Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers | 2018 Conference Semifinals Preview

Dylan Butler

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers
Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs — Conference Semifinals, Second Leg
CenturyLink Field — Seattle
November 8 — 10:30 pm ET
WATCH: FS1, TVAS, TSN

After the Portland Timbers claimed a 2-1 win at Providence Park on Sunday in the opening leg, the scene for the Cascadia rivals shifts to CenturyLink Field where the Seattle Sounders will try to bounce back from a deficit and key injuries in the second leg of the Western Conference Semifinals.

The Timbers, who won the only other MLS Cup playoff meeting with the Sounders, 5-3, on aggregate in the 2013 Western Conference Semifinals, fell behind early when Raul Ruidiaz scored the important away goal for the Sounders in the 10th minute.

Red-hot Jeremy Ebobisse leveled seven minutes later for the Timbers, followed by the go-ahead goal by Sebastian Blanco in the 29th minute. Diego Valeri and Victor Rodriguez had chances for both sides late, but neither team was able to score another goal.

Seattle Sounders FC

The away goal is perhaps the only glimmer of hope Sounders fans can take away from a loss to the archrival Timbers in a game that also saw two vital players suffer first-half injuries.

Midfielder Cristian Roldan suffered a hip flexor and is listed as day-to-day with Brian Schmetzer saying he will be a gametime decision.

The outlook for Chad Marshall was more bleak with the 34-year-old central defender, who was carted off the field, undergoing meniscus surgery on Tuesday.

“Up until a couple of minutes of dysfunctionality, we were pretty good,” Schmetzer said. “We talked about going down there looking to score, looking to win a game. We accomplished that. We’re not going to change at home. We’re going to go out and try and score and try and win the game. All the subtleties of how and why and what we’ll discuss with them and get them ready.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: M - Gustav Svensson
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: F - Jordan Morris (torn ACL), F - Felix Chenkam (herniated disc); QUESTIONABLE: D - Brad Smith (right hamstring strain), D - Chad Marshall (meniscus surgery), M - Cristian Roldan (hip flexor)

Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Stefan Frei — Kelvin Leerdam, Kim Kee-hee, Roman Torres, Nouhou Tolo — Osvaldo Alonso, Gustav Svensson— Harry Shipp, Nico Lodeiro, Victor Rodriguez — Raul Ruidiaz

Portland Timbers

The Timbers accomplished their first goal — winning the opening leg at home. Now, they will try and manage the second leg in a way that will help them gain safe passage into the Western Conference Championship.

They will welcome back central defender Larrys Mabiala, who was suspended for the opening leg after being sent off in the Knockout Round win over FC Dallas, and will hope to get another massive performance from Valeri, who assisted on both Timbers goals at Providence Park.

“It feels good because we needed the win,” Giovanni Savarese said. “We needed to leave our stadium with a win. Of course we don’t want a team to score here, especially in the series. But this is what we found, this is the situation. This is how the game went and the important thing is that we got the win and we need to be ready now to perform to there and give them a very good match and try to go through.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: D - Liam Ridgewell, M - Diego Chara, F - Jeremy Ebobisse, M - Sebastian Blanco
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: D - Roy Miller (right thigh injury), GK - Jake Gleeson (bilateral tibial stress fracture surgery)

Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Jeff Attinella — Zarek Valentin, Larrys Mabiala, Liam Ridgewell, Jorge Villafaña — Diego Chara, David Guzman —Andy Polo, Diego Valeri, Sebastian Blanco — Jeremy Ebobisse

All-Time Series (Regular Season)

Overall: Seattle Sounders FC 10 wins, 38 goals … Portland Timbers 7 wins, 34 goals … 6 draws
At Seattle: Sounders FC 7 wins, 18 goals … Timbers 1 win, 8 goals … 3 draws
Last meeting at Seattle: Seattle Sounders FC 2, Portland Timbers 3 (June 30, 2018)