The Sounders left Starfire Stadium on Wednesday night with their quest for a fifth U.S. Open Cup trophy having come to an end after falling to LAFC 1-0.
It was a disappointing result for the Rave Green, but with the quick turnaround of matches, the team must bounce back and turn its focus to Saturday’s Cascadia rivalry showdown against the Portland Timbers (7:30 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360AM).
“We have to move on from games, whether we win or lose,” said defender Alex Roldan. “[Portland] is another one that is very important for us where they're right behind us in the table, and so it's crucial for us to get three points there.”
The Sounders currently sit just three points ahead of the Timbers, despite being two spots ahead of the Oregon side at 5th place. The Timbers’ 37 points accumulated and 7th place positioning in the Western Conference puts them at risk for a play-in match when the postseason starts in October, making this match vital for both parties.
“You can't go into Portland and not play up to your potential, because it's a rival,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “They're right behind us in the playoffs.”
The Sounders won their previous road match against the Timbers in a 2-1 comeback thriller on May 12, with first half goals from Cristian Roldan and Raúl Ruidíaz. The Seattle side is looking to replicate that performance as soon as the first whistle blows on Saturday at Providence Park.
“They've had our number for quite some time, and then we won earlier this year there so I think that's also something that we're using as motivation,” said Roldan. “Hopefully we can go out there and put on a good [showing].”
Along with the previous victory, the Sounders are taking advantage of the absence of the Timbers’ key attacking players, Felipe Mora and Jonathan Rodríguez. The two players were recently suspended due to a red card occurrence (Mora) and yellow card accumulation (Rodríguez) in their 4-4 draw against St. Louis CITY SC on Aug. 24.
Still, the Rave Green will need to be aware of Brazilian midfielder Evander, who’s already racked up 12 goals and 15 assists in MLS play this year.
“They're a team where their main priority is to attack,” said Roldan. “Based on their score lines, they put in four goals, but they also will allow four goals in a game. So, our job is to make sure that defensively, we’re sound.”
To close out the month of August without the potential of securing Leagues Cup and Open Cup trophies is a hard pill to swallow for the Seattle side. But, the team is using it as an opportunity to regroup as they look ahead to Portland and the remaining stretch of matches before MLS Cup Playoffs.
“It's going to sting, it's going to linger a little bit, but we know these games that are coming up are so important for us in the running for playoffs that we need to move forward,” said Roldan. “We got to learn from them and we have to use these experiences as encouragement that we're doing the right things, because the results haven't shown up in these Cup games.”
“MLS play is our main focus now.”
