Match Recap & Reaction: Portland Timbers at Seattle Sounders

Not a full gutting, but it still tastes pretty delicious

On Decision Day 2024, the Portland Timbers battled back to earn a 1-1 draw in Seattle against the Sounders to reclaim the Cascadia Cup. Yeimar Gomez Andrade opened the scoring off a corner kick in the first half, and Antony leveled affairs with a lightning-quick counterattack goal in the second half.

The result won Portland their second Cascadia Cup since 2022, and their fourth of the MLS era. It also extended a regular season unbeaten run for Portland in Seattle to 11 games, encompassing seven straight seasons.

Photo Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer/Portland Timbers

Recap

With a crisis selection at centerback, Phil Neville handed new boy Finn Surman his very first appearance for the Timbers in the form of a start. James Pantemis also got the nod over Max Crepeau for the second straight match, and Cristhian Paredes partnered Diego Chara in the midfield.

The early action for Portland was primarily defensive. Seattle appeared to favor attacking Portland’s right side and Juan Mosquera, but early on the Colombian was up to the task of defending Seattle’s wide threats.

Elsewhere in the defensive third, Surman was called into action in his first real test as a Timber in the 19th minute when a misplayed pass resulted in Seattle steaming forward on the breakaway. Pedro De La Vega was through clean on goal, but the 21-year-old debutante made a lung-busting recovery run and slide to block the shot. It was a moment that was sure to endear the new defender to Timbers faithful.

We apologize to Finn Surman for including this picture (though it does reflect how he left it all on the field) // Photo Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer/Portland Timbers

Moments that would not endear any player to Timbers fans were Portland’s attacking sequences. The Timbers just couldn’t put together any kind of offensive rhythm. Outside of a few long balls to Antony or the occasional ball to Evander, the Timbers weren’t able to generate a credible threat to Seattle’s backline.

And a moment that was even worse was when Seattle took the lead in the 37th minute. Off a corner kick, Yeimar rose up to meet the ball and head it towards the opposite corner and just past Pantemis’ outstretched hands.

I could spill a lot of digital ink lamenting how Portland’s poor set piece defending still hasn’t been fixed, despite this literally being the 34th game of the season, and the postseason starting imminently. But I won’t — because we’ve heard it all before and frankly I’m tired of writing about it.

Despite a late push from Portland, they still couldn’t generate a look on goal. The Timbers went into halftime trailing 1-0, and they had just a single solitary shot (not on target) to their name in the entire half.

Halftime: Seattle 1 - 0 Portland

The close of the first half marked a grim milestone for the Timbers: dating back to the second half of the away match at Vancouver on September 28, Portland had gone just around 270 minutes without scoring.

Phil Neville, trying to show his team which direction the goal is (probably) // Photo credit: Craig Mitchelldyer/Portland Timbers

As the second half opened, it looked like that stretch wasn’t going to be ending anytime soon for Portland — while Seattle had multiple opportunities to double their advantage. Only through the grace of missed passes or blocked shots was Portland able to limit the damage. Pantemis came up huge (to clean up a miss he created with a poor pass, to be fair) to stonewall Jordan Morris in the 58th minute to keep the game in touching distance.

But the offense continued to look stale and sluggish. As the rain fell and continued to soak the pitch, and the Sounders started to turn the screw more and more, it looked like Portland was set to be washed out in Seattle.

And then: two minutes of madness.

It started in the 68th minute with Antony finishing off what was the best of Portland’s sparse attacking sequences of the night. Substitute Eryk Williamson won the ball in the midfield, and the ball made it’s way to Evander. The Brazilian immediately found his compatriot streaking in behind, and Antony juked past Nouhou and put Jackson Ragen on his pants to make space for a shot. Antony hit it low and hard, and with literally Portland’s first shot on target of the game he nestled the ball into the bottom corner past Stefan Frei to level affairs.

And just a minute later, Obed Vargas continued a very nice tradition of Sounders players getting sent off when the Timbers visit Lumen field — by, well, getting sent off. In the 69th minute Vargas committed a foul in Portland’s box, and after the whistle turned around and gestured towards the referee in frustration. Both teams, the Sounders in particular, were frustrated with the inconsistency with which the ref showed yellow cards for fouls and dissent.

But when that frustration boiled over, Vargas was shown a second yellow card and was told to hit the showers 20 minutes early. It capped what was a nightmare 120 seconds for Sounders fans — but two minutes of jubilation for the strong contingent of traveling Timbers fans.

Despite having a man advantage for the final chunk of the game, the Timbers couldn’t really turn it into an on-field advantage. They would only manage two shots on goal on the night, and never really come seriously close to netting a second goal.

But the important factor is that the Sounders weren’t either. The home team pushed whatever energy they had left, and came close with a few half-chances or scrums in the box, but Portland’s defense and Pantemis were always up to the task. Lacking a man to throw forward likely hindered their efforts to find a winner, and as the rain continued to soak the increasingly salty Seattle fans, the misery started to take hold for the home side.

And for the away fans and away side, they got to celebrate winning a piece of silverware when the final whistle blew. All Portland needed was a draw to claim the title of Kings of Cascadia for 2024 — and that’s exactly the result they got. Timbers fans got to celebrate regional dominance as Diego Chara and the team lifted the Cascadia Cup in front of the traveling fan section.

Full Time: Seattle 1 - 1 Portland

Next stop: The Wild Card Round and postseason soccer at Providence Park.

Goals — POR: Antony (68’) // SEA: Yeimar (37’)

Up Next: The Timbers finished the season in ninth place, and will play the eighth place Vancouver Whitecaps in the Wild Card Round. However, due to a scheduling snafu with a prior event (a motocross event) Vancouver’s home of BC Place, the Whitecaps are unable to host. And so, Portland has fallen backwards into hosting the Wild Card Round. Kickoff from Providence Park on Wednesday, October 23 is set for 7:30 p.m.

Reaction

Sometimes soccer is just — like when the Timbers outplayed the Galaxy at home this year.

Sometimes soccer is cruel — like when the Timbers lost in the closing minutes to Vancouver earlier this year.

And sometimes soccer is hilarious — like when the Timbers steal a draw in Seattle to claim the Cascadia Cup and continue one of the most entertaining streaks in the rivalry’s history.