Sounders defeat Timbers 4-3 on penalties after 1-1 draw in US Open Cup match

Sounders defeat Timbers on penalty kicks

PORTLAND, Ore. — On an off day for the World Cup, soccer fever descended on Portland.

The Portland Timbers got a taste of their coming big-league rivalry Wednesday night before losing to the Seattle Sounders in a third-round U.S. Open Cup match.

The Sounders, who won 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 tie, will play the Los Angeles Galaxy in the quarterfinals.

Sounders midfielder Nate Jaqua, a native of Eugene who played at the University of Portland, put Seattle up 1-0 in the 13th minute. The Timbers, who join MLS next season, tied it in the 38th on Bright Dike’s goal.

The high-pressure match went to extra time and on to penalty kicks. The Timbers fell behind 3-2 when defender Ross Smith missed, but Patrick Ianni missed for the Sounders. Rodrigo Lopez beat Kasey Keller to keep the Timbers in it, but Zach Scott beat Steve Cronin to win it.

The game was a sellout with 15,422 on hand. But that didn’t include the crowd watching from beyond the fence above the east side of the field at PGE Park.

The Timbers currently play in the U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 Pro League, considered a step below MLS. They were awarded an MLS franchise last year, as was Vancouver, setting up a three-way Pacific Northwest rivalry with the Sounders to start in 2011.

The seeds of the rivalry were planted long ago. The Timbers and Sounders have tangled since 1975 when both were part of the North American Soccer League. They reunited in the USL First Division from 2001 to 2008 until Seattle joined MLS.

But Portland and Seattle have not had a major-league sports rivalry since the NBA’s SuperSonics departed for Oklahoma City and left the Trail Blazers alone in the region.

Back in March the Timbers defeated the Sounders 1-0 in a preseason exhibition that was attended by 18,000 at Qwest Field. That victory made Portland 4-6-2 against MLS teams.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a knockout competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament dates to 1914.

Last year, also in the third round, the Sounders defeated the Timbers 2-1.

The Sounders were one of eight MLS clubs joining this year’s competition in the third round. The Timbers defeated the Sonoma County Sol and the Kitsap Pumas to advance.

The Sounders wore their highlighter-yellow kits and rested many of their usual starters, including defenders Tyrone Marshall and Leo Gonzalez. Forward Fredy Montero and midfielder Steve Zakuani were reserves.

Seattle’s MLS club had a wildly successful first season, leading the MLS with an average of more than 30,000 fans each match. The team won the 2009 U.S. Open Cup championship and was the first expansion team in 11 years to reach the MLS playoffs.

The Timbers are already a big draw in Portland, averaging about 9,500 fans a game. Their PGE Park home is currently being renovated to seat 20,000.

Many credit the green-and-yellow-clad Timbers Army for the enthusiasm. Loosely founded in 2001, the group has swelled in ranks to the point where supporters occupy much of PGE Park’s northern end at home games. The group was instrumental in urging city officials to back the MLS bid.

And yep, a few of them in the crowd on Wednesday night blew vuvuzelas.