In this weirdest of seasons where circumstances have dictated more regional play, the Portland Timbers are adamant that their Cascadian Cup clashes against the Seattle Sounders don't become any less feisty.
The Timbers are set to face the Sounders for the third time in a month, having split the first two games with both winning on the road. The Timbers very much have not gotten over that 3-0 loss to Seattle at Providence Park in August, with the side using the result as motivation for the Sounders' trip back to Providence Park on Wednesday night (10 pm ET | TV & streaming).
"Unless you’re winning every single time, there’s always something left to be desired," Jeremy Ebobisse told reporters on a virtual press conference. "Last time, they came to Providence Park and beat us 3-0. It started a run of games that we know we should have done better. They took some pride out of us after a successful summer, that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
The Timbers were riding a wave of momentum after winning the MLS is Back Tournament, but won just one of their first six matches upon their return from the tournament, starting with that loss against Seattle. Portland got back to winning ways against the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, with a big 6-1 victory.
“It’s something we’re not happy with, that we haven’t won in our last two matches at home against them," Savarese said. "I’m sure they have the same feeling about not beating us at their field. We want to make sure this one that not only we get three points, but we have a great performance.”
The Timbers got some revenge against Seattle on September 6, picking up all three points at CenturyLink Field. Since that match, though, the Sounders have won back-to-back games over the San Jose Earthquakes then LAFC by a combined score of 10-1.
“It’s a team we want to beat all the time, just like how they want to beat us every time," head coach Gio Savarese said. "It never gets old, Jebo is right, we’re very excited to play Seattle. The fact that it’s home, we’re twice as excited because we want to make sure we get a good result that we haven’t got in the two previous matches.”
