The Seattle Sounders got a first-half equalizer from Kelvin Leerdam, but Felipe Mora scored the game-winner in the 83rd minute and the Rave Green fell 2-1 to the Portland Timbers in the Cascadia rivalry bout between the sides at CenturyLink Field on Sunday.
Leerdam scored a screamer for Seattle in the first half after Portland’s Eryk Williamson found an early opener, but Mora’s late winner would send the Sounders to their first defeat since the MLS restart.
After losing star midfielder Sebastian Blanco to an injury shortly after kickoff, Portland grabbed the opener in the 9th minute as Williamson slid behind the back line and slotted home a feed from Diego Valeri.
It would stay that way until the 42nd minute, when a corner kick deflected to Leerdam’s feet at the top of the area. The right back had an absolute rip, cashing a rocket shot under Portland goalkeeper Steve Clark and into the net to level the contest heading into halftime.
It remained 1-1 until the 83rd, when Mora was played in on goal by Williamson and slotted home the game-winner past Stefan Frei, allowing Portland to see out the 2-1 final.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
ROAD TEAM PREVAILS…AGAIN
How’s this for a weird stat: The road team has now won each of the past six installments of this historic rivalry, with both sides notching three victories apiece over that time. That’s not what you would expect in MLS, where home teams usually reign supreme. It feels like a statistical oddity that will even out soon enough, but for now, the visitors seem to have the upper hand.
LEERDAM STRIKES AGAIN
It was a tough defeat, but if there was a positive for Seattle, it continues to be the attacking theatrics from their standout right back. Leerdam now has eight goals and 10 assists in 79 career games for the Sounders, easily making him one of the league’s most dangerous attacking right backs since his arrival. The guy is just rock-solid on both sides of the ball, and his goal in this one might have been his prettiest.
QUAKES UP NEXT
You never want to lose to your arch-rival at home. That goes without saying. But there’s an opportunity to bounce back just around the corner, as the Sounders host the San Jose Earthquakes at CenturyLink Field on Thursday (7:00 p.m. PT; JOEtv, Prime Video, 1090 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM). With these points dropped, it’s a great chance to get back on track, and the team still finds itself in solid shape in terms of playoff positioning, with 15 points from nine matches leaving them at second place in the Western Conference. Now it’s about licking these wounds and maintaining that status near the top of the table moving forward.
