The home side continues to reign supreme when Timbers and Sounders clash.
Exactly one week after Seattle kicked their late-season renaissance into high gear with a thumping 3-1 win over Portland at CenturyLink Field, the defending MLS Cup champions returned the favor with a memorable 4-2 victory at Providence Park on Sunday.
For all intents and purposes, this win was crafted over the final half-hour of the first half. Vytas drew first blood with a bullet header off a corner kick 16 minutes in, unleashing a torrent of Timbers goals as the hosts managed to both dominate possession and pose danger on the counterattack. Fanendo Adi, then Lucas Melano struck as Diego Valeri pulled the strings.
Steven Taylor's set-piece header capped a woeful stretch for the Sounders, running the halftime score to 4-0. Seattle rallied gamely after the break, finding two early goals to raise comeback hopes. But their resurgence petered out and their playoff hopes took a beating as a result.
Box Score
- 16' – POR – Vytautas Andriuskevicius (Jack Jewsbury)
- 21' – POR – Fanendo Adi
- 29' – POR – Lucas Melano (Diego Chara, Diego Valeri)
- 44' – POR – Steven Taylor (Diego Valeri)
- 47' – SEA – Andreas Ivanschitz (Nicolas Lodeiro)
- 51' – SEA – Jordan Morris (Andreas Ivanschitz, Nicolas Lodeiro)
- Full box score
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Three Things
1. TWIST THE KNIFE: We hear a lot about "six-pointers" at this time of year, but this game meant that and more. Portland's win pushes them three points above the red line in the Western Conference, and whacks Seattle's chances for an unlikely late charge into the postseason. It's not over yet for the Sounders, who are four points back of the last playoff slot currently occupied by the Timbers. But with eight games left, the window is closing steadily.
2. FAST START: Providence Park has witnessed plenty of late drama in Timbers games over the years. But Sunday brought a rare instance of early theatrics, as the home side's roaring first half made history, even before they notched their fourth tally. It made all the difference in the final result:
3. LODEIRO-AZO: Sounders playmaker Nicolas Lodeiro continues to dazzle since his midseason arrival from Boca Juniors. He assisted on both of his team's goals and was their only bright spot over all 90 minutes. The Uruguayan not only battled and scrapped gamely when Portland were dominant, but also had enough left in the tank to hand out some humbling skill checks:
