Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders Match Thread [12:00]

The Portland Timbers take on their most hated rivals today as the Seattle Sounders come to town for the first match of the 2014 Cascadia Cup. With both teams less than perfect through four games, a win will come at a premium today.

The Sounders will feature plenty of familair faces to boo today, with Osvaldo Alonso and Clint Dempsey central to Seattle's lineup. The Sounders will also bring with them former Timber Kenny Cooper in just his third appearance in Portland since being traded away from the Rose City three years ago.

Here is all the information that you need for today's match:

Previews

Match Preview: "Darlington Nagbe is in a similar situation to Zakuani, having picked up an unspecified knock against FC Dallas last Saturday that looked suspiciously like a hamstring strain. There have been precious few hints about Nagbe's status for tomorrow. He has the ability to bounce back quickly from injuries but this seems like a stretch even for Nagbe and could see the Timbers go without one of their most dangerous and most consistent players."

Preview Interview: "This is Clint Dempsey. He is an aggressive attacking player with a bit of history of lashing out. He tends to kick out after getting tackled. There's no reason to expect this to change. Considering that Diego Chara took him out last year and separated his shoulder I'd guess that Clint plays even harder. He's rides the edge. He will continue to do it and in a rivalry game like this that edge may just cut somebody."

Match Information

Watch it on: NBC Sports

Kick off: 12:00 pm at Providence Park

Portland Timbers: 0-2-2, 7th place in the Western Conference

Seattle Sounders: 2-2-0, 4th place in the Western Conference