Where Could the Portland Timbers End Up in the Cascadia Cup Standings Today?

Things have not gone well for the Portland Timbers in the Cascadia Cup so far this season. With only one point form three games played, the Timbers are solidly at the bottom of the three-team trophy's standings so far in 2015. However, with three Cascadia Cup matches left to play and the Seattle Sounders in town today, the Timbers could still put themselves in position to win the Cup this year.

The Current Standings

The Sounders are currently in the lead, having won at home against the Timbers in Arpil and away against the Whitecaps in May. With two home matches left to go for both the Timbers and the Sounders, but only one for the Whitecaps, the Sounders look to have a solid lead currently.

With a Win

While a win would only move the Timbers into a tie with the Whitecaps, with both of the other Cascadia teams holding a game in hand, the Timbers would at least find themselves with their destiny in their own hands when it comes to the Whitecaps. Although they would need to rely on the Canadian side to take points off the Sounders, the Timbers could win out and be assured that they would finish over the northern-most Cascadian side.

With a Draw

A draw puts the Timbers in a very precarious position. While it would not eliminate the Timbers outright, a draw would require a very specific set of results for the Timbers to win the Cup. If the Timbers won their final two matches and the Whitecaps managed a win and a tie against the Sounders, we could potentially see a three way tie with each team finishing the season with eight points. That would leave things up to the tiebreakers for the series:

• 1.) Greater number of points earned in matches between the teams concerned
• 2.) Greater goal difference in matches between the teams concerned
• 3.) Greater number of goals scored in matches between the teams concerned
• 4.) Reapply first three criteria if two or more teams are still tied
• 5.) Greater goal difference in all cup matches
• 6.) Greater number of goals scored in all cup matches
• 7.) Smaller number of disciplinary points in all cup matches (yellow = 1 point, red = 2 points)

With a Loss

A loss here knocks the Timbers out of contention for the Cascadia Cup this year. This result would put the Sounders at nine points with only two games left for the Timbers: an insurmountable obstacle in that amount of time. The Timbers need a result here to stay relevant in the Cascadia Cup.