Sounders vs. Timbers: Gamethread

RED CARD: Obed Vargas was ejected for showing dissent – his second yellow – in the 69th minute.

SOUNDERS 1, TIMBERS 1: Antony took a pass from Evander, dribbled around two Sounders defenders and beat Stefan Frei to equalize.

SOUNDERS 1, TIMBERS 0: Yeimar Gomez Andrade scored his first goal of the MLS campaign, rising up to head in Albert Rusnák’s corner kick. It was also Rusnák’s 16th assist of the season, tying him with Nicolás Lodeiro for the most in club history.

LINEUPS: The Sounders will use the same lineup as they have in three of their past four games with Pedro de la Vega back in for Georgi Minoungou. The Timbers, meanwhile, will be giving Finn Surman his first MLS appearance with three of their top centerbacks out for a variety of reasons.


This probably isn’t the highest stakes the Seattle Sounders have ever faced on Decision Day, but this might be the most emotional matchup they’ve ever had on the season’s final day. It’s not just that the Portland Timbers are in town, it’s the both real and emotional weight that is on this result.

A win not only solidifies the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference standings and a place in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, but also brings the Cascadia Cup back to Seattle. It would also end an excruciating 10-game home winless streak against the Timbers that has defied all sorts of logic.

Failing to win this game isn’t the end of the world for the Sounders, but it would give them a lot of emotional baggage to carry into a postseason that suddenly seems much more wide open than it did even a few weeks ago.

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Notes

  • The Sounders are 12-2-2 since June 15. With a win, they would become just the second team in MLS history to claim more than 40 points in one half of a season. The Sounders set that record in 2018 when they went 14-2-1 down the stretch.
  • Albert Rusnák is one assist away from tying Nicolás Lodeiro’s club record of 16 in the regular season and has already tied Lodeiro with 18 assists across all competitions.
  • Jordan Morris is two goals away from tying Obafemi Martins’ club record of 19 goals across all competitions. Morris will have at least three more games to try to catch Martins.
  • The stakes for the Timbers were lowered somewhat when it was revealed that they would host a play-in match with the Vancouver Whitecaps regardless of their place in the standings. Due to a scheduling conflict, the Whitecaps will not have BC Place available for the play-in round.

Absences: Injury, international duty and suspension

Sounders

OUT: Josh Atencio - Concussion protocol; Cody Baker - Concussion Protocol

Timbers

OUT: Zac McGraw – Not Due to Injury; Kamal Miller — Yellow-card accumulation

QUESTIONABLE: Miguel Araujo - Lower Body; Santiago Moreno - Lower Body

Recent form

Sounders: WWWDW (4-0-1)
Timbers: DLDDW (1-1-3)

Kit matchup

Officials

REF: Ismir Pekmic; AR1: Logan Brown; AR2: Gianni Facchini; 4TH: Victor Rivas; VAR: Kevin Stott; AVAR: Jozef Batko

How to Watch

Match date/kickoff time: Saturday, 6:15 PM PT

Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle

Global Streaming English: MLS Season Pass (Keith Costigan & Maurice Edu)

Global Streaming Spanish: MLS Season Pass (Alejandro Figueredo & Eduardo Biscayart)

Local Radio: 950 KJR-AM Seattle, iHeartMedia (Danny Jackson, Steve Zakuani & Michelle Ludtka-Furbush)

Local Spanish Radio: El Rey 1360 AM (Rodriguez, Maqueda, Tapia)

Is this game available to stream for free? No

Will Sounders radio be available as an alternate feed? Yes

Lineups

Highlights will be posted as the match progresses.

This is Seattle Sounders vs. Timbers; watch with us

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