Seattle vs Portland Timbers

Lore & Background

According to many players, the Seattle–Portland rivalry is one of the only true derbies that is present in American men's soccer. The rivalry has since grown into one of the largest and most bitter rivalries in American soccer. Alan Hinton, a former English international and ex-Sounders coach, has compared the rivalry to those seen in the English Premier League. It is considered to be one of the most intense rivalries in the United States. In 2018, Matt Pentz of ESPN FC dubbed the derby "MLS' premier rivalry", stating that the "series' longevity lends it an authenticity that no other rivalry in MLS can match." 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. Later, some fans supported the Thunderbirds or Winterhawks hockey teams. This rivalry "naturally translated into soccer" according to one fan. The two cities also had a rivalry between the SuperSonics and Trail Blazers of the NBA, known as the I-5 rivalry, since both cities are connected by Interstate 5.

In Their Own Story

Rain slicks the turf at Lumen Field as the Green Army chants rise above the crowd noise. The Timbers arrive in their red and black, eyes locked on the Cascadia Cup trophy sitting nearby. A midfielder from Seattle shields the ball near the sideline, knowing every pass could ignite a goal that defines another chapter of this historic Northwest feud.

Reader's Guide

The Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers first played each other in the Timbers' inaugural game on May 2, 1975. Seattle defeated Portland 1–0 in front of 8,131 at Portland Civic Stadium, now known as Providence Park. 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 a crowd of 31,000. On June 30, 1979, Seattle defeated 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 it 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, as 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. In the 1980–81 NASL Indoor season the two clubs faced one another for the first time in indoor soccer. On November 21, 1980 in front of 7,885 at Portland's Memorial Coliseum (now called Veterans Memorial Coliseum), the Timbers won, 6–4. The Sounders would claim victory in the next four meetings. Portland won the final three rivalry matches of 1981–82 indoor, including the teams' last-ever indoor match-up, 6–4, on the strength of Dale Mitchell's hat trick on February 5, 1982. 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. 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. 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

Did You Know?

• The rivalry began in the NASL in 1975, with Seattle winning the first match 1–0.
• The largest victory in the derby in the top tier of American soccer was Seattle's 5–1 win in 1979.
• The 2015 U.S. Open Cup match between the teams is nicknamed the 'Red Card Wedding' after three Sounders players were sent off.
• From 2015 through 2021, either Portland or Seattle represented the MLS Western Conference in the MLS Cup title game.