SEATTLE, WASH. - Cristian Roldan scored his first goal of the season as Seattle Sounders FC (4-5-4, 16 points) prevailed 1-0 over Cascadia rival Portland Timbers (5-5-3, 18 points) Saturday afternoon in front of 47,362 fans on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field. Chad Marshall and Nicolás Lodeiro recorded assists on the play, as Seattle comes away with six points in its two-match home stand. After vanquishing Portland in Seattle's first match of the year against its historic rival, Sounders FC moves to 7-0-2 all-time in regular season MLS play against the Timbers. Next up, Brian Schmetzer's side hits the road for a midweek fixture against Columbus Crew SC on Wednesday, May 31 at MAPFRE Stadium (4:30 p.m. PT / Q13 FOX, ROOT SPORTS, El Rey 1360 AM).
Roldan struck early for Seattle, redirecting a Marshall header off a Lodeiro corner-kick into the back of Jake Gleeson's net. It was the first goal of the season for Roldan and first assist for Marshall, while Lodeiro matches Joevin Jones for the team lead with five assists in 2017.
Stefan Frei recorded his second-consecutive clean sheet in goal for the Rave Green, and despite Portland's advantage in shots (15 to Seattle's eight) and 55.4 percent of possession, Seattle defended as a unit throughout the second half and preserved its victory. With 31 shutouts with Sounders FC, Frei has now set a new club record, surpassing Kasey Keller.
Sounders FC now moves to within striking distance of the top half of the Western Conference table, tied on 16 points with Vancouver Whitecaps FC and two points behind Portland. The win also puts Sounders FC's record at 20-3-4 in front of crowds above 45,000 or more.
The Rave Green now hit the road for midweek clash in Central Ohio on Wednesday, May 31, as Seattle takes on Columbus Crew SC at MAPFRE Stadium (4:30 p.m. PT / JOEtv, ROOT SPORTS, El Rey 1360 AM). Brian Schmetzer's side then returns home to CenturyLink Field for his club's final match before the upcoming FIFA international break, with Seattle battling the Houston Dynamo on Sunday, June 4 (7:00 p.m. PT / JOEtv, Univision-Seattle, ROOT SPORTS, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360 AM).
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 1 - Portland Timbers 0
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Venue:
CenturyLink Field
Referee:
Mark Geiger
Assistants:
Jeremy Hanson, Mike Rottersman
Fourth Official:
Allen Chapman
Attendance:
47,362
Weather:
Sunny and 77 degrees
SCORING SUMMARY
SEA -
Cristian Roldan (Chad Marshall, Nico Lodeiro) 4'
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
SEA -
Stefan Frei (caution) 41'
POR -
Amobi Okugo (caution) 60'
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC -
Stefan Frei; Brad Evans, Chad Marshall, Gustav Svensson, Joevin Jones; Osvaldo Alonso
-
captain, Cristian Roldan, Harry Shipp (Jordy Delem 80'), Nicolás Lodeiro, Clint Dempsey; Jordan Morris (Oniel Fisher 90'+1')
Substitutes not used:
Tyler Miller, Alvaro Fernandez, Aaron Kovar, Seyi Adekoya, Tony Alfaro
Total shots:
8 (Marshall, 3)
Shots on goal:
3 (Three players, 1)
Fouls:
11 (Dempsey, 3)
Offside:
1 (Morris, 1)
Corner-kicks:
5 (Lodeiro, 5)
Saves:
3 (Frei, 3)
Portland Timbers -
Jake Gleeson; Zarek Valentin, Roy Miller (Jack Barmby 83'), Liam Ridgewell - captain, Vytas, David Guzman (Amobi Okugo HT), Lawrence Olum, Sebastián Blanco (Dairon Asprilla 72'), Diego Valeri, Darlington Nagbe; Fanendo Adi
Substitutes not used:
Kendall McIntosh, Alvas Powell, Victor Arboleda, Marco Farfan
Total shots:
19 (Adi, 5)
Shots on goal:
3 (Adi, 2)
Fouls:
15 (Guzmán, 3)
Offside:
4 (Adi, 2)
Corner-kicks:
5 (Guzmán, 4)
Saves:
2 (Gleeson, 2)
MATCH NOTES
- Sounders FC is now 4-5-4 this season and sits in a tie for sixth place in the Western Conference alongside Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The victory marks the second consecutive win for Seattle, who is now 3-1-2 at CenturyLink Field this season.
- The Rave Green are 4-0-0 this season when leading at halftime.
- Seattle improves to 9-5-4 all-time against Portland in regular-season play, including a 7-0-2 mark at CenturyLink Field.
- Dating back to the rivalry's NASL origins in 1975, Seattle moves to 49-35-12 in 96 all-time meetings against the Timbers across five different competitions and four decades.
- Midfielder Cristian Roldan recorded his first goal of the season, and the fifth of his career, in the fourth minute. Defender Chad Marshall tallied his first assist of the campaign on the goal, while midfielder Nico Lodeiro matched defender Joevin Jones' team lead with his fifth assist.
- Stefan Frei made three saves en route to his second clean sheet in as many games. With 31 shutouts with Sounders FC, Frei has now set a new club record, surpassing Kasey Keller.
- With an attendance of 47,362, Sounders FC extends its MLS sellout streak to 152 matches and improves its all-time record to 20-3-4 in front of crowds above 45,000.
