When the Portland Timbers' starting lineup was released one hour ahead of their crucial Sunday night tilt with the Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field, there was someone missing. Fanendo Adi was on the bench, with Jack McInerney starting in his place up top.

Adi was described only as a "late scratch." No reason for his absence was given, and, even after rumors about a missed flight swirled, Caleb Porter was in no mood to elaborate at the conclusion of a bitterly disappointing Timbers defeat that served only to shoot more adrenaline into Seattle's once-moribund 2016 season.

The situation didn't cost the Timbers the game, but it hurt plenty. McInerney would blow two golden chances to open the scoring in the second half, while Adi, after coming on late, would slot home his sixth career goal against the Sounders to make the final score 3-1.

Portland's margin for error has been erased. By the time the Timbers take the field next, they could be trailing the Sounders in the Western Conference playoff race. These aren't dire times yet, but there's no escaping the feeling that Portland's grip on its title defense is slipping away.

This game — which served as a chance to head off what is quickly becoming an almighty Seattle charge — was indicative of what has been eating away at this team all season. The Timbers have moments, but they don't have a full compliment of players they can count on.

In the decisive moments of an intense, high-tempo, high-stakes derby, too many men in red lacked the composure and tenacity that the signing of Nicolas Lodeiro breathed into the Sounders.

You saw Seattle's confidence in Jordan Morris, who was a shell of himself when these two teams met in July in Portland, making Steven Taylor and Liam Ridgewell look like pensioners on run after run. You saw it in Clint Dempsey, and you saw it Christian Roldan, and you saw it down the stretch.

The Sounders have bought in. Portland, meanwhile, is forced to play week after week with a hand tied behind its back.

It started, you have to surmise, with Adi in the buildup to this game. But the striker wasn't the only man who didn't or couldn't pull his weight on Sunday. Lucas Melano was a train-wreck — even by his considerably reduced standards — while the two men acquired to save the Timbers' defense had miserable evenings.

Vytas is excellent going forward, but he's a sloppy defender — and considering how good Alvas Powell is on the opposite side of the backline, he's going to be targeted mercilessly. Seattle began their barrage midway through the first half of this game, and would eventually be rewarded with a penalty which Dempsey converted easily to give the Sounders the lead.

Taylor, making his debut for the first team, didn't do much better. The Newcastle native's lack of pace is truly breathtaking, and while Morris couldn't quite capitalize, Taylor was burned when he refused to close down an onrushing Dempsey with ten minutes to go.

The Texan fired past Jake Gleeson from twenty yards to double Seattle's lead, and, then just three minutes later, the Sounders would put the game to bed — with Roldan walking past a clueless Jack Barmby and turning in a flick-on header to make it 3-0. Adi would pull a goal back late for 3-1.

Porter said after the game that the game was much closer than the scoreline indicated, and he wasn't wrong. The Timbers played reasonably well. Jack Jewsbury was particularly good, again, and McInerney buries one — or several — of his chances nine days out of ten.

But that's exactly the point. The Timbers did play well, and they still found themselves down 3-0 in one of the biggest games of their season. And that, chiefly, was because of this: Maybe you can carry one player. But you definitely can't carry four. Portland had too many liabilities on the the field, and Seattle capitalized.

The second goal, it must be said, was a play that Nat Borchers always took considerable relish in making. We saw him stick attackers in similar situations countless times over the last two years. Borchers certainly wasn't fast either, but he was quick. He played defense on the front-foot. The Timbers continue to miss him badly.

Beyond Borchers, it's not a stretch to say that Porter would sacrifice his left arm to have Rodney Wallace back in town right now — and the sale of Dairon Asprilla looks about as good as Sunday night's embarrassing Emerald City Supporters' tifo.

That the Timbers get another crack at Seattle next weekend at home is a blessing. That Seattle will arrive in Portland via a Wednesday night game in Houston is even better luck. But for the first time since early last year, there's only one team in the ascendency in this rivalry.

Keep in mind that Seattle won this game without getting all that much from Lodeiro. From time to time, these games aren't decided by stars. They're decided by everyone else. That being said, should the Uruguayan show up next weekend, the Timbers will be in serious trouble.

Counting Caleb Porter out — especially down the stretch of an MLS season — is a fool's errand. But with September fast approaching, it's not dumb luck that Portland has zero winning streaks or road victories. You'd say that the Timbers are better than this result, but at some point, it might be time to accept that they aren't.

And if that's true, Seattle stands to benefit in a big way.