Quick Recap: Timbers Lose 1-0 in Second Half Letdown

The lone goal in the Portland Timbers' 1-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders in tonight's Cascadia Cup matchup was a disastrous one.

The goal started off with a foul committed by Pa Modou Kah, chopping down Eddie Johnson as he took the ball into the corner and earning a yellow card in the process; a card that will see him suspended for next Friday's match against Real Salt Lake. Mauro Rosales, who had just entered the game for Shalrie Joseph, sent the ball into the box dropping down at the far post and glancing off the head of Johnson and past Donovan Ricketts.

From the first whistle the Timbers and Sounders were trading possession and attacking chances. Despite being on the road the Timbers took the game to Seattle and kept them under pressure throughout the first half. The best chance of the half belonged to the Timbers when Diego Valeri received the ball at the top of the Sounders' box, cutting back onto his right foot and curling the ball around Michael Gspurning, only to see his effort bounce off the bar. Ryan Johnson was in the perfect position to capitalize on the rebound, but he could not put a solid header on the ball and the chance went lacking.

The second half went quickly downhill for the Timbers as their sharp passing from earlier in the match evaporated under some increased urgency and width from the Seattle midfield. It was only in the final ten minutes of the match that the Timbers got back on the attack, throwing players forward. A flurry of saves from Gspurning in the final minutes, including parrying a rocket shot from Darlington Nagbe over the bar, kept the Timbers off the board.