PORTLAND, Ore.
– Before a spirited, sold-out crowd at PGE Park, Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC used two first-half goals to defeat the Portland Timbers 2-1 and eliminate Portland from the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Wednesday in front of 16,382.
The 16,382 on hand set a new Timbers modern-franchise record for single-game attendance at PGE Park, breaking the previous mark of 15,833 set on Aug. 23, 2007. Declared a sellout earlier in the day, Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup match marks the club’s first sell-out crowd at PGE Park as a member of the USL First Division.
The Timbers and Sounders FC continued their spirited rivalry Wednesday in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup, competing in their first official meeting since Seattle joined MLS this season. The Portland-Seattle rivalry dates back to 1975, and the two teams competed against one another previously as members of the North American Soccer Leagues and USL First Division.
Forward Roger Levesque and midfielder Stephen King each scored for Seattle, who advances to face MLS opponent the Kansas City Wizards in the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open Cup on July 7. With the win, Sounders FC handed the Timbers their first loss in 15 matches.
Forward Mandjou Keita scored late in the first half to trim a two-goal deficit, defender David Hayes earned an assist and goalkeeper Steve Cronin recorded five saves to lead the Timbers against their MLS counterparts. Portland suffered its first loss at home in 2009, but remain unbeaten in league play at PGE Park this season.
A header by Levesque in the first minute of play helped Sounders FC strike early. The ball was played down the right flank to midfielder Sanna Nyassi, who then worked it into the box. He squeezed a cross between Portland defenders inside the area as Levesque came crashing through to the near post. Levesque, who played five seasons for the USL First Division Sounders, drilled the ball into the back of the net for 1-0 Seattle lead and his 10th career goal against Portland.
Sounders FC jumped out to two-goal lead in the 27th minute on a goal set up by Eugene, Ore., native Nate Jaqua. Stood up in the top right corner of the box by a Timbers defender, Jaqua slipped the ball out to King at the top of the box. King cracked a shot on frame that deflected off the left post and into the back of the net.
After nearly leveling the score in the eighth minute, Keita was able to pull one back for the home side in the 43rd minute. A run down the left side by midfielder Takayuki Suzuki set up an open opportunity for Hayes to serve the ball into the box. Sent to the back post, Hayes’ cross bounced through the box and was just out of reach for midfielder Brian Farber, but found Keita on the back side. Keita poked the ball past Sounders FC goalkeeper Kasey Keller to help the Timbers head into the break 2-1.
The spirited rivalry between the Northwest sides showed its true color in the second half. The two sides combined 12 fouls and four cautions in the final period as the battle for each loose ball became more and more important.
Portland held a 5-3 advantage in shots over Seattle in the second half and had chances by Keita, Josten and defender Cameron Knowles just miss the mark. In an action-packed U.S. Open Cup match-up, Portland competed evenly with Seattle, nearly matching them in total shots 14-13.
The Timbers return to action Thursday night as Spirit Mountain Casino presents the Timbers vs. Germany’s Bayern Munich II powered by Lufthansa and Widmer Brothers at PGE Park at 7 p.m. Bayern Munich II features many up-and-coming stars for top German club Bayern Munich. Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased at the PGE Park box office, area Ticketmaster outlets, online at
www.ticketmaster.com
or by phone at (800) 745-3000.
Notes:
Hayes saved a shot by Seattle’s Hurtado off the line in the 30th minute … Wednesday marked the first time the Timbers allowed multiple goals in a single game this season … Keita has scored seven goals over his last five matches … with Wednesday’s record-setting attendance, now two of the Timbers top five all-time largest crowds since 2001 have come against Seattle.
Lineups:
POR: GK Cronin, D Hayes, D Keel (Danso, 89), D Knowles, D Thompson, M Suzuki, M Claesson, M Savage (McManus, 45), M Farber, F Keita, F Josten (Nimo, 80)
SEA: GK Keller, D Ianni, D Riley, D Sturgis, D Hurtado, M Vegenas, M Le Toux (Montero, 66), M King, M Nyassi (Smith, 78), F Jaqua, F Levesque (Wahl, 89)
Scoring Summary:
SEA: Levesque (Nyassi), 1
SEA: King (Jaqua), 27
POR: Keita (Hayes), 43
