TUKWILA, Wash.
- The Portland Timbers’ 2005 season came to a close, as two goals from Roger Levesque sent the Seattle Sounders to a 3-0 win in the two-game, aggregate-goal series between the longtime rivals Sunday night at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.
The defeat concludes the Timbers’ fifth season in the United Soccer Leagues and marks the second consecutive year that Portland was eliminated in the postseason by their Northwest rivals.
The Timbers finished the year with a 10-9-9 record - their fifth winning season in five campaigns - and counted their fourth trip to the postseason since 2001.
For the second straight match, Levesque struck for a goal in the first five minutes of play, this time putting a head on a free kick from Leighton O’Brien after Maykel Galindo drew a foul just outside the box to set up the goal.
Portland was dealt another blow midway through the first half when midfielder Aaran Lines was hit with two yellow cards in two minutes, leaving the Timbers a man down for the remainder of the match.
Levesque’s second tally, his third of the series, came when former Timber Andrew Gregor slid a low cross into the box to an on-running Levesque, who dialed in the point-blank shot in the 54th minute.
The Timbers ‘ best chances came in the first half, with Edwin Miranda placing a shot wide-left in the 19th minute, and Scot Thompson following up in the 24th with a bouncing header that was corralled by Seattle goalkeeper Preston Burpo.
Seattle out-shot Portland, 15-8 in the match, and 24-16 in the series.
TIMBERS NOTES:
Log on to www.portlandtimbers.com to keep tabs on the latest Timbers off-season news and notes … Timbers defender Kevin Goldthwaite will rejoin the San Jose Earthquakes for the remainder of the MLS season … the Timbers and Sounders each drew five cautions in the series … Sunday’s match was nationally televised on Fox Soccer Channel … Seattle will play Montreal in the USL First Division Semifinals, beginning Friday, Sept. 23.
SCORING SUMMARY:
Levesque, 5’ (O’Brien); Levesque, 54’ (Gregor).
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
POR Marcum, YC (17’), Alvarez, YC (22’), Lines, YC (25’), Lines, RC (27’); SEA O’Brien, YC (29’).
LINEUPS:
PORTLAND Saunders GK, Goldthwaite D, Thompson D, Morrison D, Marcum D (Benedetti 78’), Alcaraz-Cuellar M, Miranda M, Lines M, Winters M, Alvarez F (Higgins 61’), Antoniuk F; SEATTLE Burpo GK, Graham D, Scott D, Sleeth D, Edwards D (Jenkins 59’), Klaas M (Sagare 81’), O’Brien M, Sturm M (Gregor 45’), Sakuda M, Galindo F (Whitfield 69’), Levesque F (Wiesner 78’).
