SEATTLE – Cristian Roldan scored his sixth goal of the season but an equalizer in first-half stoppage time from Diego Valeri forced the Seattle Sounders to settle for a 1-1 draw in their Cascadia Cup derby against the Portland Timbers at CenturyLink Field on Sunday.
Roldan opened the scoring with a flick past Timbers goalkeeper Jeff Attinella in the 19th minute following a mad scramble in the penalty box, giving the Sounders the 1-0 lead. But the Timbers would pull it back after forward Darren Mattocks drew a penalty kick whistle from referee Mark Geiger on a counter, allowing Valeri to level the contest at 1-1 just on the stroke of halftime. Neither side struck in the second half and the contest would finish on level terms.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
New Timbers Nemesis
Clint Dempsey has a well-earned title as Portland’s chief arch nemesis with his nine career goals against Seattle’s rivals to the south. But Roldan might be making a case of his own for that moniker. The first-half tally marked the third straight home match against Portland in which Roldan has netted dating back to last season. Combine that with the news that he was named to the US national team’s roster for its upcoming World Cup qualifiers and Sunday was quite the day for Seattle’s emerging star midfielder.
Top of the West
The Sounders didn’t collect as many points as they would have liked during Rivalry Week, with Sunday’s draw coming on the heels of another 1-1 result against the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place on Wednesday. But with Sunday’s result, Seattle did keep their hold on the top spot in the Western Conference for the time being with the tie moving them to 11-7-9 and 42 points on the season. They certainly don’t have much separation from Portland (11-9-8, 41 points), meaning extending that lead becomes priority No. 1 for the Rave Green when they return from international break.
National team warriors
With that upcoming international break looming, many Sounders aren’t going to be afforded much time off. Roldan, Clint Dempsey and Jordan Morris have all been called in by USMNT coach Bruce Arena, while Nicolas Lodeiro (Uruguay), Roman Torres (Panama), Gustav Svensson (Sweden), Nouhou (Cameroon), and Joevin Jones (Trinidad and Tobago) will feature for their respective countries as well. The Sounders will have to wait until Sept. 10 to suit back up in MLS action, when they’ll take on the LA Galaxy at CenturyLink Field.
