The Timbers are winless in their last six MLS matches, and their inaugural season looks a bit shaky at its midway point.
OK, be calm, everyone stand back—the Timbers need a jolt.
The team's collective heart needs to get back on the same beat, and a win against hated Seattle could provide just the shock (in more ways than one). But can a sure-to-be-electric nationally televised Cascadia Cup match (1 p.m. today on ESPN, 750 AM) apply the right voltage to awaken Portland's floundering soccer club?
CLEAR!
You have to believe Seattle (8-4-8, 32 points) will be up for this one after Portland (5-8-3, 18 pts.) showed some guile in a 1-1 draw at Qwest CenturyLink Field in May. That match was a turning point for both teams, especially the Sounders, who are 5-1-3 since (Portland's 1-5-1).
Seattle was also a playoff qualifier in their first two MLS seasons, and each and every Sounder would love to nudge sputtering Portland into a tailspin of expansion-team morose: The Timbers have played just 16 games (least in the league), so they have time to make up ground in the Western Conference. But with so many of those second-half matches on the road (10/17), and this team's amount of wins away (0), the map to a playoff run becomes murkier if Portland can't find their way to a positive result tonight.
More after the jump (and live-blogging later!) including aggressive thoughts and EXTRA TIME links fit for a derby.
The late-arriving Timbers can't start slow against a team seeking to take the non-Timbers Army crowd out of the game early. Portland's one of two MLS teams that are undefeated when they score first, and the Timbers need to be aggressive from the start and not let the Sounders push them around. An interesting factoid from the team's game notes:
In their last three games, Portland has committed just 18 fouls, including a season-low five during their June 19 game vs. New York, when the Red Bulls out-fouled them, 25-5. The Timbers have been out-fouled in 12 of 16 games this season, and are 3-6-3 when committing fewer than their opponent. The huge disparity between the Timbers and their opponents, who have committed 223 fouls against Portland, is evident on the individual statsheet, with forwards Kenny Cooper and Jorge Perlaza combining for just 17 fouls while drawing 58.
Fouls don't necessarily equal aggression, aggressiveness or aggressioniveness, but they're one indication. Portland has a league low (in just 16 matches), including just one foul in 623 minutes from Goal of the Week (Year) recipient Darlington Nagbe and two fouls in 1022 minutes from Futty Danso, who says the team is feeling good:
"The team hasn’t been this way since we started losing—it’s good to see everybody happy and excited for the game," said Futty, as a group of reserves finished up training behind him on Saturday. "I don't think we've lost confidence at any point. It's a rivalry, nobody wants to lose it—from the coaches to the last one on the 18."
EXTRA TIME! Links. Portland's Best.
• "Seattle and Portland have always had a thing, with and without soccer lending a hand," says Geoff Gibson of Stumptown Footy. "Soccer is just the best way we can get the rivalry out in the open as it's the only sport shared between the cities."
• Just another game? "Nope. Not even close," says Don Ruiz of The Olympian.
• "Crazy might be the best word to describe the anticipated atmosphere in Portland," says Joshua Mayers of The Seattle Times, who predicts a draw.
• Rodney Wallace has been ruled out for tonight, says Geoffrey C. Arnold of The O, who has more on suddenly cordial Spenny v. Sigi chatter.
• Spencer has plenty of respect for rivalry, says Stephen Alexander of The Trib.
• The Sounders "are as hot as any team in the league" while Portland's lack of offense "has been just as worrisome" says Aaron Campeua of SB Nation.
• Timbers fans will no doubt give former University of Portland star Kasey Keller a warm salute today in what could be his final match in Portland. Warm.
• "Tifo? What tifo?"
• I'll just leave this here:
