American soccer’s most storied rivalry reaches a milestone on Sunday.
That’s when the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers play for the 100th time in a series that dates back to 1975, when both teams were part of the North American Soccer League. The rivalry persevered throughout the years until gaining national attention when the Timbers joined the Sounders in Major League Soccer in 2011.
Since both have played at the sport’s top level in the United States, Seattle has a 9-5-6 advantage in league games.
When MLS granted franchises to Portland and Vancouver, the league hoped to build on the regional rivalry already in place in the Pacific Northwest.