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Photo: Paul Kahl
Seattle Sounders FC 1-1 Portland Timbers
SEATTLE, WA–In the end, neither the Sounders, nor the Timbers improved their playoff position in this 1-1 draw. The Sounders finished fourth in the Western Conference and will host Houston Dynamo in the Conference Quarterfinals. Portland had already claimed the final playoff spot in the West and will be in Wednesday’s Wild Card game at Vancouver Whitecaps. Both the Caps and Timbers finished on 47 points, but Vancouver had more overall wins (13 to 12).
Yet at far as the three-way Cascadia rivalry goes, the draw meant Portland regained the Cascadia Cup for the first time since 2022. All three teams–Timbers, Sounders, and Whitecaps–went 2-2-2 against each other, but the Whitecaps had an inferior goal difference and the Timbers had scored one more goal than the Sounders in the six matches (8-7).
Yeimar put the Sounders ahead in the 37th minute heading in a corner from Albert Rusnak. However, the Timbers would respond with one of the better counter attack goals this season. Evander fed Antony into the box. The latter would slalom past both Nouhou and Jackson Ragen and finish past Stefan Frei.
Photo: Paul Kahl
The Sounders’ chances to regain the lead were dealt a blow in the 69th minute when Obed Vargas picked up a second yellow card and reduced the hosts to ten men. Both teams still had chances late to change the score, but were either denied by accuracy, by goalkeepers, or in Antony’s case in the 75th minute–the post.
James Pantemis, in goal for Maxime Crepe for the Timbers, made five saves on the evening.
Vargas’s suspension means he will miss Game 1 against Houston next weekend with time and date to be announce at the time of this post. Portland know they will visit a Vancouver Whitecaps side on a four-match losing streak on Wednesday (7:30pm PT, Apple TV) for the right to face LAFC in the Conference Quarterfinals.
For more of Paul Kahl’s photos, please click on the link to his gallery.
(UPDATE: It has been announced that Game 1 will be Monday, October 28th at 6pm PT on Apple TV and FS1.)
