Seattle Sounders-Portland Timbers Preview (7/16/26)

It’s always fascinating when an event only talked about in the future tense finally enters the present day. For most Americans, the 2026 FIFA World Cup had 8 years to arrive. This was supposed to be the tournament that allowed Major League Soccer to explode domestically. Despite several outstanding performances from MLS-based players (Lionel Messi’s continued heroics, Petar Musa’s goal against England, every single Finn Surman tackle [AND GOAL]) it appears that the league is still floundering when it comes to gaining domestic legitimacy. The casual American soccer fan is a tough person to win over. MLS, to their own regret, still hasn’t done enough to sell themselves to the casual American soccer fan and doesn’t look likely to capitalize on any domestic momentum that this tournament could have provided.

Does that really matter though? And how much should I care about it? In order to enter the wild world of MLS, you have to accept that it won’t have any global prestige. Top competitions like the UEFA Champions League will never have American teams. The Club World Cup is another thing, but who is actually going to take that tournament seriously in the long term? I didn’t really care about it in 2025 after it expanded to 32 teams. It’s the only avenue for MLS teams to compete against the top clubs in the world. This lack of prestige is a factor of geography more than anything else. CONCACAF Champions’ Cup will remain the top continental prize in the region, which might be entertaining but still lacks global prominence. Top players will still arrive in America, but not in their respective primes. That’s perfectly fine! Those who are willing to give the United States’ top domestic league a chance will be rewarded in some way or another without having to pick a team.

Your team (most likely) is the Portland Timbers. They are your team because you either live or have lived in Portland, Oregon and have been able to experience the highest level of American soccer atmosphere. Your team plays in a 100-year-old stadium whose noise levels can rival those at the pinnacle of the sport. Your fandom likely began by simply going to a game. It could have been any run-of-the-mill MLS game, or you could have opted to go straight to the biggest club fixture in the United States: Portland vs. Seattle.

Two cities tucked into the farthest reaches of the country contest the most heated rivalry in American soccer. One contains more people, the other one cares more. Seattle has a NFL team, which graciously allows their soccer team to share their venue. Portland’s soccer team plays in a historic stadium that’s currently celebrating its 100th year of existence. One city is for the fake, and the other is for the real. 

When the MLS schedule was released last year, the World Cup break was the first thing everyone laid their eyes on. Due to the long pause, the season was split into two distinct halves. The schedule makers decided that they needed to capitalize on the aftermath of the World Cup, so a couple teams were cursed with the necessity to play on Thursday, July 16th. MLS would have to sell itself using its own product to gain more eyeballs, so they turned to Ol’ Reliable: Portland vs. Seattle.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup only existed in the future until it moved into the present. When the final whistle blew on the Providence Park pitch on May 23rd amidst a shower of boos and jeers, the World Cup break became a present reality. And, finally, a cursed Portland-Seattle game ON A GODDAMN THURSDAY has arrived. The passage of time is an interesting thing. The world seemed to slow down during the World Cup, and now all MLS teams are gearing up for a brutally congested sprint to the playoffs. The Seattle Sounders begin every season with an informally booked spot in MLS’ postseason. Their hated southern neighbors are trying to re-establish themselves as a club that can be guaranteed a postseason spot under any circumstances. Nearly two months have passed since either team played a competitive match. And they’ll have to face each other and try to begin the second half of the season on the right foot. Y’all know what week it is.

The Sounders Report

On October 4th, the Seattle Sounders faced the Portland Timbers at Lumen Field. And they did something that you’ll never believe: they got away with it again.

The Seattle Sounders always get away with it. Sometimes that comes in the form of winning a tournament after playing 5 out of 6 games at home and winning a final against an East Coast team traveling cross-country on three days’ rest (Leagues Cup). It can also appear as Toronto’s acquiescence to Seattle back in 2013, which allowed Clint Dempsey to become a Sounder. The Leagues Cup victory required a perfect set of circumstances. So did the Dempsey deal. October 4th also demanded perfect circumstances. It’s the only way that the Sounders could finally taste victory at Lumen against their biggest rival; an event that hadn’t occurred for 3,053 days.

The Sounders did not play a good game on October 4th. They presented a beatable version of themselves like they always do against the Timbers. But it was Portland’s failure to do anything competent that handed this victory to the Sounders. For the first time since May 27, 2017, the Seattle Sounders beat their biggest rivals at home.

Back-to-back wins against RSL and NYCFC boosted the Sounders to 5th place in the West and a Best-of-Three series against Minnesota. The Loons took Game 1 via penalties. Seattle won Game 2 after jumping out to a 3-0 first-half lead at Lumen before Minnesota pulled two goals back in first-half stoppage time. The final score held, and the Sounders forced a Game 3 in St. Paul.

I already told the story of this game from the Minnesota perspective. The Loons prevailed on penalty kicks and advanced to the next round. This loss hurt Seattle fans deeply. Not just because their season was over (in hilarious fashion) but the fact that Schmetzer-ball was defeated by Eric Ramsay’s unethical low block.  But make no mistake: this was a hell of a hate-watch. From Minnesota’s hard-fought comeback with 10 men to a hilarious penalty shootout (where none of the Loons tried to be unethical and force Andrew Thomas to dive on his injured hand) and capped off by 3 Seattle penalties hitting various parts of the goal frame, it was truly a sight to behold.

Seattle’s season ended with a thud in the North Star State. After a long and arduous campaign that saw the Sounders compete in four competitions (MLS, Leagues Cup, CCC, and the Club World Cup) many were wondering how they would strengthen the roster. Here’s where their roster build began to catch up to them. Pedro de la Vega finally began to show some promise in his second season with Seattle after arriving for an outlay of $6M and taking up a DP slot. However, the Argentine winger spent more time injured than available. Jordan Morris became a DP due to escalators in his contract but has also struggled with injury. Albert Rusnak was set to enter free agency and was the most productive and available out of Seattle’s three DPs. But he became a polarizing figure in the Seattle soccer universe despite some excellent production in 2024 and 2025. Some fans believed that he wasn’t worth the DP spot he occupied. However, because the new modus operandi of the Sounders’ front office is to spend as little money as possible (owner Adrian Hanauer is obviously saving some capital to try and build a new stadium in Renton) getting Rusnak back in Seattle became a priority as the Sounders entered the offseason.

He re-signed with Seattle on another DP deal, much to the chagrin of the Anti-Rusnak Brigade. Hanauer continued his policy of holding his cash close to his heart by refusing to spend a single dollar in the winter. Former Miami defender Ryan Sailor joined from free agency to add more defensive depth. Federal Way native Hassani Dotson also arrived as a free agent from Minnesota (where his last action in a Loons jersey was getting a penalty saved by Thomas in the Game 3 shootout). Dotson replaced outgoing wonderboy Obed Vargas, who was sold to Atletico Madrid for a reported $3.5M after his final kick in Fake Green slammed off of Dayne St. Clair's post from the penalty spot. That left the Sounders with only one U22 Initiative player (soon to be zero after fullback Reed Baker-Whiting was traded to Nashville in mid-February). Vargas needed to be replaced, and the Sounders brought Charlotte midfielder Nikola Petkovic to the club on loan. The U22 Serbian was highly regarded by Seattle’s front office, and the Sounders had a purchase option if Petkovic became a sturdy squad player. Elsewhere, long-serving defensive midfielder Joao Paolo left the club at the end of his contract only to return as an assistant coach with the Tacoma Defiance. Ryan Kent had the potential to be a serious coup when the Sounders brought him to the club in the spring of 2025, but he didn’t stick around. Midfielder Danny Leyva was transferred to Necaxa for approximately $600K after failing to lock down a starting spot. Four Tacoma Defiance players (Yu Tsukanome, Sebastian Gomez, Tino Lopez, and Peter Kingston) earned first-team deals.

That relatively uneventful offseason forced the Sounders to begin 2026 with this roster.

Where did all the GAM go? Seattle got a gift from the league with an extra $750K GAM being added to their coffers for participating in the Club World Cup. Kent’s salary probably took up a fair amount of it, but it left the Sounders with very little roster flexibility (outside of U22 slots, which the club refuses to spend cash on) as the season started. All three DPs were locked in for the near future, and a heavy TAM bill (despite only five rostered players using that designation) meant that the top of the roster couldn’t undergo many changes without another big move. However, a big move materialized on March 27th. Winger Georgi Minoungou was traded to Colorado for $2M GAM split evenly across the next two seasons. That’s a pretty big boost for a guy who couldn’t lock down a starting spot but provided an excellent option as a supersub.

Seattle’s (7-3-3, 24 points, 6W/10S) 2026 season began against those Colorado Rapids at Lumen Field. A routine 2-0 win allowed the Sounders to begin the season on the right foot. Then they went to Salt Lake City and lost 2-1. It’s pretty odd that the Sounders haven’t won at Rio Tinto Stadium since 2011, but it’s also really funny. A cagey 1-0 victory in St. Louis provided a springboard for the Sounders as they entered CCC play against Vancouver. 

Last year’s CCC finalists were trying to reach the promised land again, but finish the job this time. Did you know that Seattle and Vancouver have only faced each other twice (including this CCC tie) in a knockout tournament since the Whitecaps joined MLS in 2011? Back in 2017, the Sounders defeated Vancouver 2-0 on aggregate across two legs in the Western Conference Semifinals. Portland is the only team in this rivalry that has knocked the other two Cascadian teams out of the playoffs before. I find that noteworthy for some reason. In their CCC matchup, Paul Arriola (do NOT check his Twitter account) scored a brace to power the Sounders to a 3-0 first leg victory in Vancouver.

This is a good time to mention that Lumen Field hosted several World Cup matches this summer. I wrote about attending one of them. Grass had to be installed at Lumen for the tournament, so the Sounders had 5 road games in their opening 6 league matches while the installation was taking place. Their second leg CCC tie with Vancouver took place while the grass was being laid at Lumen, so they had to play it in Spokane. A 1-0 victory in San Jose (where Seattle parked the bus and got away with it) was the filling for two continental wins against the Whitecaps. The Sounders won the second leg 2-1 and advanced to the quarterfinals. Before they could play that quarterfinal (against Tigres), they drew 0-0 in Minnesota (some grudge match, huh) and relied on a late Paul Rothrock goal to beat Houston (this has never happened before). 

El Volcan came calling four days after that Houston victory. Tigres had just pulled off an improbable comeback against Cincinnati in the previous round; erasing a 3-0 first leg deficit with a 5-1 win in the home leg. They suffocated the Sounders in Mexico. Tigres held Seattle to 0.45 xG and entered the second leg (the first Sounders game back at Lumen since the season opener) with a 2-0 aggregate lead. Rusnak opened the scoring in the 11th minute, but Joaquim found the back of the net on a corner kick in the 31st minute to give Tigres a crucial away goal. Joaquim’s header proved to be the difference. Danny Musovski and Rusnak scored in the second half to tie the game on aggregate, but the away goals tiebreaker took Tigres to the next round. Seattle’s CCC run was over.

Was that a bad thing? Isn’t the standard to compete for the most amount of trophies possible? That’s why this roster has so much depth, right? Well, that depth was severely tested throughout the part of the season where CCC and MLS overlapped. Most of Seattle’s first-choice attackers (aside from de la Vega) were available throughout that stretch of games. But their defense was wracked by injuries. Alex Roldan (a right back) started at center back during the second leg against Tigres. But Seattle’s defense-first philosophy allowed their backline to remain strong despite lengthy absences from players like Yeimar and Kim Kee-Hee. The Sounders went unbeaten in their next five after getting knocked out of CCC. 

Two results in that five-pack are notable: a 1-1 draw in Kansas City and a 3-2 home win against San Jose. Let’s start with the San Jose game. The Quakes took an early lead (2nd minute, to be exact) but the Sounders pressured heavily for an equalizer. Their big break came in the 41st minute. Folks, they got away with it again.

A Nouhou cross was lofted towards the back post in the direction of San Jose defender Dave Romney and Seattle fullback Kalani Kossa-Rienzi. Romney jumped for the header but was slightly pushed by KKR (not the private equity firm that just invested in MLS NEXTPRO) while in the air. Kossa-Rienzi won the header but Romney was unable to control his balance due to, you know, being pushed. This led to his arm being outstretched and a handball. I don’t think this was a penalty. Oh well. Rusnak buried the spot-kick to tie the game. Jesus Ferreira (more on him later) scored in the 55th minute to give Seattle the lead before Preston “Preston Judd” Judd equalized in the 69th. Substitute Osaze De Rosario scored a free header in the 89th minute to win the game for Seattle. Sigh.

However, the SKC draw existed on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. The Wizards entered that game on a 6-game losing streak across all competitions while being outscored 21-3 in that stretch (including a 3-0 Open Cup loss in Colorado Springs). Rothrock scored in the second minute to seemingly consign SKC to another spanking. However, it was time for Cristian Roldan to shine. He passed the ball directly to Dejan Joveljic, who slotted a shot past Andrew Thomas for SKC’s equalizer in the 18th minute. Awesome. Both teams fought hard for a go-ahead goal, but none materialized.

That San Jose victory (on May 13th) was the last win for the Sounders. They dropped their next two games against the Galaxy (a 2-0 loss at home from LA’s only two shots on target) and LAFC (a 1-0 road defeat courtesy of an 86th-minute game-winner from Timothy Tillman). The Sounders entered the World Cup break beaten and bruised. Maybe they’ve done some healing over the past two months.

SEA Injury Report & Projected Starting XI

Despite the freshly installed grass pitch at Lumen, the turf monster continues to wreak havoc on the Seattle Sounders. Yeimar and de la Vega missed significant time during the first half of the season and are still recovering from long-term injuries. Alex Roldan is the newest member of the long-term injury club. His brother Cristian dealt with a quadriceps problem while handing out Capri-Suns and orange slices to his teammates on the USMNT during the World Cup. Petkovic tore his ACL in mid-April. To recap: that’s one first-choice forward, one first-choice midfielder, and two first-choice defenders who won’t be in the matchday squad.

This week’s version of Ol’ Reliable features several familiar names and some who need an introduction. Let’s begin with those that you probably know. Morris is still searching for his first goal against Portland since the Obama administration. Rusnak scored Seattle’s opener in the 1-1 draw in Portland last year. Rothrock nearly joined San Jose in free agency during the offseason but returned to Seattle at the last possible moment. Ferreira had some growing pains last year but might be the Sounders’ best forward in 2026. Rothrock leads the team in goals with 4, while Ferreira is tied with Rusnak for the team lead with 3 assists. Nouhou could play center back if absolutely necessary. Ragen’s most notable moment in this rivalry was getting sent to the weight room by Nathan Fogaca in the Asprilla bicycle kick game. Thomas hasn’t started a game in this rivalry before, but was a substitute for Stefan Frei in the 1-0 Timbers win at Providence Park in 2024. He has officially claimed the starting goalkeeper job this year and has 5 clean sheets.

Now to the unfamiliar names. Brunell is an academy graduate and seems to be the heir apparent to Obed Vargas. Kossa-Rienzi is an attacking right back who was drafted by Seattle out of the University of Washington. Lopez earned a first-team contract after a couple outstanding performances in relief of Yeimar during the first half of the season. Brian Schmetzer and the rest of the organization have built a conveyor belt from the academy to Tacoma straight to the first team. 7 out of these 11 projected starters have Tacoma ties. 

The Timbers Report

Phil Neville was fired two days after the Portland Timbers (4-2-8, 14 points, 13W/23S) lost to the San Jose Earthquakes at Providence Park for the first time since they entered MLS in 2011. The entirety of the World Cup break has been one long wait for Neville’s replacement to be announced. General manager Ned Grabavoy didn’t set a hard deadline for a permanent replacement to be hired before this Seattle game. T2 head coach Jack Cassidy was installed as the interim head coach on June 5th. His primary objective was preparing this team for the Seattle game regardless of the status of the coaching search. Portland’s bench on Thursday is going to look sparser than it did on May 23rd against the Earthquakes.

A Coaching Reshuffle

Aside from Neville, three other assistant coaches will not be on the sideline on Thursday. The first casualty of the World Cup break was the newest member of the coaching staff: Alex Dodgshon. Neville brought him to Portland ahead of the current season to help with the defense. I noticed Dodgshon leading a defensive structure drill in training ahead of the season opener. I don’t need to talk about how bad Portland’s defense was during the first half of the season. You already know how bad it was. This departure wasn’t surprising.

Neither was the departure of lead assistant Dave van den Bergh. The multi-lingual Dutchman was the other assistant coach hired by the Timbers during Neville’s tenure. Based on team sources, van den Bergh’s arrival was a collaborative effort between Neville and the front office. Van den Bergh went 1-0-1 as acting head coach (a blowout win against Nashville and a disappointing draw against San Jose).

Shannon Murray became the third and final first-team coach to depart over the World Cup break. After spending a decade with the Timbers, his departure was announced on Tuesday. He made a lateral move; joining the Columbus Crew’s coaching staff in a similar role. While Dodgshon and van den Bergh became casualties in early June, Murray’s departure occurred less than a week after he was present at an open training session. He’s very highly regarded around the league, and I’m happy that he landed with a quality MLS organization. 

Murray was my pick to become the interim head coach after Neville was fired. However, that role was offered to Cassidy instead. Andres Flores (yes, former Timber Andres Flores) took charge of T2 after the decision was announced. T2 has posted a 4-1-2 record during this interim period. 

TANGENT: T2 is Good

Following the Timbers’ second team has barely been worth anyone’s time for the majority of the 16 years that the club has spent in MLS. That might sound harsh, but it became a home for fringe players and didn’t have a strong academy feeding homegrowns into the first-team pipeline. Grabavoy and technical director Jack Dodd have begun to prioritize the academy in recent years, and the fruits of their labor (alongside the efforts of academy coaches and support staff) is finally showing in 2026. 

T2 is 9-5-4 this season; good enough for 3rd place in the Western Conference of MLS NEXTPRO on 34 points. This record is buoyed by a phenomenon that is exceedingly weird to Timbers fans: a ridiculously strong road record. 22 of those 34 points have been earned away from Providence Park. Cassidy and Flores prioritized the “world-class basics,” which have solidified T2 as one of the top defensive teams in MLS’ second tier. Their 10 clean sheets currently lead the league.

One of those clean sheets was achieved on May 31st against the Tacoma Defiance. Eric Izoita’s 11th-minute strike gave T2 the lead, and the entire squad held on and defended extremely well to nullify any chance of Tacoma getting back into the game. The top players on T2 are from the academy. Izoita acts as a tempo-setter in midfield, but has chipped in with 3 goals (including a second against Tacoma on July 5th). He can often be seen spraying passes towards Noah Santos, an exciting forward who plays like a classic winger. Santos has been lighting up highlight reels for years as he works his way towards the first team. Izoita’s midfield partner is often Adolfo Enriquez, who made his first team debut in the blowout win over Nashville back in 2024. Draft pick Lucas Fernandez-Kim (go Beavs) leads the team with 3 assists and acts as a pressing 10. Sam Joseph is responsible for 5 of those shutouts, but some credit has to go to defender Charles Ondo. Late in this May 31st game against Tacoma, Ondo took over as T2 tried to kill the game off. Comparisons to Dairon Asprilla are often saved for bicycle kick attempts, but Ondo’s ability to take the ball to the corner multiple times during second-half stoppage-time was a great tribute to the Colombian cult hero.

If you have the time, try to make it to a T2 game before the season ends. Admission is free and a home crowd always amps up the team. Their next home game is on July 26th against Real Monarchs.

A Coaching Reshuffle, Continued

T2’s defensive improvements were probably a major factor why Cassidy got the interim head coaching job over the other assistants. He provided a fresh voice for the players, and it’s safe to say that they like what he has to say. Here are Cole Bassett’s thoughts on Cassidy: “He’s a guy that really likes to connect with his players. He definitely has simple messages on the field, but is very honest and direct with what he wants. But off the field he likes to get to know you and connect with you so that when you’re on the field, you feel like it’s a guy that you want to play for. And I think the results that T2 has had definitely show what kind of coach he is and who he’s going to be in the future. I have no doubt that he’s actually going to be a very top coach. He stepped into this role seamlessly and it seems like he could be our coach right now. We’ve been very lucky to have him. I think a lot of us have felt a joy since he came in and fallen in love with football over the summer…We’ve gotten to compete a lot in practices and that’s down to him and the sessions that he’s running. I’ve loved every minute with him so far and hopefully we can get the results in these first few games to back him up.”

Cassidy will be joined on the touchline by Liam Ridgewell and goalkeeping coach Memo Valencia for Thursday’s game. A permanent head coach announcement is expected this week, per team sources. For more on Cassidy, I’d heavily recommend this excellent interview with the interim head coach conducted by Luukas Ojala of Stumptown Footy back in May.

Twelve Minutes With Antony

This segment is usually titled “Tree Questions.” However, as I readied myself to sit down with Antony on Tuesday, I went back through the multitude of player interviews that have taken place throughout the season. One crucial thing stood out: Antony hasn’t talked all year.

I should have recognized it sooner. Usually I like to talk to players after something good has happened. After Antony found the back of the net in the season opener against Columbus to give the Timbers a 2-1 lead, he never had an opportunity to talk about it. Nothing post-game, and nothing in the week leading up to a game against Colorado; his self-described “favorite opponent.” “I just like to score goals against Colorado,” he quipped after Portland’s 3-0 victory in Commerce City last year. An Antony goal in Commerce City didn’t occur this year, and the Brazilian winger wouldn’t find the back of the net again until the mid-season finale against the Earthquakes. “It’s maybe been my worst start to a season since arriving to Portland,” he told me on Tuesday. “As a team, I think we just need to score goals. We complicate it for ourselves sometimes in games. We’ll score a goal, but then we’ll allow the other team to come back and we spend the rest of the game chasing a result.”

The “overcomplication” aspect seems like a product of a system that wanted to slow the game down instead of taking advantage of Antony’s superpower: his speed. Playing in the slower, more methodical system that Neville installed took that superpower away. The former head coach championed Antony from day one. His first preseason in Portland was also Neville’s, and the English manager spoke about how much Antony stood out during the lead-up to the 2024 campaign. Antony began that season with two excellent goals against the Colorado Rapids. Finding consistency in his play has been one of his biggest on-pitch struggles since arriving in Portland. His underwhelming first half allowed for the World Cup break to act as a type of reset. “I went back to Brazil, to my country. I spent a lot of time with my family. My kids, my wife, I spent a lot of time training. My dad helped me prepare and keep me in shape for this.” 

Antony’s arrival in Portland, you may remember, was immediately affected by Giovanni Savarese’s sacking. He wasn’t eligible to play when the Timbers lost 5-0 in Houston back in 2023, but he was in the stadium as an era of Timbers soccer ended. Neville’s arrival and eventual support proved to be a big boost to the young Brazilian in a foreign land. “When we got the news about Phil [Neville], I was sad. Phil was a great coach and person, especially off the field. He believed in me a lot. Even when I wasn’t in my best times he had confidence in me.” But he, like a few other players, has been invigorated by Jack Cassidy’s arrival. “Jack is a great coach too. I’m learning a lot from him in the trainings. The trainings are very intense and we have a lot of competition amongst ourselves, which is great. I like Jack.”

It’s a similar situation to his arrival in Portland. An old coach is going out the door and an interim steps in while a permanent replacement is surely on the way. Most of this roster hasn’t undergone a coaching change in Portland. But Antony is now one of the longest-tenured players on the team. Only Diego Chara, Felipe Mora, Zac McGraw, Juan Mosquera, and Eric Miller have been in Portland longer than the Brazilian winger. Although he is only 24, I wondered whether or not the length of his tenure translates to some sort of leadership role within the locker room. “I don’t really see myself or consider myself a leader. I think we all just kind of respect each other. A lot of the guys here, including myself, are still pretty young. And so what we really try and do is follow the older guys or the guys with more experience, you know, [like] Diego or Kamal. Ultimately, in the locker room, I don’t really like to use the term ‘leader.’ We just try and understand each other. We don’t worry about which one of us has a bigger leadership role over the other. All we really listen to is if it comes from the older guys.”

The World Cup is still at the top of everyone’s minds, so I asked Antony how his World Cup experience has been. “I think it has been absolutely crazy. The games are some of the most challenging ones that I’ve seen. Games with last minute goals; very dramatic. The experience here in Portland, you know, we’re a little further from most of the venues. So it hasn’t been as easy to catch it live, but we do what we can.”

Controversy has surrounded all of these World Cup games. There seems to be a new thing to be upset about every single day regarding the World Cup. When the tournament began, the first major point of contention was the mandatory hydration break (la pausa de hidratacion, for you Telemundo viewers). The majority of the world was outraged, especially when the inaugural hydration break in Mexico-South Africa immediately turned into an opportunity for FOX to shove a few commercials into the pause and cut away from the game entirely. However, MLS watchers are no strangers to the concept. Hydration breaks have been instituted in MLS games for a couple years now. It’s something that has to occur because the calendar hasn’t switched yet and hot summer temperatures mandate the need for an extra break for players to get water. The fan perspective of hydration breaks has dominated the headlines. What do players (specifically Antony) think of them? “I think it affects both sides, good and bad. For example, if you’re a team that’s up and you’re pushing for more, the break essentially cools you down and stops your momentum. On the other hand, it gives Coach an opportunity to talk to you and give you advice when otherwise you wouldn’t have that chance. For players, ultimately, I think it’s a good thing. Especially when there’s sun and it’s hot like it is right now.”

Antony scored one of the most important goals of the Neville era back in 2024. On Decision Day, the Timbers just needed a draw to win the Cascadia Cup at Lumen Field. After receiving a pass from Evander, the Brazilian winger charged forward on the right wing, sat Nouhou down, and finished past Stefan Frei at the far post. It was the Timbers’ first shot on target of the game, and it delivered the Cascadia Cup back to Portland. I wondered where that moment ranked among his favorite memories as a Timber. “That goal, I would consider, actually, probably, the second best goal of my career. It was a very special goal for me. When I arrived, whether it be to Portland or to the match, I didn’t know anything about the Cascadia Cup. or what it was or even that it was there. It wasn’t until after the match that I saw that Diego [Chara] received it and raised the cup. I asked him, I said ‘Hey, what is that?’ or ‘What’s the cup for?’ Diego explained the rivalry and kind of how the cup works. After that I can just say that I was very happy to have contributed to it.”

He did speak to reporters after that game and gave probably my favorite quote said by someone not named Dario Zuparic: “We didn’t win, but we also didn’t lose.” Yet by not winning, they still raised a trophy. Antony directly contributed to the only achievement of the Neville era. However, it was the game that took place four days later that truly began the cycle of events that leads us to the present day: Antony getting ready to suit up for the Timbers in Seattle without Neville on the sideline; the site of their biggest triumph together.

In many ways, social media is a consequence and triumph of modern technology. Humans have always had thoughts and they’ve always wanted other humans to hear those thoughts. As technology evolved past scribbling on rocks with other rocks to the development of ink and paper and eventually the printing press, the thoughts of everyday people began to proliferate throughout society. Yet there was still a barrier. Common people simply couldn’t walk up to a printing press and churn out manuscripts or manifestos. Social media broke down the wall; allowing anyone with a phone and an Internet connection to get their thoughts out into the world. With that power comes responsibility, of course.

When no one is talking to you, the urgency to get your thoughts out can be overwhelming. Throughout this season, Antony has taken to social media multiple times to negative effect. Although there are several reasons why he did it, I believe first and foremost that he wanted to speak and be heard. There are better ways to do it than his preferred method, but what’s done is done. All that remains is his own reflection on the matter: “I’m very happy here in Portland. I love playing for the Timbers and I always look forward to the weekend when I get to play at Providence Park.”

PTFC Injury Report & Projected Starting XI

Make no mistake: this report is pretty concerning. Velde stands out here, but his absence is excused as he welcomed the birth of his child this week back in Norway. Congratulations to him and his partner. Fernandez is estimated to resume full training next week. Guerra’s injury is new, and he was training on the side in each of the last two weeks. Mosquera’s absence is troublesome. He was a full participant last week and was expected to be ready for tomorrow’s game. Further clarity is needed on that front.

Cassidy isn’t likely to stray from the base structure of the team. So a 4-2-3-1 makes a lot of sense. Kelsy, Da Costa, Bassett, and a fully match-fit Jose Caicedo have to start. What do the flanks look like without Velde? I’m guessing that Antony keeps his spot on the left while Aravena gets a humongous chance to impress on the right. Both projected starting wingers (and Ariel Lassiter) are willing runners who can get on the end of deliveries from Da Costa in the pocket. Fory and Bye should start at fullback. Miller impressed in this fixture last season, and he’s the second-oldest field player in this projected lineup. Experience matters in a game like this.

Finn Surman deserves his own section. But he’s returning to the Timbers after a personally successful World Cup (highlighted by a goal against Egypt and lowlighted by New Zealand’s inability to have a competent midfield). He made his debut in this fixture two years ago to raucous approval. “I don’t believe the gap’s too big between myself and the players that we [New Zealand] played against,” the World Cup goalscorer said last Monday. He played in a group that featured Belgium (Jeremy Doku, Kevin de Bruyne, Leandro Trossard, and Romelu Lukaku), Egypt (Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush), and Iran (a squad of veterans fighting for their national pride). None of those games were easy, and Surman held his own in all three. But that goal is a uniquely special memory. “Everything happened in kinda slow motion as the set play was happening. When it went in the back of the net, it was just a blur…It was a nice team celebration. I got slapped on the head too many times. It was a moment I’ll never forget, so it’s pretty special.” You know what else is pretty special? Becoming the first active Portland Timber to score at a FIFA World Cup. He made his loved ones, his teammates, his city, and his home nation proud during this tournament. Outstanding work.

Tactical Preview

Counterattacks

Portland-Seattle games rarely require advanced tactics. The Timbers historically find success in Seattle by ruthlessly counterattacking. The Sounders are going to want the ball, and it’s up to Portland to exploit any turnovers.

The Timbers have seriously struggled on the counterattack this year. Under the previous regime, the primary goal was to slowly circulate the ball to try and open space. I believe that this insistence on “enjoying the ball” severely limited Portland’s ability to properly counter. With Bassett able to spring attacks from deep and Da Costa always looking for runners, the Timbers do have the pieces to be successful on fast breaks. Antony already touched on another problem: overcomplication. MLS is a relatively open league with plenty of space available for those brave enough to find it. The Brazilian’s speed can be utilized to a game-changing degree in this match. 

Duels

Bravery also applies to an area of the game that the Timbers have always lagged behind in: winning second balls and imposing themselves physically on an opponent.

Some of those struggles can be attributed to poor structure. I think a lot of those problems were structural, as a matter of fact. But this is a rivalry game, so winning duels becomes extremely important. Especially against the Sounders, who have magnets in their boots that attract every loose second ball. Duels have been the primary focus for Cassidy during the mid-season preseason. It was common for the team to finish a scrimmage, look at the duel numbers, and see that the team that won the most duels usually won the game. I’m expecting to see a massive improvement in Portland’s ability to win second balls during this game.

Matchday Info

Broadcast Bulletin

English: Callum Williams & Calen Carr

Spanish: Carlos Mauricio Ramirez & Marcelo Balboa

Home Radio Broadcast from 105.1 The Fan: unavailable on Apple TV

Broadcast platform: Apple TV

Kickoff time: 7:30 PM PST

Referee Report

Rosendo Mendoza’s 2026 stats: 10 games, 25.4 fouls/game, 0.5 penalties/game, 3.6 yellows/game, 0.2 reds/game

Last Timbers game officiated: May 2nd, 2026 @RSL 2-0 L

This is Mendoza’s second Portland-Seattle game after officiating the 1-1 draw in Portland last year; one of the most forgettable games in the history of this rivalry. Mendoza is usually a bog-standard PRO referee, so expect some good calls and some bad ones.

Series History

Historical record: 47-19-58

Historical record since 2011: 19-11-17, +1 goal differential

Road record: 7-8-9, -3 goal differential

Current streak: 1 loss

Current road streak: 1 loss (frowny face)

Table Time

Take one last look. This is now the reference point for measuring any success or failure in the second half of the season. 1 point per game, only ahead of Austin due to their game in hand. Six points out of the playoffs (technically the Wild Card) with 20 games remaining.

Three Western Conference teams besides Portland and Seattle have been selected to play on Thursday. Timbers-Sounders isn’t the only rivalry game occurring during this brief resumption. St. Louis-SKC will end right as the Timbers and Sounders are kicking off. The newest edition of El Trafico (a fake rivalry contested between Galaxy fans and former Galaxy fans) is taking place on Friday night. Vancouver also gets a head start on the new season with a trip to Chicago on Thursday night. Elsewhere, Montreal faces Toronto and Nashville hosts Atlanta. It’s kind of a taster course for the full slate of games next Wednesday.

The Timbers could climb into 10th with a win or remain in 13th with a loss. But the league table has to take a backseat. This is a Cascadia Cup game, after all.

This is a weird year for the hotly-contested regional tournament. Portland’s season series with Vancouver was wrapped up before the World Cup break. The Timbers lost both games, which might preclude them from reclaiming the trophy from the Whitecaps. That isn’t the case at all. This year’s schedule has segmented each version of the rivalry matchup. The Portland-Vancouver series was the first, followed by Portland-Seattle, and ending with Seattle-Vancouver. The Timbers play the Sounders twice in two-and-a-half weeks, with the reverse fixture taking place in Portland on August 1st. In order to regain a foothold in the Cascadia Cup standings, the Timbers simply need to beat the hell out of the Sounders. It’s easier said than done, sure, but this is a rivalry game. Recent form goes out the window.

Final Whistle

Especially when that “recent form” was last updated two months ago. Both teams have had time to rest and relax (particularly Cristian Roldan, who was busy handing out orange slices and Capri-Suns on the USMNT bench during the World Cup and not even seeing the pitch unlike WORLD CUP GOALSCORER FINN SURMAN). Two months off from competitive matches and immediately getting thrown into the ruthlessly competitive environment of a rivalry game could be a difficult prospect. Not for Cole Bassett though. “Some people might say that you want to ease back into it but this is getting right back into it. Seattle twice in two weeks, three weeks? Nothing better than that.” 

Major League Soccer, on the other hand, hasn’t done a great job with the glorious opportunity they’ve been presented. A World Cup on home soil provided a chance for the already agreed-upon calendar change to occur right after the tournament ended, not 2027. Roster rules could have been relaxed as well. Unfortunately, any new fans to the league will have to catch up on the previous few months. I still can’t believe how badly they screwed this up.

Especially while the general American public was fully immersed in the sport for a month straight. Watch parties were held all over the country, whether or not you were in a city that was hosting games. Thousands of foreign fans made the trip and reminded us what this tournament is actually about: a celebration of humanity. MLS’ goal of jumpstarting the second half of the season with rivalry games does sound good on paper. Is it going to work in execution as well? 

Like I said earlier, I shouldn’t have to care about what the league does. They’ll continue to act like they’re marketing towards investors instead of the people that attend games. I know you saw that stupid commercial. Did it make you laugh too? Like the calendar switch, it happened too late. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I’m not. Sigh.

Now it’s time to get ready for a Timbers game once again. That break was long. But it’s over, and it’s time to dial the intensity back up to a 10. 

Previous generations of Timbers players always knew that the standard had to be raised in games against Seattle and Vancouver. The Whitecaps’ recent dominance over Portland has definitely fueled the fires against the relocation-threatened Canadian club. But last year’s streak-breaking loss at Lumen really illustrated how much change this roster has undergone in the past couple years. Performances in this game speak very loudly. And a lot of the players on the current roster did not put their best foot forward in last year’s edition of this fixture. Fans aren’t the only ones going straight from the World Cup Experience directly into the biggest rivalry in American soccer. This is arguably the possible opportunity for the woes of the dreadful opening months of 2026 to be cleansed. Not entirely, of course. But that’s how much a win against Seattle means. 

The Timbers have been incredibly easy to tune out during the World Cup break. Most of that is due to the vacant head coaching position and a lack of tangible transfer rumors. That’s what happens during a long pause. In some way, this is a preview of what the mid-season break will look like when the calendar switches. Much like a pausa de hidratacion, it could disrupt the momentum of teams that are riding into the break on a hot streak. 

Portland is not in that boat. They stumbled into the World Cup break on the back of bad result after bad result. And Seattle presents such a unique opportunity to reverse the malaise of the former regime. You know what’s extra special about this opportunity? They can do it while also making a mockery of the only thing the Seattle Sounders are globally recognized for.

The wider soccer world endlessly dunks on “Fight and Win.” Rather than understand how humiliating their signature chant is, those three words get plastered on the video boards around the hour mark of every Sounders home game. Because the Sounders are constantly innovating new ways to make fools out of themselves, I view “Fight and Win” as low-hanging fruit. The mere existence of this stupid chant gets thrown back into the faces of normal, well-adjusted Americans who root for MLS teams that would never try something this stupid, much less embrace it. There are always new ways to make fun of the Sounders. Why should I care about “Fight and Win” when this photo exists?

It could be a supporter bus breaking down in 2022 after the Timbers lifted the Cascadia Cup at Providence Park. Four Sounder red cards in each of the last four years at Lumen? That’s fair game. Maybe it’s the simple fact that the traveling Portland supporters will be louder than the Brougham End; an occurrence so frequent that it’s already a tradition. Lumen’s soulless bowl might inspire gasps of awe and reverence to foreigners who have never seen a NFL stadium before, but those people would be equally astounded to see it at 1/3rd capacity for the biggest rivalry game in North American soccer. Why stoop down to European level and make fun of “Fight and Win” with so many other options available?

We are Portlanders, first and foremost. That gives us the ability to properly make fun of the Seattle Sounders. What if that statement applied to the players? Tomorrow’s match does provide that opportunity. And, folks, the Timbers have to crash through the door.

It’s utterly bewildering that Antony had no idea that his goal in 2024 won the Cascadia Cup until the trophy was being lifted in front of the traveling supporters at Lumen. Players like Diego Chara, who has played 1,300 more minutes in this rivalry than the next-closest player on either team, understand what this rivalry means. It’s a cup game, and it carries some of the fiercest bragging rights in the world. Those bragging rights exist in the terraces, on the Internet, and basically anywhere you happen to unfortunately run into a Seattle Sounders fan. That’s why it’s of the utmost importance that the Timbers win tomorrow, but they do it in the correct order: fight, then win.

Cassidy’s emphasis on duels has set up the funniest possible outcome. While many remain stressed about the vacant head coaching position, the Timbers have been training under the supervision of a (relatively) fresh face against the most knowable opponent in the league. Everyone knows what the Sounders do. Portland has always been uniquely equipped to defeat them, no matter who is available. But it can only happen if they bring the fight. Last year’s streak-breaking loss carried none of that fight, and Neville had the audacity to proclaim that the team was “just one phase of play away” from getting it done. These players are motivated by the failures of the first half of the season and their drive to make the traveling fans proud. The rational scapegoat is gone. There’s nothing to hide behind anymore. Especially in a rivalry game. Win your duels. Become the bastards that they think you are. Beat the Sounders in their home stadium with Cassidy at the helm. Gut the Fish. Detonate the Whale. Butcher the Pig. Fight and Win. The climb continues.