Timbers defender Claudio Bravo leads a counter attack during the Portland Timbers regular season match against Minnesota United on May 20, 2023 at Providence Park, Portland Oregon (Photo by Diego G Diaz).
Can the Portland Timbers repeat another win over the Seattle Sounders?
(9) Portland Timbers (4-7-4, 16 points) vs (1) Seattle Sounders (8-5-2-26 points)
Saturday June 3, 2023 KO 1:30 PM PST/ 3:30 PM EST
Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington
Portland Timbers Briefly
What’s wrong with this team lately?
Two consecutive losses don’t show how this team was built to challenge a contested season alongside in its last meetings not even being able to display a good defensive game that has cost them dearly.
What’s wrong with its players not being able to show off their skills and not playing with any pride, motivation, skills and most of all with a thriving ambition to win all of its matches?
The offensive game is on a standstill, becoming somehow inoperable and lacking a drive to score. The Timbers’ offensive players aren’t doing what they supposed to do in perform and create opportunities’.
The strategy of seeing the defensive players in the attack has to stop and let players of the likes of Evander, Santiago Moreno, and Dairon Aspirilla now converted into a creative midfielder orchestrate the attack.
Another question is why the defensive game has gone from bad to worse and with its players being involved in the attacking and not being able to track back to perform in their defensive duties resulting in a total disarray on the field.
Giovani Savarese needs to stop that type of strategy and allow his defensive backfield to fully concentrate on its game. Occasionally, they can participate but overall, their duties are to defend the arches that so far Aljaz Ivacic has done a one-of-a-kind job in doing.
Will the Timbers luck be the same against the Seattle Sounders? Coming from a big win over the Red Bulls last weekend, the Sounders are coming off a home loss against San Jose in midweek while the Timbers were off. That could become an advantage for the Rose City side.
Something has to be done with this Portland side, lacking a finishing drive as well playing a very weak game of defense in every game lately. But in the game against the Loons, pure carelessness became their doom.
Photo: Gerrit te Henepe
Seattle Sounders Briefly
So far, in this season the Sounders have dropped important matches at home and on Wednesday, they just lost 1-0 against a revitalized San Jose Earthquakes playing good football.
Still, for manager Brian Schmetzer, it’s back to the drawing board and looking for the win against the Portland Timbers this coming Saturday at home and looking to shake off the dominance lately of their Cascadia foes.
However, it’s not easy and for the visiting Timbers, they will for sure will try to get three points and go up the lead in the always contested Cascadia Cup, with Vancouver momentarily on top.
Dubbed as Rivalry Week in all of Major League Soccer circles as well one of the most celebrated of Derbies since the league inception, the Cascadia Derby is this coming Saturday.
With no doubt, this match will be the highlight this weekend of league play as well both sides looking at any cost for those three golden points.
Meetings
04/15/2023 Portland Timbers 4-1 Seattle Sounders
08/26/2022 Portland Timbers 2-1 Seattle Sounders
07/09/2022 Seattle Sounders 0-3 Portland Timbers
Forecast
The way the Portland Timbers are playing lately, mostly on the road I cannot predict a win
Portland Timbers
Seattle Sounders FC
