LINEUPS: The Sounders made two changes to the starting lineup from Wednesday’s match, with Pedro de la Vega and Josh Atencio getting rare starts. Cristian Roldan also moved to defensive midfielder as both João Paulo and Obed Vargas available off the bench.

The Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers come into this Cascadia Cup clash in very different positions than the last time they faced off. In the previous meeting, they were the two bottom teams in the Western Conference with the loser finishing the week in last. Including that game, each team has played 15 games since and they’ve both been among the league’s best.

The Sounders’ 30 points in that span are the third most among Western Conference teams, while the Timbers’ 27 points are fourth best. The Sounders have done it mostly with a defense that is among the most stingy in MLS while the Timbers are one of the most explosive offenses.

Leading the way for the Timbers is darkhorse MVP contender Evander, whose 24 goal contributions are tied for second most in MLS. He’ll likely have to do some extra lifting in this game, however, as fellow top scorers Felipe Mora (13 goals) and Jonathan Rodriguez (13 goals) are both out with suspensions.

Notes

This will be the fourth Cascadia Cup match for both the Sounders and Timbers this year. The Whitecaps currently lead with seven points, while the Sounders are second with four and the Timbers have three. After today, each team will have two Cascadia Cup games remaining.
The Sounders won the previous meeting between these teams, ending a six-game winless run. The Sounders are 5-3-0 in their last eight games at Providence Park.
Raúl Ruidíaz has 13 goals in 17 career matches against the Timbers, including the game winner in their last meeting. That’s the most of any player in the history of the Sounders-Timbers rivalry.
Albert Rusnák currently has 12 assists in the regular season. That’s two shy of his career best. With his next assist, he’ll be tied for the second most in a Sounders season. Nicolás Lodeiro has the team’s single-season record with 16.