PORTLAND, Ore. – What looked like a worst-case scenario as it unfolded on the field may have, in hindsight, been what the Portland Timbers needed. At least, after the visiting Seattle Sounders FC struck first in the first leg of the teams’ Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals against their archrivals, the Timbers played some of their best soccer of 2018, eventually handing their guests only their third loss in 17 games with Sunday’s 2-1 result.
“We started sluggish, in some ways,” Timbers head coach Giovanni Savarese said, after the match. “The first few minutes they found the goal on a play in which Sounders forward Raúl) Ruidíaz took advantage of the space, and I think that was a wakeup call.