Portland hosts double soccer derby with Seattle
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The Portland Timbers will take on the Seattle Sounders, nicknamed The Flounders, on Sunday at Providence Park. Photo: Courtesy of Portland Timbers
The pro-sports rivalry between Portland and Seattle reaches double intensity when the Thorns take on the Reign on Saturday and the Timbers meet the Sounders on Sunday.
Why it matters: All four teams have had poor starts to 2024, but the joy of beating a local rival can last all season, no matter how badly everything else goes.
The big picture: Derby games are always packed and noisy, and Timbers' and Thorns' fans usually produce a large banner display, or tifo, to troll the opposition and glorify the team and the city itself.
What they're saying: "We want to make sure that on Monday morning, the Timbers Army are all going into their jobs … in really upbeat moods," Timbers coach Phil Neville said at a news conference earlier this week.
Zoom in: The Timbers (won 2, lost 5, tied 4) currently sit 12th in the West, one spot below Seattle, who have a similar record but have corrected course lately.
In the women's matchup, the Portland Thorns have won four in a row under their new coach Rob Gale, and star forward Sophia Smith is on fire with seven goals this season. The low-scoring Reign have lost five of their last seven games.
If you go: Portland Thorns vs. Seattle Reign 7pm Saturday, Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders 1:45pm Sunday, both games at Providence Park.
