PORTLAND, OREGON - Courtesy of a late goal by midfielder Sebastian Blanco, Sounders FC (2-5-2, 8 points) fell 1-0 on Sunday to the Portland Timbers at Providence Park (4-3-2, 14 points) in the 100th all-time contest between the two archrivals dating back to 1975. Due to an unbalanced schedule between the three Cascadia teams, today's contest does not count toward the overall season point total for the Cascadia Cup - the annual Supporters-led trophy that is contested between Seattle, Portland and Vancouver, with the cup awarded to the top-performing Pacific Northwest club each season.
Following a tense first half that saw Seattle win 62 percent of the game's duals through a scoreless 45 minutes of play, the Rave Green continued to hold Portland's attack at bay throughout the second half. Once again anchored by a five-man backline, centerbacks Chad Marshall, Kim Kee-hee and Gustav Svensson worked together alongside fullbacks Kelvin Leerdam and Nouhou to frustrate Portland. Substitute Jordan McCrary also played a role in the effort, as did Jordy Delem, who slid back into central defense from midfield following Kim's departure from the contest due to injury.
The scoreless deadlock held until the 86
th
minute of play, when Blanco gave the home side the match-winner. The Argentine midfielder got behind the defense on a through-ball from substitute forward Samuel Armenteros and chipped Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei for his team-leading fifth goal of the season.
After concluding a hectic week that saw his side play three matches on the bounce, Brian Schmetzer's club heads into a bye week. The Rave Green return to MLS action on Saturday, May 26 in the first of back-to-back matchups against Western Conference rival Real Salt Lake. Kickoff at CenturyLink Field is slated for 2:00 p.m. PT, with JOEtv, YouTubeTV, 950 KJR AM and El Rey 1360 AM providing coverage of the contest. One week later, Seattle travels to the Wasatch Front, facing RSL on the road on Saturday, June 2.
MATCH NOTES
- Sounders FC concludes a stretch of three matches in nine days, and Sunday's result brings the team to 2-5-2 on the season, currently sitting tied for 10th place in the Western Conference with eight points.
- Seattle is now 9-6-6 against Portland in MLS regular-season play, including a 2-6-3 record at Providence Park. Sunday's match marked the first of three regular-season meetings of the campaign between the two sides.
- Sunday marked the 100th all-time meeting between Seattle and Portland dating back to 1975. Across five different leagues and competitions, Seattle leads the all-time series with a record of 50-36-14.
- Sounders FC deployed a 5-4-1 formation for the second consecutive match, with three central defenders (Chad Marshall, Gustav Svensson and Kim Kee-hee) playing alongside fullbacks Kelvin Leerdam and Nouhou.
- Sunday's match does not count in the 2018 Cascadia Cup standings. Due to an imbalanced schedule and a joint decision by the Cascadia Cup Council, Seattle's June 30 match vs. Portland in Seattle is the first fixture of the season that will be considered toward awarding the 2018 Cascadia Cup.
- With the start today, Chad Marshall recorded his 378th career MLS regular-season appearance, tying Steve Ralston for fifth in league history.
- Midfielder Harry Shipp was back among the substitutes on Sunday after returning from an ankle sprain.
- After completing a three-match stretch over nine days, Sounders FC heads into a bye week from MLS play. Brian Schmetzer's side returns to action on Saturday, May 26 against Real Salt Lake on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field (2:00 p.m. PT / JOEtv, YouTube TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM).
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 0 - Portland Timbers 1
Sunday, May 13, 2018
Venue:
Providence Park
Referee:
Robert Sibiga
Assistants:
Jason White, Brian Poeschel
Fourth Official:
Daniel Radford
VAR:
Jorge Gonzalez
Attendance:
21,144
Weather:
Clear and 81 degrees
SCORING SUMMARY
SEA -
Sebastian Blanco (Samuel Armenteros) 86'
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
SEA -
Jordy Delem (caution) 34'
POR
-
Liam Ridgewell (caution) 44'
SEA
-
Alex Roldan (caution) 76'
SEA -
Henry Wingo (caution) 82'
POR
-
Sebastian Blanco (caution) 90'+6'
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC
-
Stefan Frei; Kelvin Leerdam, Kim Kee-hee (Handwalla Bwana 71'), Chad Marshall, Gustav Svensson, Nouhou (Jordan McCrary 60'); Magnus Wolff Eikrem (Henry Wingo 78'), Cristian Roldan - captain, Jordy Delem, Alex Roldan; Clint Dempsey
Substitutes not used:
Bryan Meredith, Tony Alfaro, Harry Shipp, Lamar Neagle
Total shots:
5 (Nouhou, 3)
Shots on goal:
1 (Nouhou, 1)
Fouls:
6 (A. Roldan, 2)
Offside:
1 (Dempsey, 1)
Corner-kicks:
6 (Wolff Eikrem, 4)
Saves:
1 (Frei, 1)
Portland Timbers -
Jeff Attinella; Alvas Powell (Dairon Asprilla 86'), Larrys Mabiala, Liam Ridgewell, Zarek Valentine; Cristhian Paredes (Andres Flores 77'), Diego Chara, Andy Polo, Diego Valeri, Sebastian Blanco; Fanendo Adi (Samuel Armenteros 77')
Substitutes not used:
Jake Gleeson, Julio Cascante, Marco Farfand, Lawrence Olum
Total shots:
10 (Polo/Valeri, 3)
Shots on goal:
2 (Polo/Valeri, 1)
Fouls:
6 (Valeri, 2)
Offside:
4 (Valeri, 2)
Corner-kicks:
5 (Valeri, 5)
Saves:
1 (Attinella, 1)
