PORTLAND, Ore.
– The Portland Timbers play host to Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC on Wednesday at PGE Park, as the two rivals square off in the third round of the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.; gates open at 6 p.m.
Tickets start at $15 in advance and are available for purchase through the PGE Park box office, area Ticketmaster locations, online at
www.ticketmaster.com
or by phone at (800) 745-3000. Food and beverage specials will be available in the Widmer Garden from 6-7 p.m.
One of the more historic and spirited rivalries in U.S. soccer, Wednesday’s cup match will mark the final competitive meeting between the Timbers and Sounders FC before Portland joins MLS in 2011.
The Portland-Seattle rivalry dates back to 1975, and more recently, the two sides competed against one another for eight seasons (2001-08) as foes in United Soccer Leagues. In 2009, Sounders FC defeated the Timbers 2-1 in front of a sold-out crowd at PGE Park en route to winning the U.S. Open Cup championship. Earlier this season, Portland claimed a 1-0 win over Seattle in a Community Shield match at Qwest Field on March 11.
The Timbers defeated the Sonoma County Sol and Kitsap Pumas in the first two rounds of the 2010 tournament to set up a rematch of last season’s third-round matchup against Seattle. Sounders FC is one of eight MLS clubs joining the U.S. Open Cup competition in the third round.
The Timbers’ U.S. Open Cup match against Seattle will be televised live on FSN. A live broadcast will air on Sportsradio 95.5 The Game, with a Spanish-language broadcast on 910AM+1390AM ESPN Deportes. A video webcast will be available online at
www.portlandtimbers.com/live
.
The winner of Wednesday’s match will move on to the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open Cup, starting July 6, and will meet the winner of the match between the USSF Division-2 Pro League’s AC St. Louis and the Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS.
The Timbers are 7-6-0 all-time in U.S. Open Cup matches and have reached as far as the fourth round in 2004 and 2005, facing the San Jose Earthquakes of MLS in both tournaments. Including the win over Seattle in March, the Timbers are 4-6-2 all-time against clubs from MLS.
The Timbers round out the week on Saturday, as they play host to the Vancouver Whitecaps in league play at PGE Park; kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The first 2,000 fans Saturday receive a polyresin log slice, courtesy of SolarWorld.
ABOUT U.S. OPEN CUP
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, which is recognized as U.S. Soccer’s National championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The single-elimination tournament has crowned a champion for 95 consecutive years dating back to 1914. The team that advances the furthest from each level except Division I (MLS) will earn a $10,000 cash prize. The runner-up will take home $50,000, while the champion will collect $100,000. In addition, the winner will have its name engraved on the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, the oldest trophy competed for nationally in American team sports. For more information, visit
www.ussoccer.com
or www.thecup.us.
