Portland Timbers–Seattle Sounders rivalry

Portland Timbers–Seattle Sounders rivalry
Other names Cascadian Cup
Locale Pacific Northwest
Teams
First meeting Portland 0–1 Seattle
NASL
(2 May 1976 (1976-05-02))
Latest meeting Seattle 2–1 Portland
2015 MLS
(Round 27: 30 August 2015)
Next meeting Portland – Seattle
2016 MLS
(Round 21: 17 July 2016)
Statistics
Meetings total 92
Most wins Seattle (48)
Largest victory Portland 1–6 Seattle
1985 Western Alliance Challenge Series (3 July 1985)

The Portland–Seattle rivalry is a soccer rivalry between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC soccer teams. The rivalry pre-dates the current teams in both cities, back to the North American Soccer League days, and has since grown into one of the largest and most bitter rivalries in American soccer.[1] The rivalry[2] has spanned across several leagues including the USL First Division, A-League, NASL, and Major League Soccer.[3] According to many players, the Seattle–Portland rivalry is one of the only true derbies that is present in American soccer.[4] Alan Hinton, a former English international and ex-Sounders coach, has compared the rivalry to those seen in the English Premier League.[5] It is considered to be one of the most intense rivalries in the United States.[6][7]

Seattle and Portland have had rivalries based on various sports teams. A heated rivalry surrounded the Portland Buckaroos and Seattle Totems of the minor-league Western Hockey League in the 1960s.[8] Later, some fans supported the Thunderbirds or Winterhawks hockey teams. This rivalry "naturally translated into soccer" according to one fan.[9] The two cities also had a rivalry between the SuperSonics and Trail Blazers of the NBA, known as the "Battle of I-5", since both cities intersect on the freeway Interstate 5. The rivalry continued until the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008.[3]

Rivalry

NASL era

The Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers first played each other on May 2, 1975; in the Timbers' inaugural game. Seattle defeated Portland 1–0 in front of 8,131 at Portland Civic Stadium, now known as Providence Park.[10] The return match, played on July 26, 1975 saw Portland play spoils and defeat the hosts, Seattle 2-1, in front of a crowd of 27,310. A month later, Portland knocks Seattle out of the playoffs in front of crowd of 31,000.[11]

On June 30, 1979, Seattle defeats Portland 5–1 in the Kingdome in front of a season high 34,000 spectators. Until the 1980s, it would stand as the largest victory in the derby, and is the largest victory by either side in the top tier of American soccer. In the 5–1 victory, Seattle's Derek Smethurst netted a hat trick.

At the end of the 1982 North American Soccer League season, the Portland Timbers franchise was forced to fold, once team expenditures outpaced club income. Consequently, the 1–0 Sounders victory over the Timbers on August 22, 1982 ended up being the final meeting between the two sides in the North American Soccer League. It would not be for nearly 30 years, in 2011, the two sides would meet against one another in the top flight of American soccer.[12]

WSL/WSA era

At the end of the 1983 NASL season, the original Seattle Sounders franchise terminated, with the league itself ceasing operations ahead of the 1985 season. In 1984, a Western Soccer Alliance franchise was granted to the Seattle area for a soccer club in the area that was branded as the Seattle Storm, and went under the F.C. Seattle moniker for a while.[13] The following year, a WSA franchise was also granted to the Portland area, where the rivalry continued through the late 1980s into the early 1990s.

USL

Sounders' fans in Seattle during a match against Portland in 2008

After an 11 year hiatus, the rivalry continued in 2001, when the newly incarnated Portland Timbers hosted the Seattle Sounders on May 11, 2001 at the same stadium where the rivalry began, which was now known as PGE Park. In front of a crowd nearly 12,300, the hosts walked away with a 2–0 victory.

July 21, 2001, former U.S. National Team player, Brian Ching, would score the only goal in 1–0 Sounders victory over the Timbers, as over 11,000 would be in attendance in Portland.

Ahead of the 2004 season, supporters of both the Sounders, Timbers, and their rival up the I-5 corridor, the Vancouver Whitecaps, created the Cascadia Cup which would be given to the supporters whose team had a stronger record against the two sides. The first formal Cascadia Cup match between the two resulted in a Timbers victory, defeating the Sounders 2–0 on May 1, 2004. During the four regular season meetings during that season, the Sounders lost thrice, and had one victory over Portland. However, in the 2004 USL First Division Playoffs, their first playoff meeting since 1975, the Sounders won 3–2 on aggregate over Portland, posting a 2–0 home victory in the second leg.

On September 18, 2005, Seattle knocked Portland out of the playoffs for a second straight year, as Sounders defeated the Timbers 2–0 in Seattle.

In Seattle, Sounders defeats the Timbers 3–1 on July 22, 2006, in a hotly contested match that accumulated eight yellow cards, and one red.

May 10, 2008, in front of over 10,000 at Qwest Field (now CenturyLink Field), Seattle and Portland play to a 0–0 draw in the final match the two teams would play each other in Seattle in the USL-1.

August 7, 2008, the Timbers and Sounders play each other for a final time in the Division 2 league, USL-1. Seattle defeats Portland 1–0 on the historic night,[14] in front of a rambunctious 12,332 fans. The high intensity match also includea a total of six cards handed out, and one ejection.

MLS era

On July 1, 2009, Seattle eliminates Portland 2–1 before a sold-out PGE Park crowd in the US Open Cup. Roger Levesque — a player Portland fans have had a particular dislike for — scored Seattle's first goal within the opening minute.[5][15] Levesque completed a goal celebration, in which he stood still at the top of the Timbers penalty area while Nate Jaqua pretended to chop him down like a tree, ending with Levesque falling flat on his back.[16]

A cold and rainy night on March 11, 2010, Portland defeats Seattle 1–0 in a preseason community shield charity match. The crowd of 18,606 in attendance that night at Qwest Field is one of the largest crowds to attend a preseason game between two U.S. teams in American soccer history.

In hoping to stoke the rivalry for the future 2011 Major League Soccer season — when the Timbers would be joining the Sounders in MLS — Portland unveil a billboard displaying a Timbers crest and the words Portland, Oregon and Soccer City USA less than a mile from Qwest Field in Seattle.[17] The billboard was broadcast to a nationwide audience on ESPN2 during halftime of the Sounders home match versus Real Salt Lake that evening.[18]

In March 2011, the Timbers defeated the Sounders 2–0 in the preseason Cascadia Summit, a round robin game event involving the two teams and their Canadian rival, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. In their first match as both MLS sides, and the first time since 1982 the two played in top division American soccer the Timbers and the Sounders battled to a draw at a rain-soaked Qwest Field in front of 36,593 in the highly anticipated MLS debut of the three-way Cascadia Cup. This was a stadium record crowd to see a regular season MLS match, and included more than 500 traveling Portland fans. The return match, on July 10, 2011 saw Seattle earn a 3–2 road victory.

October 7, 2012, The second largest stand-alone crowd in MLS history, 66,452, and the largest since 1996 watched Portland play Seattle at CenturyLink Field. Portland brought more than 1500 fans. The Timbers had their second chance of the year to clinch their first Cascadia Cup contested by all three sides, but lost 3–0 to the host Sounders.[19]

Supporter groups

The Timbers' Army, pictured in 2009.

A bitter rivalry between the teams' supporter groups exists. The Portland Timbers are supported by the Timbers Army, and Seattle Sounders by the Emerald City Supporters. The spirited groups have always showed a deep amount of resentment toward each other throughout the years.[9][20] With the close proximity of the two cities, traveling fans of both sides witness hostile environments while visiting the opposing stadium. A rare moment of violence broke out in March 2010 after a preseason Timbers win in Seattle, when, three Sounders fans (who were supposedly not associated with any Sounders supporters group) assaulted a Timbers fan, choking and dragging him with his team scarf.[21]

Emerald City Supporter's "Build a Bonfire" tifo at the Sounders FC v. Timbers FC in 2013.

On March 20, 2009, at the Portland MLS expansion rally, League Commissioner Don Garber mentioned how great of a region the Pacific Northwest is for soccer, and gave an example by the success of the new MLS team Seattle Sounders. However, his comment was met with heavy boos, and jeers coming from the Timbers Army surrounding him. Portland mayor, Sam Adams, then offered a challenge to the Seattle mayor, for when the Timbers and Sounders meet in 2011.[22]

Players and transfers

A large portion of the Sounders-Timbers rivalry can be seen on the soccer pitch itself. Before Seattle made the jump to MLS, many onfield rivalries between the players existed. As the years progressed, this would only enhance the level of competition, and intensify the matches. An example of this was the notable rivalry between Timbers defender Scot Thompson and Sounders striker Roger Levesque. Levesque, now with MLS's Seattle Sounders, has played in Seattle for several years, while Thompson has played in Portland since 2004.

Another reason the rivalry intensified was the transfer of star players between the two teams. While many players transferred to the other rival city from when the Timbers resumed play in 2001, the most memorable was the signing of Portland's all time assist leader, and fan favorite Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar[23] to Seattle in 2007. That same season, Seattle star Andrew Gregor signed with Portland, thus creating tensions on the field, as the players became familiar with each other. While playing for the Sounders in 2003, Gregor had said "A lot of the guys, we know each other from years back, and we don't get along and stuff. It's always exciting."[3]

NASL and USL matches between the teams were intense and more physical than other teams in the leagues. Sigi Schmid has said that Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver playing in the same league again will be "something that's going to be one of the key features of MLS".[5] The first of these was Seattle fan favorite Mike Fucito who came to Portland via the Montreal Impact on April 20, 2012.[24]

Seattle, then Portland

Name Pos Seattle Portland
CareerAppsGoals CareerAppsGoals
United States Roger GoldingayFW 1974 1975–7615 0
United States Hank LiotartMF 1974–76452 1976–77282
England David ButlerFW 1974–789734 1979206
Scotland John BainMF 1983242 1989–90
United States Peter HattrupFW 1984–89 1990
United States Daryl GreenDF 1986–89 1990
United States Billy CrookDF 1988 1990
Scotland Ian MacLeanDF 198911 1990
United States Scott BenedettiFW 1990 2001–05966
United States Chugger AdairFW 1997195 2002202
United States Mark BaenaFW 1998–994441 20012413
United States Greg HowesMF 20002717 2001–024012
United States Darren SawatzkyFW 20002816 2001225
United States Rees BettingerFW 2001235 200250
United States Scott BowerMF 200110 200240
United States Andrew GregorMF 20024616 2004132
United States Alex BengardMF 2003233 2004245
United States Andrew GregorMF 2005–06398 2007–08378
United States Stephen KeelDF 2006101 2009–10521
United States Kevin ForrestFW 2008–0990 2009100
United States Mike FucitoFW 2009–11233 2012120
Democratic Republic of the Congo Steve ZakuaniFW 2009–1310019 2014201
United States Andrew WeberGK 2012–1360 2014–30

Portland, then Seattle

Name Pos Portland Seattle
CareerAppsGoals CareerAppsGoals
Scotland John BainMF 1978–8214845 1983242
England David ButlerFW 1979206 198310
United States Grant GibbsDF 1985–87 1988–90
United States Todd StrobeckGK 1985–90 1993–95
United States Brent GouletFW 1986–87 9 198752
United States Scott BenedettiFW 1986–89 1990
United States Joey LeonettiFW 1988 1996
United States Dick McCormickMF 1988–90 1994–96526
United States Kasey KellerGK 1989100 2009–11930
United States Garrett SmithDF 1989 1990
United States Wade WebberDF 1989 1990
United States Billy CrookDF 1990 1994–96
United States Peter HattrupFW 1990 1994–95
United States Shawn MedvedFW 1990 10 1994–95 7
United States Darren SawatzkyFW 2001225 2002–046722
United States Greg HowesMF 2001–024012 2007215
United States Ben SomozaMF 2002211 2003–06602
United States Jake SagareMF 2002–04725 2005–06290
Mexico Hugo Alcaraz-CuellarMF 2002–0613110 2007–08413
United States Andrew GregorMF 2004132 2005–06398
Scotland Adam MoffatMF 201140 201360
United States Kenny CooperFW 2011348 2014246
United States Troy PerkinsGK 2011–2012510 2015–40

Cups

For more details on this topic, see Cascadia Cup.

Between 2004 and 2008, the USL Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, and Vancouver Whitecaps competed for the supporter created Cascadia Cup, to be awarded to the club who finished with the best record in each season series between the three teams. The Cascadia Cup was created to celebrate the strong rivalries between each of the three clubs. Seattle won the Cascadia Cup twice in this five-year period while Portland never won. Seattle was not involved in the 2009 or 2010 competitions, both of which were won by Portland. While both Seattle and Portland consider Vancouver to be a rival, both of the U.S. fanbases consider their rivalries with Vancouver more cordial than with one another.[5] In a 2011 story on the rivalry by Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl, one Timbers Army member said about Vancouver fans, "It's hard to dislike them because they're so nice," and an Emerald City Supporters member added, "They're like the nice cousin that's never going to offend anyone at a party."[25] The MLS versions of the Whitecaps, Sounders and Timbers resumed contesting the Cascadia Cup, beginning with the 2011 season.

Results

Home team is listed on the left, away team is listed on the right. Home team's score is listed first.

      Sounders Win       Timbers Win       Draw

League

North American Soccer League

PRE-Western Alliance Challenge Series

Western Alliance Challenge Series

Western Soccer Alliance

Western Soccer League

American Professional Soccer League

A-League

USL First Division

Major League Soccer

Playoffs

North American Soccer League

A-League

USL First Division

Major League Soccer

U.S. Open Cup

Notable friendlies

Footnotes

[26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37]

References

  1. ↑ "Timbers, Sounders kick off Cascadia rivalry". MLSSoccer.com. March 4, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Sounders FC get a rival – Portland awarded MLS franchise". KOMO News. March 20, 2009. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 Romero, José (August 8, 2003). "206 vs. 503: Soccer rivalry still simmers". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  4. ↑ Winner, Andrew (June 30, 2009). "Seattle-Portland rivalry remains intense". MLSnet.com News. Archived from the original on July 8, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Joshua, Mayers (March 10, 2010). "Sounders FC vs. Portland matchup touches a fierce rivalry". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
  6. ↑ Sparks, Adam (March 5, 2011). "Portland Timbers Kick Off MLS Rivalry by Blanking Seattle Sounders FC". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  7. ↑ Davis, Jason (July 1, 2009). "Portland-Seattle Provides Unique Showcase". Match Fit USA. Retrieved April 13, 2011. Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders will renew their intense rivalry. Longtime adversaries in the USL, A-League, and NASL, the Timbers and Sounders don't generally get along.
  8. ↑ "Steve Kelley | In Portland vs. Seattle rivalry, there's a history of flying fish, inflamed fans | Seattle Times Newspaper". O.seattletimes.nwsource.com. May 12, 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  9. 1 2 "A Guide to hating the Portland Timbers". Seattlest. May 4, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Seattle-Portland smoldering soccer rivalry gets new fire | MORE TOP SPORTS". The News Tribune. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  11. ↑ "A NASL Rivalry, Portland vs. Seattle". NASL Marketing, Inc. 1977. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Preview: Seattle Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers". MLSSoccer.com. May 14, 2011. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ Schick, Tony (August 11, 2008). "Final Timbers-Sounders league match gets all fouled up". Portland Tribune. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  15. ↑ "Timbers-Sounders matchup: a 'fight for every ball'". The Oregonian. June 29, 2009.
  16. ↑ Vondersmith, Jason (July 1, 2009). "Nemesis Levesque's early goal sparks Seattle in 2-1 win over Portland". Portland Tribune. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  17. ↑ Arnold, Geoffrey C. (September 9, 2010). "Timbers raise stakes in rivalry with Seattle". The Oregonian (Portland). Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Seattle Sounders FC vs. Real Salt Lake". MLS Primetime Thursday. 2010-09-09. ESPN2.
  19. ↑ Mayers, Joshua (October 7, 2012). "Nemesis Sounders don't disappoint record crowd, beating Portland 3-0". Seattle Time. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  20. ↑ Romero, José Miguel (June 30, 2009). "Portland Timbers fans take rivalry with Sounders FC to another level". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  21. ↑ Clarridge, Christine (March 17, 2010). "Seattle soccer hooligans choke Timbers fan with scarf". Seattle Times. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  22. ↑ Ulmer, Jerry (March 20, 2009). "Timbers Army enlists to cheer MLS team". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  23. ↑ Massey, Matt (April 12, 2007). "Former nemesis now a Sounder". Seattle Times. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
  24. ↑ "Timbers trade for Fucito". Soccer By Ives. April 20, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  25. ↑ Wahl, Grant (May 23, 2011). "A Pacific Passion Play". Sports Illustrated. p. 3. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  26. ↑ Clare, Steve (2008). "Seattle Sounders 2008". Prost Amerika. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  27. ↑ "US Open Cup". US Open Cup. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  28. ↑ "Portland Timbers History". Portland Timbers. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  29. ↑ "Seattle Soccer Museum 1975". Goal Seattle. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  30. ↑ "Seattle Soccer Museum 1976". Goal Seattle. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  31. ↑ "Seattle Soccer Museum 1977". Goal Seattle. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  32. ↑ "Seattle Soccer Museum 1978". Goal Seattle. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  33. ↑ "Seattle Soccer Museum 1979". Goal Seattle. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  34. ↑ "Seattle Soccer Museum 1980". Goal Seattle. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  35. ↑ "Seattle Soccer Museum 1981". Goal Seattle. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  36. ↑ "Seattle Soccer Museum 1982". Goal Seattle. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  37. ↑ Grygiel, Chris (May 15, 2011). "Seattle breaks rain records". Seattle-PI.
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