Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers
MLS Regular Season
Sunday, August 24; 2 pm PT; Providence Park
TV/Radio: ESPN2; KIRO Radio 97.3 FM; ESPN Deportes Radio, 1490 AM (Spanish)
Portland’s Record: The Timbers are 7-7-10 (31 points) and two points out of the fifth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Portland is 3-2-7 at Providence Park this season.
Head-To-Head: This is the final match in the three-game regular season series. Seattle holds a 1-0-1 edge in the first two, with a 4-4 draw at Portland on April 5 and a 2-0 victory at CenturyLink Field on July 13. Seattle also earned an overtime victory in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal on July 9.
All-Time Series: Seattle leads the MLS series with a 4-2-4 record. In all competitions since Portland joined MLS in 2011, Sounders FC has a slight edge at 5-4-4. Dating back to the North American Soccer League clashes that started in 1975 and including matches in the WSL, USL and MLS, Seattle holds a 44-31-12 lead.
Injury Report: Sounders FC – OUT: D Damion Lowe (Hip Surgery); F Kevin Parsemain (ACL Tear). QUESTIONABLE: D Dylan Remick (L Adductor Strain). Timbers – OUT: None. QUESTIONABLE: None.
Key Player: Diego Chara may not be in the same form as he was a year ago, but the feisty Colombian midfielder has shown to be an important piece for Portland. He scored twice in a 4-4 draw against Seattle at Providence Park in April. However, he was unavailable for the Timbers against Sounders FC last month and Seattle had a lot more control of the match in a 2-0 victory. If he is available, he takes a lot of defensive pressure off his teammates with the amount of ground he covers, particularly his midfielder partner and Portland captain Will Johnson.
Notes: Both teams have scored 39 goals this season and both have also notched 21 of those goals in the final 30 minutes of matches. … Clint Dempsey matched Eddie Johnson and Fredy Montero on Seattle’s all-time scoring list against the Timbers with four goals. … The Timbers are coming off of a victory in the club’s first ever venture into CONCACAF Champions League, a 2-1 win over Alpha United in Guyana on Tuesday. … Seattle is second in the Cascadia Cup standings at 1-1-2 (5 points), behind Vancouver’s 2-0-1 (7 points). Portland is third at 0-2-1 (1 point).
