The Portland Timbers (7-8-12, 33 points) host the Seattle Sounders (10-13-3, 33 points) tonight at Providence Park in a pivotal late season clash.

Storylines So Far

The Timbers are coming off of back to back multi-goal losses, souring what had been a ten-game unbeaten run that had revitalized the Timbers’ season. Portland still stands below the playoff line, in 10th place in the Western Conference. They are within a point of the playoff line, but lose the tiebreaker with many of the teams around them by having less total wins. So the Timbers truly have fallen behind the curve in their race for the playoffs, and would do well to notch a rivalry win tonight to help buoy their hopes.

Seattle will also want to buoy their own season, as they stand in a very similar position to Portland. Tied with Portland on points, they are in 9th place by virtue of having more wins than the Timbers. They have only once twice in their past nine games, and are also in desperate need of a win in order to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.

The other storyline tonight is that of the Cascadia Cup. With a win or a draw agaisnt Seattle, Portland clinches the regional trophy for the first time since 2017.

Pregame Reading

Naveen had player grades from Portland’s dud of a loss last weekend.

Sam ran through the odds and charted a course for how Portland may be able to sneak into the postseason.

Sam also tried to capture the stakes for tonight in his match preview.

How to Watch

Location: Providence Park | Portland, OR

Time: 7:00 p.m. PST (7:25 p.m. PST kickoff)

Watch: ESPN

Radio: 750 The Game & LA GranD 93.5 FM

Lineups

Portland Timbers

Seattle Sounders