The Seattle Sounders will take the pitch on Thursday (7:30 p.m. PT; Apple TV | TICKETS) for the first time in 53 days following Major League Soccer’s FIFA World Cup break. Any possibility of an easing-in period is out the window as the Portland Timbers come to town for their first of two major Cascadia clashes with their southern rivals this season.
For the players, it’s a chance to recalibrate ahead of a crucial second half of the season as well as a chance to blow off some pent-up steam that’s been building over the past two months in anticipation of games.
“I think it’s perfect,” said midfielder Paul Rothrock. “We’ve been champing at the bit to go, and there’s no better way to get into things than with the rivalry…Everyone is excited for this one, and we’re hoping to ride the Seattle World Cup momentum into this. Hoping to get a big crowd.”
Seattle hosted six FIFA World Cup matches this summer, highlighting the Emerald City as one of the premier soccer metropolises across the United States and the world. But there’s little time to reflect on those memories, as matches will be coming thick and fast for the Sounders, who have played the fewest contests in the league so far this year. That, in conjunction with an imposing Leagues Cup group featuring reigning Concacaf Champions Cup winners Toluca, Querétaro and Chivas, means it’s all hands on deck for the remainder of the season.
“If you look at the stretch of games we have coming up…we’re going to be under it pretty fast,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “So, getting off to the right start for this home match is critical.”
The Sounders enter Thursday facing a Timbers side that struggled through the first half of the MLS campaign, causing them to part ways with Head Coach Phil Neville last month after a two-and-a-half-year stint. In his stead is 35-year-old Interim Manager Jack Cassidy, who will head to the hostile grounds of Lumen Field for his first match in charge after being promoted from MLS NEXT Pro affiliate Timbers2.
A new coach bump is a common occurrence and something Seattle is cognizant of, especially with its man in charge. Schmetzer became the interim manager around this time in 2016 and led a last-place Sounders team to their first MLS Cup title. A decade later, Schmetzer is now the longest-tenured head coach in MLS.
“You always get a new coach bump because [the players] want to prove that they can compete and get jobs, so we expect that,” said Schmetzer.
Added Rothrock: “This coach has had some more time to implement some ideas, so you know they’ll be ready with some version of a new style. We can’t prepare too much. I think we know their personalities really well. We know how they typically play, and I think we have a certain idea of how the new coach wants to play.”
Bring the Noise
Enjoy the Rave Pack —a three-match offering filled with high-energy, high-stakes matches at Lumen Field. Open with our August 19 battle against Austin FC, and finish with a Saturday-night showdown vs. Eastern Conference foe CF Montrêal.
Internal competition isn’t unique to Portland, though. Schmetzer has liked what he’s seen in training recently as guys push each other for spots in the lineup. Thursday is their first chance in almost two months to prove they belong on the pitch.
“They want to get back at it,” said Schmetzer. “The guys will be fired up when the referee blows the whistle…A lot of guys smell opportunity to show me what they can do. So, no big speeches, dramatic stuff. They’re all motivated.”
In addition to the derby flair, Thursday is the first chance for Seattle to make an early statement in the Western Conference. The Sounders sit on 1.85 Points Per Game, the seventh-best mark in MLS, and a win would catapult them into third in the conference standings while sinking their rivals deeper into the West’s cellar.
“They don’t like us, and we really don’t like them, so it’s going to be a good game,” said Rothrock. “We get up for big games, and this is as big as they come.”
