The Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers have been arch-rivals for decades, but their rivalry as MLS opponents is set to be born tonight as the Timbers travel to Qwest Field for the first of many dramatic encounters (11pm, ESPN2).
The Timbers have been riding high in recent weeks after a poor start to the season, but much of that success has come at home. Seattle will look to make full use of its own home-field advantage at Qwest Field.
SBI will be providing live commentary on tonight's historic match so please feel free to follow along here. As always, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (Commentary is after the jump):
We are Timbers Army! We are mental! We are barmy!
GO SOUNDERS!
This RSL-Houston game has been pretty dull. No clear cut chances that I can think of. Both defenses have been pretty stout
Is Harkes going for the Brett Favre type scruff on the face? I guess he saw the kind of women Brett was pulling and wanted to give it a try
The Sounders got into MLS two years before the Timbers, so they created soccer.
No question about LA’s penalty there. Beckham clearly hacked down by a De Jong style karate kick in the box and Landon Donavan now has 6 on the season
Call me lazy, but I really wouldn’t want to jump up and down all game. I could think of better ways to support my team than the community bunny-hop Seattle has going on right now. Thankfully I am not a Seattle supporter because not only does it look tiring but it looks somewhat contrived and inauthentic.
haha +1
That’s because you’re not a 20-something hipster who will undoubtedly ditch this team after you graduate college.
The marching band, once a staple of Seattle’s originality, has become stupid and petulant. Thus, it remains a staple of Seattle culture.
This game would be so much better if played on grass. Turf sucks and it changes the game WAY more than people realize/admit. That stuff has got ta go!
It’s laughable how far off base that stereotype is.
yawnnnnnnnnnn if you are a fan of booting the ball back and forth, this is your kind of game. You think they would play the ball more at their feet due to the heavy rain
Donavan with a brace early in the second half
There are 36,000+ there. Only the couple thousand in the supporters’ section do the bounce. And they don’t bounce for the full 90.
Sorry, Harkes, but it definitely does not rain all the time in the PNW.
jeez, this game on plastic is making me go to sleep (Eastern time). It’s a marathon of who runs behind the ball the most.
Usually, games under the rain tend to be awesome. However, it look like their playing in a bowling alley.
No Evans? Eff all these injuries…
MLS Officiating at its worst.
Timbers players getting laid out left and right on late tackles and not even a foul called.
Could you imagine maintaining a grass field in the NW?
Oops..
There are 36,000+ there. Only the couple thousand in the supporters’ section do the bounce. And they don’t bounce for the full 90.
Huskies used to do it. SafeCo does it, although of course they have the retractable roof. Someday…
Nope, just created true first-tier support and atmosphere in the States.
The Sounders invented soccer, sliced bread, and America, so it’s ok.
It’s laughable how pretentious and annoying you all are. Just because you have the biggest fan base doesn’t mean you have the best. Talk to me in 14 years and then we can talk.
LA 4-1 Final
GET OFF YOUR DAMN HIGH HORSE, RIGHT NOW!!!!! WHY DO YOU INSIST ON BEING SUCH INSUFFERABLE YOU-KNOW-WHATS???!!
Please Timbers, win this game and shut snobs like Emerald_City_Jason the hell up! Even as a neutral fan in this game (DCU), you guys are SO annoying!
REALLY?????? YOU GUYS DON’T HAVE ONE, UBIQUITOUS CLIMATE THAT IS PERSISTENT NO MATTER WHAT?? THAT’S SO SURPRISING, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INSIGHTFUL METEOROLOGY!!!! I’M SURE HARKES REALLY THINKS IT RAINS 24/7 IN THE PNW, SO THANKS FOR THE CLARIFICATION.
Tool.
What a surprise, Emerald_City_Jason went away the second the Timbers scored a goal.
Shocking…
Kenny Cooper is taken out in the box in what looks like it could have been a penalty, but who would ever know without any replay.
But a minute later when Seattle wants a handball we interrupt actual play to show you the replay.
Probably coincidence, but it seems like even ESPN is leaning toward Seattle.
I’m right here, baby.
Jeez, I think I’m going to stop watching if the officiating is going to continue like this.
Come on, you cannot just bowl people over like this, taking out legs and cutting down guys on fastbreaks. This is ridiculous.
You’re just too easy. Thanks for the laugh.
Well, at least you’re not being a [poophead] anymore. Feel free to hang around, if this behavior continues (oops, they spell it “behaviour” in England, and that’s what we should all aim to be like!).
I’m going to assume you are speaking of the Timbers’ players being roughed up?
Get a room, you two. Some people actually want to read other people’s insights on the game at hand.
Yeah.
I had to watch the Fire suffer another tie and figured this would be some better soccer and overall gameplay. Boy was I wrong.
Oh, and Montero is a selfish, diving hack.
Montero has a little ‘tude.
Funny. You and seatroll post multiple comments ripping Seattle fans apropos of nothing. I merely stand up for my town and it’s some big deal?
And why would a loss “shut me up?” You guys aren’t even talking about actual soccer, just insulting our fans and fan culture. Tonight’s result isn’t germane to this “discussion.”
Suprisingly, seattle has been much more dangerous on free kicks. Maybe i’m just worried being a ptfc supporter
Dude you need to chill.
Please don’t group me an seattroll together; my first comment was in jest, whereas he seems to have a pathological hatred for you guys. Some, if not most, Sounders fan annoy me, including some of your posts tonight (the blatantly obvious distinctions that come off as bragging come to mind), but please don’t associate me with that guy.
I just want you to stop acting like you’re so much better than all the other teams. You’re not one of the worse Sounders fans, but there’s still a noticeable air of superiority in your text.
In the comment I was referring to, Harkes said it rains “basically all the time” in the PNW and proceeded to discuss how that impacts the style of soccer played here. I think it’s entirely appropriate to point out that our summers are basically a three-month drought, especially as it provides yet more evidence that Harkes is a blathering idiot.
In other words, you’re just too afraid to let them know how you really feel.
Hopefully the rube exits for Europe soon.
Seattle just did something at home the Timbers never have!
You need to get off the internet!
Probably would of had the PK if Cooper stayed on his feet more.
Draw to a rival that you were supposed to beat?
You first.
Or not won at home. Oh and Keller was in fantastic form for the Timbers! Well done!
Fair enough re seatroll.
As to your request, I don’t think or act like the Sounders “are so much better than all the other teams.” I was merely being snide in response to what I find fairly tiresome and off-base stereotypes.
Love it whenever Kasey Keller f**ks up, the Timbers goal made my day
I am sure Sounders fans will let you know how they dominated the game but just couldn’t finish.
They probably will, they will also tell me how 36k people were there. And then in the end, it did very little.
I love how Montero got upset when Danso hugged him without consent.
Seattle averages over 150 days of rain each year. Harkes was exagerating when he said “basically all the time” but you go ahead and fight that silly battle if you like. Soccer is played in spring and fall as well as summer so the point Harkes was making is still valid.
Please do something about that turf Seattle Sounders FO. Seriously. I understand why you have turf, but it could be better than that. Quit cheating your fans.
Not bad, but not great. Could’ve been worse considering the weather and rivalry games always seem to be ugly (I just can’t call it a “derby”). The long balls do get old though, it was like both teams were playing not to lose.
I don’t mind turf at all, but when the quality gets that bad something must be done about it. Portland has a great turf field, hopefully they will keep it maintained better than Seattle has.
Once I saw his face on the screen at the bar, in full HD, I was repulsed. HD makes ulgy look uglier. Rush makeup job too. Blech.
Matches Drew Carey to a T!
They’re not primary tenants. So, no. Remember, it took convincing Paul Allen to be a bit owner so the ownership group could crash Qwest.
Yes, the contrast between Portland’s new turf and Seattle’s compacted older turf is striking.
Seriously? The Timbers offense is entirely built around diving around the box in order to get a set-piece. Diving twats.
Thanks for not calling it a derby.
First, the turf. Can you imaginge what the pitch would have been like tonight if that had been grass? In that weather it would have been a mud-bowl and even uglier.
Second, I was disappointed in Portland. They got withing free-kick range, dove and took their chance with their set-piece.
Third, Sounders sucked. Do better.
Good grief. Thanks for the information on how much it rains where I live.
Since when is a single sentence comment followed by a two-sentence clarification “waging a battle?” If you haven’t noticed, making fun of Harkes is something of a running game on this and other sites.
Montero was upset because he’s the one that usually “hugs” without consent.
As a Seattle fan I’ll be the first to say I HATE that damn band! Wish they’d go away. So damn annoying.
Portland may have a nicer quality turf, but Jeld-Wen field doesn’t hold up very nice in the rain. At least Qwest has a proper drainage setup and we arent stuck with standing water on the field ala Jeld-Wen.
oh and as an aside, I thought Portlands TiFo was quite well done for a traveling supporters side. Have to give you guys Kudo’s for that.
Hey man! It is consensual if they’re asleep!
Timbers players diving and looking for a set piece. They have every game this year. Should have carded at least 2 of those.
For those who don’t think this is going to be a great and fun rivalry, look at the number of comments this thread has compared to all the other roundups (34, 1, 6,….).
See you in Portland for round 2.