SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC v. PORTLAND TIMBERS

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Our bitter arch-rivals from Morrison Street travel north to The Evergreen to face our beloved Sounders FC in the Pacific Northwest Derby. A match with Cascadia implications, CONCACAF Implications, and will reveal our MLS Cup opponent in the Round of 16. The league and many pundits insist on calling the last match of the league season Decision Day, but I don’t, because it’s fucking stupid. SOUNDERS. TIMBERS. It’s LUMBER BOWL CXXII! Remember to practise sustainable forestry and buckle up. It’s gonna be a wooly one.

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

Where: Royal Brougham Park, Occidental Avenue, Seattle, Washington.

When: 6:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Saturday 19 October 2024 CE.

At Stake: Suffice it to say that if the Salt Lake have a better day than us, it will jounce us out of CONCACAF football for next season…unless, of course, we win the MLS Cup. A Sounders victory secures the Cascadia Cup and the regional bragging rights that it entitles us to. A draw or loss means we don’t win anything and will experience the shame of being unable to best our rivals. For a more detailed account, because I didna have the patience to do the maths (although I did consider consulting a Professor of Mathematics at either UW or Seattle U), our friends at Sounder at Heart have done all the heavy lifting. No need to re-invent the wheel. Good on them. And shame on whoever designed the tie-breakers for both Cascadia Cup and the MLS league table. The tie-breakers are needlessly complex in the daftest way imaginable. Settle in for a long read. Not Dostoevsky long, but you get the idea.

Where to Watch: MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

Where to Listen: KJR 950 AM and El Rey 1360 AM.

Well. Here we are. The last fixture of the MLS league season. Our arch-rivals blow into town and would like nothing better than to shoot us down in Cascadia Cup. They would chortle all the way back to Portland, crowing about how they spoilt our day. Thing is though. We’re not havin’ it. Not one wee bit. The lads will be ready, and we’re dead-sick of this treecutting rot havin’ a wee in our cereal. We’ve had it up to here…wherever here is… Focus. We’re not gonna go down to a club whose football ground smells like piss, and yes, that’s the most charitable way to describe the Morrison Street football ground. Comeuppance is due, and we mean to repay the balance. With interest.

This is not one to miss, so link up with your mates and get ye to the ground. Failing that, strap in on the settee for one of the wooliest fixtures of the calendar year. Houses, flats, pubs, boats. Whatever it takes. Stick together. Tie your scarves proper. Make the most unholy racket imaginable. After all, our friends from Oregon deserve nothing less than a warm welcome.

It’s high-stakes football under the Saturday night lights at Royal Brougham Park. Abandon hope all ye who enter GREEN HELL. GO ON YOU SOUNDERS!!! GET IN!!! FOR CASCADIA!!!

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

“Hang on, Georgie! We’re fixin’ tae bring ye back hame!”

The Good News

Sounders haven’t lost a match since 28 August in all competitions, and haven’t lost in the league since 31 August. In our last 16 matches in the league, Sounders have a record of 12-2-2. Sounders’ record at home in all competitions is 12-7-5. Sounders have the best defence in the league, having only conceded 34 goals.

Portland playing on the road have a record of 5-5-8 in all competitions. Portland have conceded 13 more total goals than us this season, in six fewer matches. Portland’s defence is tied for 19th in the league, conceding 55 goals, and they have conceded an average of 1.64 goals/match in all competitions.

Portland’s second half of the league season has been a mixed bag, with a record of 7-5-4. Portland’s last victory was on 18 September when they defeated LA Galaxy 4:2.

The Sounders last conceded a goal on 18 September in our 2:2 draw against San Jose. Sounders FC have shut out the opposition 13 times in the league and twice in the Leagues Cup.

Jordan Morris leads the line for Sounders with 13 goals. Albert Rusnak is next with 10 goals, and Raul Ruidiaz is third best in the squad with eight. Rusnak leads the squad with 15 assists. Obed Vargas is next with seven, with Morris and Cristian Roldan tied for third with five each.

The Bad News

Let’s address the elephant in the room and be done with it. Sounders have not been able to defeat Portland at Royal Brougham Park since 27 May 2017. That’s over seven years ago. Over this seven year span, our record when hosting Portland is 0-4-5 and in three of those matches we were shut out. This is intolerable and we need to right the ship straight away.

We have had better results than Portland against most teams in the league. However, the Treecutters were able to get a draw against LAFC (2:2) when we couldn’t manage it in four tries; got a draw against DC United (2:2) whom we lost to; were decisively better against Colorado; were marginally better against Kansas City; got the double over San Jose (4:2 and 1:2) who we couldn’t manage to defeat; and were decisively better against Salt Lake. Why were Portland able to defeat and outperform teams that gave us so much trouble?

What Timbers lack in defence, they almost make up for by scoring a tonne of goals. Portland are 4th in MLS with 64 goals scored. Jonathan Rodriguez leads their squad with 16 goals, Evander is next with 15, and Felipe Mora is third best in their squad with 14 goals. Evander leads Portland in assists with 18, with Santiago Moreno next on 14, and Rodriguez in third with seven. Conclusions: Our defence had better play up. Rodriguez and Evander can hurt you with a goal or a pass.

The Side I Would Select

This match is a pretty big one for loads of reasons. Must select best possible team.

GK      Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Gomez Andrade

RB     Alex

LDM    Vargas

RDM   Cristian

LF     Rothrock

CAM   Rusnak

RF     de la Vega

CF     Morris

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

I don’t see why he would make any changes from the team that won 0:1 at Colorado.

GK     Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Gomez Andrade

RB     Alex

LDM    Vargas

RDM   Cristian

LF     Rothrock

CAM   Rusnak

RF     de la Vega

CF     Morris

Intangibles

The referee for Saturday night’s match will be Ismir Pekmic.

Sounders FC record with Pekmic as Ref: 1-0-2

Portland record with Pekmic as Ref: 0-1-0

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

Surman (Wellington Phoenix) €500,000

Toye (CF Montreal) €185,000

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

Asprilla (Atletico Nacional) undisclosed fee

Mabiala - released

Fogaca - released

Comparison against common opponents

SEA 1:1 COL

COL 0:1 SEA

POR 4:1 COL

COL 2:1 POR

POR 4:0 COL LC

(against COL: SEA 1-1-0 +1, POR 2-0-1 +6) edge POR

DC 2:1 SEA

POR 2:2 DC

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

HOU 2:2 SEA

SEA 1:0 HOU

HOU 1:0 POR

POR 2:2 HOU

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

PHI 2:3 SEA

POR 1:3 PHI

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

SEA 0:2 VAN

SEA 1:1 VAN

VAN 0:3 SEA

VAN 3:2 POR

POR 2:0 VAN

VAN 1:1 POR

(against VAN: SEA 1-1-1 +1, POR 1-1-1 +1) even

SKC 2:1 SEA

SEA 2:0 SKC

SKC 3:3 POR

POR 2:1 SKC

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

LAFC 2:1 SEA

SEA 0:3 LAFC

SEA 0:3 LAFC LC

SEA 0:1 LAFC USOC

POR 2:2 LAFC

LAFC 3:2 POR

(against LAFC: SEA 0-0-4 -8, POR 0-1-1 -1) edge POR

CLB 0:4 SEA* *CLB had ½ team and field player as goalie

CLB 2:2 POR

(against CLB: SEA 1-0-0 +4, POR 0-1-0 0) Data tainted, comparison not possible

SJ 3:2 SEA

SEA 2:2 SJ

POR 4:2 SJ

SJ 1:2 POR

(against SJ: SEA 0-1-1 -1, POR 2-0-0 +3) edge POR

SEA 2:0 MIN

SEA 2:0 MIN LC

MIN 2:3 SEA

MIN 2:1 POR
POR 3:2 MIN

(against MIN: SEA 3-0-0 +5, POR 1-0-1 0) edge SEA

SEA 0:0 ATX
ATX 0:1 SEA

ATX 0:2 POR
POR 0:1 ATX

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

STL 1:2 SEA

SEA 2:0 STL

STL 0:0 POR

POR 4:4 STL

STL 3:1 POR LC

(against STL: SEA 2-0-0 +3, POR 0-2-1 -2) edge SEA

DAL 0:0 SEA

SEA 3:2 DAL

DAL 3:2 POR

POR 0:0 DAL

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

RSL 2:0 SEA
SEA 1:1 RSL

POR 3:0 RSL

RSL 3:3 POR

(against RSL: SEA 0-1-1 -2, POR 1-1-0 +3) edge POR

LAG 1:0 SEA

SEA 0:0 LAG

SEA 3:1 LAG LC

LAG 3:2 POR

POR 4:2 LAG

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

Know Thine Enemy

The Treecutters as they lined up in their 0:0 draw against the Dallas at Morrison Street on 6 October.

GOALKEEPER

James Pantemis, 27

Canada

Notable Clubs: CF Montreal (34/0), Valour FC (7/0), Portland Timbers (14/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €400,000

Notes: Developed by Pierrefonds, Lakeshore, and Montreal Impact. Won two Canadian Championships with Montreal Impact.

DEFENCE

Claudio Bravo, 27

Argentina

Notable Clubs: Banfield (49/0), Portland Timbers (99/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.8M

Notes: Developed by CA Banfield.

Kamal Miller, 27

Canada (46/0)

Notable Clubs: Orlando City SC (28/0), CF Montreal (60/3), Inter Miami CF (22/0), Portland Timbers (23/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3M

Notes: Developed by Malvern SC, North Scarborough SC, and Vaughan Azzuri. Won a Canadian Championship with CF Montreal. Won a Leagues Cup with Inter Miami CF.

Dario Zuparic, 32

Croatia

Notable Clubs: Cibalia (58/1), Pescara (99/1), Rijeka (89/4), Portland Timbers (138/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.2M

Notes: Produced by Sladorana Zupanja, Granicar Zupanja, and Cibalia. Won a league championship and two Croatian Cup titles with HNK Rijeka.

Juan Mosquera, 22

Colombia (2/0)

Notable Clubs: Independiente Medellin (48/3), Portland Timbers (65/3)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

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

MIDFIELD

David Ayala, 22

Argentina

Notable Clubs: Estudiantes (32/0), Portland Timbers (54/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3M

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

Evander, 26

Brazil

Notable Clubs: Vasco da Gama (54/5), Midtjylland (123/39), Portland Timbers (54/24)

Estimated Transfer Value: €10M

Notes: Full name: Evander da Silva Ferreira. Developed by Vasco da Gama. Won a Danish Superliga title and two Danish Cups with Midtjylland.

Diego Chara, 38

Colombia (2/0)

Notable Clubs: Deportes Quindio (124/2), America de Cali (31/1), Deportes Tolima (51/5), Portland Timbers (398/12)

Estimated Transfer Value: €150,000

Notes: Produced by Deportes Quindio. Won an MLS Cup in 2015 with Portland. Named to MLS Best XI in 2020.

FORWARD

Jonathan Rodriguez, 31

Uruguay (31/3)

Notable Clubs: Penarol (38/16), Benfica (1/0), Deportivo La Coruna (13/0), Santos Laguna (87/29), Cruz Azul (95/44), Al-Nassr (8/1), Club America (61/20), Portland Timbers (28/16)

Estimated Transfer Value: €4M

Notes: Developed by Atletico Florida and Penarol. Won a Portuguese League title with Benfica (though he only played in one league match that season). Won a Liga MX title with Santos Laguna. Won a Liga MX title, a Campeon de Campeones, a Supercopa MX, and a Leagues Cup with Cruz Azul. Won two Liga MX titles and a Campeon de Campones with Club America. Won Liga MX Balon de Oro 2020-21. Won a Liga MX Golden Boot (12 goals) with Club America. Twice named to Liga MX Best XI. Named Liga MX Best Forward 2020-21.

Felipe Mora, 31

Chile (9/1)

Notable Clubs: Audax Italiano (121/33), Universidad de Chile (26/18), Cruz Azul (33/12), UNAM (51/15), Portland Timbers (98/39)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2M

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 (109/16)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

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

Familiar Faces

Portland Goalkeeper Trey Muse was at Sounders FC Academy and played for the Sounders FC Reserves (24/0) until his move to San Diego Loyal SC in 2021.

Squads

Sounders FC from:

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

Portland from:

Crepeau, Muse, Pantemis, Sulte, Araujo, Bravo, Eric Miller, Mosquera, Surman, Zuparic, Ayala, Chara, Evander, Loria, Paredes, Williamson, Antony, Ikoba, Mora, Moreno, Rodriguez, Toye.

Injury List

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Sounders FC -

OUT: Atencio (head), Baker (head).

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

Portland -

OUT: none.

MATCHDAY DECISION: Araujo (lower body, we’ll say ingrown pubic hair), Moreno (lower body, we’ll say sprained testicle).

Discipline

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Sounders FC: No players suspended.

Portland: Kamal Miller is suspended due to accumulated bookings. Williamson out next match if booked.

Fun Fact

Sounders FC Reserves will begin their run for the MLS Next Pro Cup on Sunday 20 October and will face Los Angeles Galaxy Reserves at Starfire in the Round of 16. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PDT. GO ON, LADS!!! GET IN!!!

The Sounders FC Reserves finished the season with a 13-5-10 record and an 8th place finish in the MLS Next Pro league table (out of 29 teams). Our lads tied with Philadelphia Union 2 for most goals scored with 59. Sounders FC Reserves finished tied with Austin FC II for 17th in defence with 49 goals conceded.

Chris Aquino led the squad in goals with 10. Faysal Bettache (7) and Osaze De Rosario (6) were next. Snyder Brunell, Burke Fahling, and Travian Sousa were all tied with four assists each for best in the squad. Jacob Castro led all goalkeepers in the squad with 17 matches played (7-2-8).