There are quite a few talking points behind the Seattle Sounders' 1-0 victory over the Portland Timbers August 7th in the Rose City.
In the end the scoreboard has the loudest say: Seattle takes the last-ever regular season match between the two clubs in USL play, and boots Portland out of Cascadia Cup contention for a 5th straight season.
Sebastien Le Toux scored the winner for Seattle midway into the first half. A scramble in the box saw Nik Besagno connect with a ball that ricocheted off of the right post and right to Le Toux for the tap-in.
Later in the first half Portland sweeper Scot Thompson made a bizarre challenge on Josh Gardner of Seattle. With the Timbers in no danger of giving up a goal Thompson went in hard on Gardner and was issued a straight red card. My first thought was the call was harsh. Watching the replay later it seems the call was a good one, but is usually not the kind of call you'll see carried through by an official. Usually such dangerous fouls in non-scoring areas merit just a yellow.
The game could have or should have turned at that moment, but the Sounders spent the rest of the night trying to keep Portland in the match. The Timbers thought they had tied it 1-1 in the late stages but the goal was waved off for a correct out of bounds flag.
Eylander with another shutout. Flickr photo by the Oregonian
Seattle's second half lack of focus failed to derail the Sounders from their third straight league win.
More importantly for Sounders supporters, they know that they'll either be keeping the Cascadia derby cup or handing it off to the friendlier supporters up north in Vancouver. The Timbers still do not have a Cascadia Cup in the cupboard as the loss eliminated them from the derby for the fifth year running.
Match reports:
Photos from traveling fan
The Seattle Pitch
Seattle Sounders
Portland Timbers
ProstAmerika.com
Oregonian (with photos)
Portland Tribune
Seattle Soccer Show Player Ratings
Box score
Current USL Table
Goal.com: The end of a rivalry
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