The past three Western Conference champions in Major League Soccer will renew their rivalry at Lumen Field on Saturday afternoon as the Seattle Sounders host the Portland Timbers.
Portland have put themselves back into playoff contention, earning points in four consecutive domestic affairs, currently trailing Seattle by three points for the final postseason berth.
Match preview
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After a rough outing, one thing you can almost always count on with the Sounders is a solid bounce-back performance, and that is what we saw last weekend in a 2-0 triumph over Toronto.
Brian Schmetzer has a luxury that few coaches have in this league, an ability to rotate nearly half the squad and still come out on top, as five new players were in the starting 11 in Toronto last week from the team that began their previous encounter against Montreal.
While the Cascadia Cup is not the main trophy they are seeking, it is always nice to get an edge on your regional rivals, and both sides are currently tied in the race for the Pacific Northwest crown at three points, with the Sounders seeking to clutch that trophy for a fifth successive time.
Seattle have shown they can beat you in various ways, and one of the most significant impacts in their domestic turnaround has been how well they have played defensively, conceding a mere five goals in their previous eight MLS affairs, including four clean sheets.
As much as this club have improved from the start of the MLS campaign, they are currently in a precarious position in the table.
The Rave Green are two points above the postseason line in the Western Conference and at the same time in the hunt for a home playoff fixture, trailing Real Salt Lake by three points for third.
Win, lose or draw, you can always count on the Sounders moving the ball at a high level with surgical precision, constantly possessing a pass accuracy above 80%.
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A bill of health which is virtually clean at the moment has made a massive difference in Portland, where the Timbers find themselves within reach of the postseason after erasing a two-goal deficit in Nashville last Saturday, playing to a 2-2 draw.
That was only the third time all year that the defending Western Conference champions had picked up a point when facing a second-half deficit.
Their quality in the attacking third has begun to shine through, scoring eight goals in four matches since the end of the June international window (June 18), which is tied for the most in the league over that span.
This week, manager Giovanni Savarese let his feelings be known that he was vexed by the Sounders' victory in the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) earlier this year, saying that they always want to outdo Seattle.
While they will not be the first MLS club to capture the CCL, Portland can boast an impressive track record of late in the Jet City, unbeaten in their previous six visits there, while their only four victories at Lumen Field have come under the guidance of Savarese.
History tells us that it is better to give than to receive, but the Timbers have done an equal amount of both throughout the campaign, conceding as many goals as they have scored (29).
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Team News
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After an injury-riddled 2021 season, Sounders captain Nicolas Lodeiro has come back strong in 2022, with eight goals and seven assists in all competitions, while being near the top of the list in almost every passing category.
Dylan Teves notched his first career MLS goal with Leo Chu collecting his first assist on the play, while Stefan Cleveland started in place of Stefan Frei for the first time since May 7, stopping all six Toronto shots for his first clean sheet of the season.
Xavier Arreaga and Raul Ruidiaz are each nursing left hamstring strains, while Will Bruin missed their previous encounter due to health and safety protocols.
The Sounders continue to be without Obed Vargas with a lower back stress fracture, and Joao Paulo is out for the season with a right ACL tear.
Jaroslaw Niezgoda notched his team-leading sixth of the season last Sunday to help Portland earn a draw, and Eryk Williamson now has five assists since May 4, the second-most in the league over that span.
Last Sunday, Dairon Asprilla became the fifth player in the Timbers MLS era to notch at least 20 goals and 10 assists, joining Diego Valeri, Fanendo Adi, Sebastian Blanco and Darlington Nagbe in that exclusive group.
Blanco will be questionable for this match with a foot injury, Cristhian Paredes has a hamstring strain, Diego Gutierrez is expected to miss another game because of a foot injury, while David Bingham made just his second start of the season in place of Aljaz Ivacic, collecting two draws in those fixtures.
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; Tolo, Ragen, Gomez, A. Roldan; Rowe, Rusnak; C. Roldan, Lodeiro, Medranda; Montero
Portland Timbers possible starting lineup:
Ivacic; Bravo, Tuiloma, Zuparic, Van Rankin; Williamson, Y. Chara; Asprilla, Fochive, D. Chara; Niezgoda
We say: Seattle Sounders 2-1 Portland Timbers
A well-rested Sounders squad will be eager to improve their form at home after dropping points in two of their last three outings.
Despite Portland making great strides in recent weeks, we expect Seattle to dictate the tempo of this game and take Portland out of their rhythm in the middle of the field, something the Rave Green have excelled at in recent fixtures.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
