Timbers Assume Perch Atop Cascadia Summit

3.4.2011

The tension was palpable as the Timbers took the pitch against their nemesis, Seattle Sounders FC, and the atmosphere at the Starfire ground was heightened with the incessant bane of the Pacific Northwest, the dreaded rainstorm. The Timbers Army was surprisingly quiet in the opening exchanges, forgoing their typically dominant voice to their hosts as they tried to memorize the names and numbers of their new pitch heroes. This somber beginning was understandable, given the magnitude of the match as the first MLS encounter between the two arch-rivals.

The quietude was temporal, as the anticipation of an MLS rebirth was christened with the early tally by Portland’s Colombian sensation, Jorge Perlaza, whose instinctive touch opened the scoring with a 22^nd minute goal finished with the poaching instincts he’d been acquired for in the preseason. Tidings boded well for a Timber team hungry to prove they belonged on the next level as the air was let out of the room and Sounders fans became eerily quiet in disbelief of their disadvantageous position. The Timbers Army, on the other hand, finally awoke with the spontaneous combustion that guarantees every goal will ignite the stands with smoke bombs that soon enveloped the stadium.

The goal was preceded by a period of respite from the ongoing deluge, which threatened to overflow the banks of the circuitous Green River that ribboned the Starfire Sports Complex, which  was fitting as a sea of Timbers green overflowed with it’s vocal voracity. The downpour would reassert itself, and the quality of play would suffer as the synthetic pitch’s wetness made the match’s rhythm lack the sharpness and precision the Timbers Army had come to expect.

Newcomers Sal Zizzo and Jack Jewsbury were justifiable in their acquisition, proving to be MLS caliber veterans who dominated possession in a  match in which Seattle’s lackluster effort was perhaps more noticeable than Portland’s exuberant enthusiasm. Perhaps a lack of motivation for a preseason match to begin their junior season could explain their subpar performance, but their loyal fans didn’t disappoint with a bouncing show of buoyant support.

The home side’s despair would deepen as Zizzo and company imposed their dominance on the match, with a near miss cracker imploring cheers of ‘Timmmmmber’ as a pitchside arbor was nearly hewed down by the axe of Portland’s now potent offense. The second half began in a similar manner as dangerous free kicks earned the away side more dangerous opportunities that kept the pressure applied vigorously on the now flailing defense of a now desperate Seattle club.

1860 Munich transfer Kenny Cooper would prove to be the differential, showing why he’s served for the US National side with the relentless pressure of a striker’s tackle that discomposed the Sounder defense and eventually led to his goal that left Seattle keeper  and former University of Portland Pilot Kasey Keller helpless as Cooper’s lashing strike strained the side netting and put the hosts out of contention.

The 90^th minute nail in the coffin proved the trigger to another euphoric and incendiary explosion from the travelling support, more smoke, more songs, and more Sounders depression to cap a perfect night. The Sounders, for all their disheartened fan’s efforts, simply couldn’t match the Timbers intensity, and whilst the home fans were lively, their copying of Timbers Army songs was yet another example that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and further proof that Seattle has simply been keeping the throne warm as the Timbers returned to their rightful place as kings of the Pacific Northwest.