The match between the Sounders and the Portland Timbers at Providence Park on May 13 will not count in the 2018 Cascadia Cup standings, according to a press release issued by Cascadia Cup Council, which has equal representation from the supporter groups of the Sounders, Timbers and Whitecaps FC.
Since 2004, the Cascadia Cup is the annual trophy, created by the clubs' supporters, awarded to the Pacific Northwest club that has the best head-to-head record against its regional rivals. The Sounders, who are four-time champions, last won in 2015.
The 2018 slate creates an imbalance of schedules with LAFC joining the Western Conference. The Timbers and Sounders face each other three times, while Whitecaps play the Sounders and Timbers twice apiece. Thus, the first match between Seattle and Portland won’t be counted towards the Cascadia Cup.
The following matches will count towards determining the Cascadia Cup:
| Saturday, June 30 | Sounders vs. Timbers |
| Saturday, July 21 | Sounders vs. Whitecaps |
| Saturday, August 11 | Timbers vs. Whitecaps |
| Sunday, August 26 | Timbers vs. Sounders |
| Saturday, September 15 | Whitecaps vs. Sounders |
| Sunday, October 28 | Whitecaps vs. Timbers |
The Cascadia Cup Council press release:
Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; Vancouver, B.C. — The representatives of the Cascadia Cup Council in Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver have jointly agreed that the results of the following regular season matches will count toward awarding of the Cascadia Cup in 2018:
- Saturday, June 30th, Sounders v Timbers
- Saturday, July 21st, Sounders v Whitecaps
- Saturday, August 11th, Timbers v Whitecaps
- Sunday, August 26th, Timbers v Sounders
- Saturday, September 15th, Whitecaps v Sounders
- Sunday, October 28th, Whitecaps v Timbers
As in past years, the Cascadia Cup rules and tiebreakers for these six matches are as follows:
- 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw
- The team with the most points after all six Cascadia Cup matches is the winner
Tiebreakers are, in order:
- Greater number of points earned in matches between the teams concerned
- Greater goal difference in matches between the teams concerned
- Greater number of goals scored in matches between the teams concerned
- Re-apply first three criteria if two or more teams are still tied
- Greater goal difference in all cup matches
- Greater number of goals scored in all cup matches
- Smaller number of disciplinary points in all cup matches (yellow = 1 point, red = 2 points)
The result of the Sunday, May 13th match between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders will not be considered toward awarding the Cascadia Cup.
The Cascadia Cup Council regrets that Major League Soccer made this decision necessary by scheduling an unbalanced number of matches among the three teams. Supporters of all three Cascadia Cup teams prefer a balanced schedule going forward, meaning that making such determinations would not be required.
About the Cascadia Cup Council: The Cascadia Cup Council is a recognized not-for-profit entrusted with the management of the Cascadia Cup. The Council is made up of one representative from each of the three founding Cascadia Cup supporters groups.
