The Timbers and Thorns head to Seattle in differing form, but both with points to prove

What's at stake for both clubs on rivalry day at Lumen Field.

In what is becoming a tradition to look forward to every year, the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns are both headed up to Seattle to play a rivalry double-header against the Sounders and OL Reign in Lumen Field.

With obvious rivalry-fueled motivations aside, both teams are heading into their big games with points to prove, despite their differing positions in the table.

Let’s set the table for yet another chapter in the storied Portland-Seattle soccer rivalry.

Photo Credit: Portland Timbers/Craig Mitchelldyer

The Thorns: Proving they still are who they say they are (with a nice side of revenge)

While the Thorns aren’t the world-destroying force they were at the start of the season, they’re still pretty dang good. They’re tied for second in the table, are one of only two NWSL teams that have just one league loss to their name, and have a goal differential of +12. All things considered, they are in a fairly decent position at this point in the season.

That being said, they are in the midst of a bit of a downturn in form. They’ve won two league games since April 22, and the strong defense that conceded just two goals in their first four league games has become leaky. The Thorns have conceded nine goals in their last five league games, and have posted one win, one loss, and three draws across that stretch.

Of course, those draws have been of the “feel good, come from behind, and score late equalizers in dramatic fashion” variety (yes, this is an excuse to post the Bella Bixby goal again):

Shout out to Reyna Reyes and Olivia Moultrie for their late-game heroics as well, who along with Bixby have kept the Thorns in the upper-echelon of the NWSL table while the team’s overall form has taken a dip.

Nonetheless, the Thorns have found themselves behind in games and in need of those late dramatics far too often. They also haven’t won on the road since the second week of the season. A win in Seattle would do a world of good for pulling out of this downturn in form, and also remind the league the Portland Thorns are still the defending champs.

Unbridled joy and celebration: the Portland Thorns at their very best. \ Photo Credit: Portland Thorns/Craig Mitchelldyer

And of course, there are some personal narratives against the Reign that the Thorns will want to buck as well. Chief among them is the Thorns’ recent form against the Reign: the Thorns haven’t tallied a regular season away win against the Reign since the 2017 season, and last tasted victory on the road against their rivals in the 2020 NWSL Fall Series (in a game which was technically played in Tacoma).

To pile on top of those narratives, the Reign pipped Portland for the NWSL Shield last year on the final day of the season, when the Thorns faltered at the finish line and the Reign won their final regular season game. Combine that with the fact that Portland hasn’t beaten the Reign in the NWSL regular season since 2018, and the Thorns will no doubt head into Saturday seeking to prove a point to the Reign and to the entire league as well.

The Timbers: Prove they can maintain regional dominance, and keep their head above water

Compared to the Thorns, the Timbers’ position in the table is much less envious.

Coming off of a bruising pair of losses — a last-gasp defeat at home to Minnesota and a 4-1 shellacking on the road to Sporting Kansas City — the good vibes the Timbers generated since they last played the Sounders in April have decidedly washed up.

Portland technically remains in playoff contention and sits just below the playoff line in tenth place in the Western Conference on total points, but according to points per game the Timbers are a ways off the pace of the teams above them, as they stand at just a feeble 1.07 ppg.

Zac McGraw after he saw Portland’s current position in the league table (probably) \ Photo Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer/Portland Timbers

The Timbers’ form was actually fairly decent until about two weeks ago. Portland piled up a four game unbeaten run with wins over St. Louis and Vancouver and draws to RSL and Austin, and seemed to be rounding into the semblance of a decent team. But then they were punchless against Minnesota and listless against Sporting, and those good performances of the past now just look like flashes in the pan.

The result is that the vibes are low and stress is high, with Portland set to travel up I-5 for their biggest game of the season thus far.

Yet despite all of that… you could argue that the Timbers should actually be the favorites on Saturday.

It’s been a bit of an era of dominance for the Timbers over the Sounders recently. Portland hasn’t lost to Seattle in nearly two full calendar years, and have won four straight games over their most heated rival. Additionally, Portland hasn’t lost in Seattle during the regular season since 2017 (they technically lost the famous “Car Show” game during 2018 playoffs, but advanced in the ensuing shootout as the times were tied on aggregate score).

The Timbers will be keen to continue their recent rivalry success at Lumen Field on Saturday, and maintain their regional superiority. Additionally, they will want to correct the malaise they find themselves in, and will be eager to use a game against a rival (yet again) to start to do so.

The Timbers’ season isn’t dead to rights by any means, but with each passing disappointing result the pressure becomes that much higher for the next game, and the runway to finally get the darned plane off the ground gets just a bit shorter. In order for them to keep their heads above water, they need to start collecting wins and points.

A chance to start to lift the vibes when they are quite poor, lift themselves up the table when it’s desperately needed, and heap more misery on a rival are all on the table for Portland on Saturday. And as high-stakes as that all sounds, I get the feeling that the Timbers might just be relishing the opportunity.