The Portland Timbers embark on their first ever playoff match in Major League Soccer today as they travel north to take on the Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference Semi-final. The Sounders may have ended their regular season on a long slide, but between the huge stakes of a playoff derby and their home win over the Colorado Rapids to advance out of the play in round, the Sounders will not lack for confidence or motivation in this one.
General Information
Watch it on: NBC Sports
Kick off: 7:00 pm
Portland Timbers: 1st seed in the Westen Conference. (57 points)
Seattle Sounders: 4th seed in the Western Conference. (52 points)
Starting Lineups
Portland Timbers: Ricketts, Jewsbury, Danso, Kah, Harrington, Chara, Valeri, W. Johnson ©, Nagbe, R. Johnson, Wallace
Seattle Sounders: Hahnemann; Gonzalez, Hurtado, Traore, Scott; Alonso, Evans, Moffat, Dempsey; Neagle, Johnson
Final Thoughts
Short of the two teams meeting in the Conference Final, this is the best possible scenario for MLS. Both teams will get to show off their crazed fans and unique home environments while the fans enjoy what may be the hardest fought match up of the year. This will be a scrap, and the Timbers would do well to come away with a draw, but Caleb Porter and company will certainly be angling to bring home a lead in the aggregate series today.