3 things to watch when Sounders face Cascadia Cup rival Portland

The first Cascadia Cup clash of the season between fierce rivals Seattle and Portland is on Sunday, and as we’ve seen in this fixture in the past that anything can happen. Both teams are below the MLS Cup playoff line right now, but only six points separate them, and this match could help the Sounders claw their way back up the table. The Timbers sit in seventh place with 26 points, and have been stuck with eight draws this season, second-most in all of MLS.

Just like the Sounders, injuries have been killing the Timbers and they’ve been forced to turn to youth and new signings to try and get their season back on track. Good news for them, though, is that they’ll have talismanic midfielder Diego Valeri back, and he’s tormented Seattle in the past.

Seattle will be riding high off its 5-0 drubbing of FC Dallas on Wednesday, and the players will be desperate to keep that momentum going on their trip down I-5.

Here are three things to watch for when the Sounders take on the Timbers on Sunday at noon on 97.3 KIRO Radio FM.

1. No Dempsey? No problem.

Even though Clint Dempsey is one of the most talented players in MLS, he hasn’t had the best of seasons. He’s come through for the Sounders at times, but he hasn’t been the superstar of years past. Against Dallas, he scored his penalty and provided an excellent assist for Jordan Morris, but the team scored two excellent second half goals without him on the pitch. Sure, it was 10v10, but the team knew how to make things happen without Dempsey. Morris and company will have their hands full with Portland, but they are plenty capable of producing goals. Besides, after last season’s incident in the Open Cup match against Portland, it might be alright for Dempsey to sit out a big game this time around.

2. Midfield battles abound.

It’s not groundbreaking to say that a match is won in the midfield, but in this case it’s even more true than usual. The Timbers should have Valeri back, as well as the defensive Diego Chara and sensational Darlington Nagbe; the Sounders have the ageless wonder Osvaldo Alonso, the magical Erik Friberg, and wunderkind Cristian Roldan. Those lineups could alter a little bit here and there, depending on tactics and availability, but the thought still stands. These are two strong, complete midfields that will be playing a chess match for 90 minutes in order to get the ball to their respective forwards and into the net. Watch for crunching tackles, wonderful technique and lots of action.

3. Pride is at stake.

There’s a very real possibility that both of these teams miss the playoffs this season — even the defending Cup champions Portland. Plenty of matches are yet to be played, but neither team looks championship-caliber at the moment. So if there’s less of a chance for major trophies to be won, both teams will want to at least have the Cascadia Cup to flaunt until they get a new shot at the title in 2017. Passion will be flowing from both teams, their coaches, and especially the fans on Sunday. Don’t be surprised if we see a lot of goals, a lot of fouls, and maybe even another red card … or three.

Spenser Davis also covers the Sounders for Sounder at Heart.

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