The suspension of Clint Dempsey for the first Sounders vs. Timbers match of the season forced Sigi Schmid to make a big decision for today's match. The Seattle coach decided to go with Nelson Valdez up top, flanked in a 4-3-3 by Jordan Morris and Andreas Ivanschitz. Hopefully the formation looks more like a 4-4-2, with the two strikers both playing a little more centrally. The rest of the lineup is unchanged from Wednesday's 5-0 win over FC Dallas.
Nelson Valdez starts for the Sounders in Portland
