The Seattle Sounders are taking on the Portland Timbers on Sunday in their second meeting of the season. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7 p.m. PT at Providence Park in Portland, Ore. NOTE: Due to heat, kickoff was pushed back from the original 5:30 p.m. PT start.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will air on FS1.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on 950 KJR AM and El Rey 1360 AM.
2021 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Seattle: 9-3-6 (33 points, 2nd West), Portland: 7-8-2 (23 points, 6th West)
PREVIOUS MEETING: The Sounders went down to Portland on May 9 and came away with a 2-1 win. Raúl Ruidíaz opened the scoring in the 63rd minute on a penalty kick. Fredy Montero added another goal in the 79th minute before Bill Tuiloma scored a consolation goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time on a free kick.
FORM GUIDE (most recent first): Sounders: DLLWL, Timbers: WDLLW
RIDING HIGH: After a recent dip in form in MLS play, going just 1-3-1 in their last five league matches, the Sounders responded massively in a resounding 3-0 win over Liga MX’s Tigres in the Leagues Cup Quarterfinals on Tuesday. Ruidíaz and Montero each scored, as did…
NICO RETURNS: Captain Nicolás Lodeiro, who made his long-awaited return from injury against FC Dallas last week, came on as a second-half substitute against Tigres. He flashed his brilliance with a 30-yard golazo and reminded everyone of why he’s one of the best players in MLS.
GONZO AND DJIMI GONE: While Lodeiro is back, the club bid adieu to longtime coaches Gonzalo Pineda and Djimi Traore, two of the best assistants in the league. Atlanta United hired Pineda as their next head coach, while the Frenchman Traore will return to Europe for another opportunity.
EBOBISSE EXIT: In a blockbuster intra-league move, the Timbers shipped forward Jeremy Ebobisse to the San Jose Earthquakes for over $1M in Allocation Money. The 24-year-old scored 26 times and added eight assists in 88 matches since being drafted by the Timbers out of Duke in 2017.
MORA GOALS: Forward Felipe Mora leads the Timbers with six goals this season. He enters this weekend in a great run of form, having found the back of the net in four of his last five matches.
BLANCO BACK: The Sounders will have to face Sebastián Blanco, who returned to action in mid-June for the first time in nine months after tearing his ACL last season. The 33-year-old Argentine has yet to start a match as he works his way to full fitness — he’s made eight substitute appearances, most recently going 45 minutes — but he’s a match-winner every time he’s on the field. He has 26 goals and 37 assists since joining Portland in 2017.
