Nobody saw that coming.
The Portland Timbers came to Starfire Sports Complex expecting a scrap. What they got was equal parts brawl, blowout, and unbeleivable as they ran out the 3-1 winners in extra time against a Sounders side that ended the match with only seven players on the field.
Through regulation the match was a run of the mill clash between two bitter rivals on a pitch that runs and bounces in a similar fashion to concrete. The Timbers opened the scoring early on as Rodney Wallace found a streaking Diego Valeri in the Sounders box, poking the ball over the end line with a well placed toe.
As the Sounders looked for the equalizer, the match started to heat up with the home team picking up their first red card of the night as Brad Evans took down Jorge Villafana then gave the Timbers' fullback a quick kick while he was down on the ground.
The Sounders would charge back and get a goal of their own following a series of monumental saves from Adam Kwarasey, sending a corner kick to the far post that Kwarasey would fail to connect on and finding the foot of Obafemi Martins. With a quick kick, Martins slipped the ball past the Timbers defense and into the back of the net.
Martins would not be on the pitch for much longer, however, as a collision with Darlington Nagbe forced him out of the match moments after the Sounders used their final substitution.
Now with a two man advantage, the Timbers took control of the game going into extra time. Holding the ball for long periods, the Timbers eventually found the game winner through their sustained pressure. Getting the ball to George Fochive at the top of the box, the Timbers' midfielder took a quick shot through traffic that bounced nicely to the feet of Rodney Wallace. With no defender able to react, Wallace knocked the ball home with no issues, giving the Timbers the lead.
Once again chasing the play, the Sounders finally came apart. Late in the match Michael Azira came in on Gaston Fernandez with an elbow that the referee did not hesitate to reward with a red card. As the Sounders swarmed around the ref, Clint Dempsey appeared to take they yellow card he received for dissent away from the ref, earning him a straight red as well.
With the Sounders now down to seven men on the pitch, the Timbers were able to ping the ball around with no issues. Although they took several speculative shots, the Timbers finally grabbed an insurance goal from Maximiliano Urruti, who took the ball toward the Sounders box then fired a low shot at the near post that Perkins looked to have covered but could not clear away.
With boos and garbage raining down from the crowd, the final whistle blew, sending the Timbers through to the next round and breaking the Sounders invincible hold on Starfire and the Open Cup.