Can Sounders keep the Cascadia Cup?

Emerald City Supporters hoist the 2007 Cascadia Cup after the Sounders won it at home over Portland at Qwest Field.

Vancouver Whitecaps at Seattle Sounders
Wednesday August 20, 7:00 PM Starfire

The Cascadia derby cup between Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers is a sought-after trophy by supporters and players of the three clubs.

The Sounders have won it two years in a row after the Whitecaps took home the cup in its first two years of existence.

The 2008 trophy comes down to one of the two previous winners as Seattle and Vancouver remain alive for the cup.

The Sounders need a win and a draw in their final two matches with Vancouver to insure a three-peat. Seattle host Vancouver Wednesday night August 20 at Starfire and then again Saturday night September 20th also at Starfire.

Last year the Sounders won the league Commissioner's Cup, the Cascadia Cup and then the USL Championship Cup. This year only the Cascadia and playoff cup appear possible.

The Whitecaps have a strong chance to win all three cups the Sounders did a year ago.

The Cascadia Cup will undergo significant changes after this season. Supporters of all three clubs will decide if it will become the derby cup for matches between Vancouver and Portland alone, or between Vancouver, Portland and Kitsap (if a club comes in there), or if it will simply go dormant until all three current traditional rivals are in MLS. (Some hold out hope that a tournament in pre-season may reunite the clubs before then.)

The Cup is special because it was started by supporters of all three clubs and is really a shared moment between supporters groups and their players.

Can the Sounders run off into the Major League Soccer landscape winners of the final derby cup they are likely to battle for in the next few years?

The next step against Vancouver looms ahead.

Sounders pre-match report
ProstAmerika match preview
SeattleSoccerTalk.com match thread



Roger Levesque delivers the 2007 Cup to the ECS.