PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers came into this weekend with only a tenuous hold on the final playoff spot in the MLS Western Conference. But after Sunday's 4-2 victory over the Seattle Sounders, the reigning MLS Cup champions are riding high.
Now three points clear of seventh place, and having beaten a bitter rival to get there, the Timbers are feeling good.
"It was a little tougher in the second half than we would have liked," Timbers midfielder Jack Jewsbury told the press after the match, which was 4-0 at halftime. "But at the end of the day it will always be one that you remember."
Coming into this Cascadia derby, the Sounders were on a five-game unbeaten streak – including last Sunday's 3-1 win over the Timbers in Seattle – and just one point behind the Timbers in the standings.
A win in Portland would have seen the Sounders push past their rivals and into playoff position.
"In a big rivalry game those points seem like they mean a bit more," said Jewsbury. "But even more so with where we stand right now. Both of us are right there in the standings, so this was a six-point swing. If they would have come here and taken points off us, especially after last weekend, we would have been in trouble. It was nice to pick up the points and now we need to go do some work on the road."
Diego Valeri, who notched assists on the Timbers' third and fourth goals, bringing him to seven on the season, could not help but smile when asked if getting three points against Seattle made them extra sweet.
"It is. The way that it was in the first half, scoring four goals and dominating the game, that is what we wanted," said Valeri. "Before the game we knew we could do it; we took advantage in the first half and we managed it."
While the Timbers might be feeling good after the big win, there is still plenty of season left to go. And with CONCACAF Champions League action in their schedule, Portland play five of their next seven games on the road.
"We know that there are still seven games to go and we still have a lot of work to do," said Jewsbury. "We will enjoy this one for the next day or two and then we'll move on to Dallas [on Sept. 3]."
