(3) Portland Timbers (3,1,1, 10 points) vs (5) Seattle Sounders (2,1,2, 8 points)
Sunday August 23, 2020 7:00 PM PST/ 10:00 PM EST
Providence Park, Portland, Oregon
Portland Timbers Briefly
Major League Soccer is back after completing the MLS Is Back Tournament in Orlando, Florida just over a week ago. Against all odds, the Portland Timbers were named tournament champions and now they are without a doubt ready for Round 2.
Manager Giovanni Savarese saw his team deliver a series of incredible performances and after seeing a surge in his team’s unity and excellence, there’s no doubt that he’s serious about a repeat performance.
All eyes are on the Portland Timbers – now labeled the overall favorite – but for Gio, it’s business as usual.
We saw several players stand out last season and looking forward, there’s the possibility of a spot on the starting eleven.
Jeremy Ebobisse stepped up his game, now a sure starter and catching the eye of several teams in Europe.
Defensively, the Rose City saw three players emerge as standouts. One of those is Eryk Williamson, who became the close associate in the defensive midfield with Diego Chara.
I can’t forget Pablo Bonilla and Chris Duvall. These two have become the men to watch, with Duvall making a comeback after showing up in Orlando and Bonilla as the rookie to keep on your radar.
The competition for the right-back starting spot will be a highlight this weekend, coming down to Bonilla and Duvall.
Back to the always-celebrated Cascadia Derby, the Seattle Sounders are coming in as the defending champions, but the Portland Timbers will open their rivalry against their neighbors to the north, again looking for bragging rights with a win.
With two champions going head-to-head, with the Seattle Sounders winning the MLS Cup in 2019 and for the Portland Timbers winning the MLS is Back Tournament, this will be a clash of two titans.
Probable Lineup
GK Steve Clark, Chris Duvall, Larry’s Mabiala, Dario Zuparic, Jorge Villafaña; Diego Chara, Eryk Williamson; Sebastian Blanco, Diego Valeri, Marvin Loria; Jeremy Ebobisse
Seattle Sounders Briefly
There’s no argument that the Seattle Sounders showed little fight or a winning drive in the past MLS is Back Tournament, being ousted by LAFC in the sixteenth round.
For manager Brian Schmetzer, it’s back to business in the continuance of the regular season for his Rave Greens, despite not winning the past tournament. His aim now is to win the league trophy for a third consecutive time.
Still, the competition is fierce for his Rave Greens. The forecast does not look promising, but rather challenging and full of obstacles, the first of course being a start against their archrivals from down the I-5.
The second challenge is a tough schedule against both LA teams, plus a ready and determined Real Salt Lake.
However, the Seattle Sounders should not be discarded and because all of their starting players will appear in the starting eleven, we can count on another heated match.
In the end, it’s the defense that wins games, which may well be the Sounders’ Achilles Heel in the remainder of this tournament.
Probable Lineup
GK Stefan Frei, Keelvin Leerdam, Shane O’ Neill, Xavier Arreaga, Joevin Jones; Gustav Svensson, Joao Paulo; Cristian Roldan, Nicolas Lodeiro, Jordan Morris; Raul Ruidiaz
Meetings
August 23, 2019, Portland Timbers 1-2 Seattle Sounders
July 21, 2019, Seattle Sounders 1-2 Portland Timbers
Forecast
Do I dare? I will give Portland a slight advantage over the Sounders
Portland Timbers
Seattle Sounders FC
