaz have to play because none of them played midweek against Louisville City, and because it’s Portland and Cascadia. This one is important. Alex has to play because Baker played 105 minutes midweek against LCFC. Unfortunately Alex played 91 minutes in that game as well. If Alex has been well-rested and only did light training for the three turnaround days, he should be fine to play. Bell has to play and he played 105 minutes midweek. This is less than ideal. It would be better if we could play someone other than Bell, someone more rested, but all the alternate choices for centre-half that the Gaffer would actually consider, Gomez Andrade and Nathan, are injured. Hawkins also played 105 minutes midweek so even if our Manager would play him in a league match, which is doubtful, he needs rest.

GK     Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Bell

RB     Alex

LDM    Vargas

RDM   Joao Paulo

LF     Morris

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Cristian

CF     Ruidiaz

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

I mean, who else is he choosing for this match? With so many players burnt-out or injured, I wonder who will be on the bench for this match. The Gaffer had better hope this lot can go 90 minutes.

GK     Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Bell

RB     Alex

LDM    Vargas

RDM   Joao Paulo

LF     Morris

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Cristian

CF     Ruidiaz

Intangibles

Allen Chapman will be the referee for Sunday afternoon’s match.

Sounders FC record in matches refereed by Chapman: 10-4-6

Portland record in matches refereed by Chapman: 7-10-10

General notes on personnel

Portland transfers IN:

Kamal Miller (Inter Miami CF) €570,000 

Muse (Charleston Battery) undisclosed fee

Pantemis (CF Montreal) free

Eric Miller - re-signed

Crepeau (Los Angeles FC) free

Rodriguez (Club America) €4M

Portland transfers OUT:

Acosta (Gaziantep FK) free

Boli (Atletico de San Luis) free

Caliskan - released

Gutierrez (Charleston Battery) free

Niezgoda - released

Rasmussen (Oakland Roots SC) free

Blanco (CA San Lorenzo) free

Bingham (Charlotte FC) free

Yimmi Chara (Junior FC) undisclosed fee

Sulte (Indy Eleven) loan

Ivacic (New England Revolution) free

Ikoba (Indy Eleven) loan

Comparison against common opponents

POR 4:1 COL

SEA 1:1 COL

(against COL: POR 1-0-0 +3, SEA 0-1-0 0) edge POR

POR 2:2 DC

DC 2:1 SEA

(against DC: POR 0-1-0 0, SEA 0-0-1 -1) edge POR

VAN 3:2 POR

SEA 0:2 VAN

(against VAN: POR 0-0-1 -1, SEA 0-0-1 -2) edge POR

POR 2:2 LAFC

LAFC 3:2 POR

LAFC 2:1 SEA

(against LAFC: POR 0-1-1 -1, SEA 0-0-1 -1) edge POR

Know Thine Enemy

The Treecutters as they lined up (4-2-3-1) in their 2:0 defeat at Charlotte on 4 May at the Mint Street ground.

GOALKEEPER

Maxime Crepeau, 29

Canada (16/0)

Notable Clubs: CF Montreal (3/0), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (57/0), Los Angeles FC (40/0), Portland Timbers (8/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3M

Notes: Developed by Celtix du Haut-Richelieu and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Named USL Goalkeeper of the Year in 2018. Won MLS Cup and MLS league championship double in 2022 with LAFC.

DEFENCE

Claudio Bravo, 27

Argentina

Notable Clubs: Banfield (49/0), Portland Timbers (83/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2M

Notes: Developed by CA Banfield.

Zac McGraw, 26

Canada (4/0)

Notable Clubs: Portland Timbers (68/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.5M

Notes: Developed by FC Golden State. Played his university football for Army (68/1).

Miguel Araujo, 29

Peru (30/0)

Notable Clubs: Sport Huancayo (43/1), Red Star Belgrade (5/0), Alianza Lima (117/5), Talleres (12/0), FC Emmen (105/10), Portland Timbers (11/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €850,000

Notes: Developed by Cobresol. Won a Serbian SuperLiga title with Red Star Belgrade.

Juan Mosquera, 21

Colombia (2/0)

Notable Clubs: Independiente Medellin (48/3), Portland Timbers (43/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2M

Notes: Developed by Club Carlos Sarmiento Lora and Independiente Medellin.

MIDFIELD

David Ayala, 21

Argentina

Notable Clubs: Estudiantes (32/0), Portland Timbers (35/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3M

Notes: Developed by Estudiantes. Ayala has played for Argentina U17s (13/0).

Eryk Williamson, 26

United States (6/0)

Notable Clubs: Portland Timbers (79/5)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.5M

Notes: Developed by DC United. Played his university football for Maryland (58/14). Won a CONCACAF Gold Cup with United States.

Cristhian Paredes, 25

Paraguay (6/0)

Notable Clubs: Sol de America (30/4), Portland Timbers (144/12)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2M

Notes: Developed by Sol de America.

FORWARD

Jonathan Rodriguez, 30

Uruguay (31/3)

Notable Clubs: Penarol (38/16), SL Benfica (1/0), Deportivo La Coruna (13/0), Santos Laguna (87/29), Cruz Azul (95/44), Al-Nassr (8/1), Club America (61/21), Portland Timbers (7/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €4M

Notes: Developed by Atletico Florida and Penarol. Won a Liga MX with Santos Laguna. Won a Liga MX, Campeon de Campeones, Supercopa MX, and a Leagues Cup with Cruz Azul. Won a Liga MX with Club America. Liga MX Balon de Oro 2020-21. Liga MX Golden Boot 2020 (12 goals). Twice named Liga MX Best XI. Named Liga MX Best Forward 2020-21.

Felipe Mora, 30

Chile (9/1)

Notable Clubs: Audax Italiano (121/33), Universidad de Chile (26/18), Cruz Azul (33/12), UNAM (51/15), Portland Timbers (77/29)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.5M

Notes: Developed by Audax Italiano. Won a Chilean league championship with U. de Chile. Won Chilean League Golden Boot with U de Chile with 13 goals in 2017.

Santiago Moreno, 24

Colombia (1/0)

Notable Clubs: America de Cali (41/7), Portland Timbers (89/13)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: A native of Cali, Colombia. Signed with Portland on 29 July 2021.

Familiar Faces

Not a one.

Squads

Portland from:

Crepeau, Muse, Pantemis, Sulte, Mabiala, McGraw, Eric Miller, Kamal Miller, Mosquera, Zuparic, Asprilla, Ayala, Chara, Evander, Paredes, Williamson, Antony, Fogaca, Ikoba, Mora, Moreno, Rodriguez.

Sounders from:

Frei, Thomas, Baker, Bell, Gomez Andrade, Hawkins, Nouhou, Ragen, Alex, Baker-Whiting, de la Vega, Joao Paulo, Kitahara, Leyva, Rusnak, Vargas, Chu, Morris, Cristian, Musovski, Rothrock, Ruidiaz, Teves.

Injury List

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Portland -

OUT: Araujo (leg), Bravo (leg), Loria (knee).

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

Sounders FC -

OUT: Nathan (quad), Rodrigues (hamstring), Atencio (hamstring).

MATCHDAY DECISION: Gomez Andrade (quadriceps), Chu (groin), de la Vega (hamstring).

Discipline

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Portland: No players suspended.

Sounders FC: No players suspended. Nouhou out next match if booked.

Fun Fact

Portland’s Morrison Street ground smells like piss.