The third round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup rolls on Wednesday night and includes a classic Pacific Northwest showdown.
Portland Timbers (USSF D2) vs. Seattle Sounders FC
(MLS)
10:30 p.m. ET – PGE Park – Portland, Ore.
To follow the match: FSN NorthWest TV, Sports Radio 95.5 The Game KXTG, 910AM+1390AM ESPN Deportes Radio and www.portlandtimbers.com/live/
Another chapter in the Pacific Northwest derby will be written Wednesday night as MLS’ 2009 expansion Sounders FC meet the soon-to-be 2011 expansion Timbers. It's the final competitive match before they face off in MLS league play next year. There would be no bigger win for Portland, who have a unique opportunity to stoke their longstanding rivalry with Seattle by knocking off the defending US Open Cup champs.
Portland coach Gavin Wilkinson stoked the flames by telling The Oregonian: "This is their season. This season is passing them by a little bit. They've got to make amends very quickly, so the US Open Cup is very important."
The Timbers meet a Seattle club which is currently on a slide, including four losses in its last five MLS matches. Nate Jaqua who, like goalkeeper Kasey Keller attended the University of Portland, is expected to take part in the game for the Sounders after playing 18 minutes against Philadelphia last weekend. Sounders forward and Portland, Maine, native, Roger Levesque is a nightmare for Portland, notching 10 goals and three assists all-time against the Timbers.
Portland won the last I-5 battle against Seattle 1-0 in a Community Shield preseason match on March 19. Seattle came out on top in their 2009 Open Cup meeting as the Sounders took a 2-1 decision on route to capturing the title.
About the Timbers: The Timbers, who sit in the middle of the pack in the USSF D2, are riding high with three straight wins in all competitions. Among the names to stand out for MLS fans are Steve Cronin (ex-LA), Quavas Kirk (ex-LA) and Ryan Pore (ex-KC), who leads the USSF D2 with nine goals. The 12th overall selection in the 2010 SuperDraft, forward Bright Dike, also features on the Timbers roster after he failed to win a spot on the Crew roster during preseason.
