The Portland Timbers are once again heading up I-5 for their 124th meeting with the Seattle Sounders, and as much as it pains me to say it, the two cities are on polar opposite ends of the sporting success spectrum.
Up North the Sounders are fresh off of winning Leagues Cup, the Mariners (yuck, baseball) have won their division for the first time in over two decades, and the Seahawks have started the 2025 season with a near-perfect 3-1 record under exciting second year head coach Mike Macdonald.
Meanwhile, in Soccer City USA, Timbers, Thorns, and Blazers fans have been subjected to several years of underachieving while their beloved teams rebuild rosters with unproven head coaches and promising young players.
Per Timbers Radio's Adam Susman, the Timbers haven't lost in Seattle for 3,050 days. What better time for Phil Neville and his team to reprise a party-crasher role that has served the club so well over the years, and knock the third-most popular team in their stadium district down a peg?
Stats, Form, and Injuries
The last two meetings between the Timbers and Sounders have both ended in a 1-1 draw – Santiago Moreno responded to Albert Rusnak's opening goal in the reverse fixture on May 17, while Antony canceled out Yeimar's set-piece goal back on Decision Day in 2024, which some of you may remember as Finn Surman's debut for the club.
Team Records:
Despite Seattle's Leagues Cup win and "we didn't get beat too badly in every game en-route to zero points" trophy at the Club World Cup, both the Timbers (1W-3D-1L) and Sounders (1W-2D-2L) are in very similar MLS form with just a couple matches to go before the start of the playoffs. Just two points (albeit with the Sounder having a game in-hand) separate Portland in 7th (44pts) and Seattle in 5th (46pts).
Overall the Timbers are 11W-11D-10L through 32 matches, scoring 41 goals while conceding 43, compared to the Sounders, who are 12W-10D-9L through 31 matches, scoring 54 goals while conceding 47. For as doom and gloom as some have made Portland's season out to be, they're record is almost identical to the apple of MLS' eye in league play this year.
Antony and Kevin Kelsy are joint-top scorers for the Timbers in 2025 on 7 goals each, while MLS journeyman Danny Musovski has inexplicably tallied 14 for the Sounders to go along with Rusnak's 11 goals.
Injuries:
Portland – Some surprises for the Timbers, who will be without James Pantemis after the goalkeeper sustained a head injury after the FC Dallas match. Jimer Fory, Matias Rojas, Zac McGraw, and Dario Zuparic are all listed as questionable.
Seattle – The Sounders will be without Yeimar after he was forced off with a hamstring strain in their last match against the Vancouver Whitecaps, and could be without Alex Roldan (questionable) after he tweaked his hip in the same contest. Also unavailable for the Sounders are wingers Paul Arriola and Ryan Kent, midfielder Obed Vargas, and homegrown defender Stuart Hawkins.
Pre-Match Press Conferences:
Phil Neville:
Kristoffer Velde:
Kickoff is currently scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT tomorrow, Oct. 4, and with the Mariners (again, yuck baseball) playoff game starting at 5:38 p.m. PT, getting to and around the stadiums is going to be a nightmare for those who will be making the trip up.
