By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

MLS Showdown: Sounders Look to Revive Offense Against Timbers

 Seattle Sounders head coach  Brian Schmetzer and his players have been chomping at the bit to get back to playing a real game. For the Sounders, there is no better opponent to kick-start the second half of the MLS season than the Portland Timbers. The teams fight rivals.

“  It is going to be a great atmosphere, we will still have grass, it’s Portland, and there will be about 500 Timbers fans. I like the whole thing,‘ Schmetzer said after the team’s Tuesday practice.

The expectation is that guys are going to play their hardest, and they realize it is an opportunity to show the coaches what they can do.“

FINDING SCORING TOUCH

The Sounders are currently sixth in the Western Conference with 24 points ( 7-3-3).  The club has suffered from a lack of consistency on the offensive end but benefited from a steadfast defense that is among the best despite injuries.  Seattle has allowed just  11 goals and is tied with Nashville for the league lead in goals against. The offense is quite a different story.  The team has scored 17 goals and is 27th in goals scored.  Missing is consistent scoring.  Paul Rothrock leads the squad with five goals. Cristian Roldan and Albert have each scored three goals. Strikers Jodan  Morris (1), Danny Musovski (1), and  Osaze De Rosario ( 2) have all struggled due to injuries and converting more than decent chances.

CHANGE OF LEADERSHIP

The  Timbers have undergone a coaching change.  Gone is Phil Neville, who parted ways with the club on amicable terms, and in is Jacks Cassidy on an interim basis. Cassidy stepped in for Neville during the World Cup break. Cassidy inherits a club that is third from the bottom in the Western Conference (4-8-2), having scored 22 goals and allowed 28. For Cassidy, Thursday’s Cascadia Rival match is an opportunity for his team to compete.

“They are organized. We have done a lot of work on how to break them down. We have to compete,” said  Cassidy. Sometimes you cannot control the outcome, but what you can control is your ability to compete.” The Timbers attack is led by forward Kelvin Kelsey, who has five goals, and New Zealand international Finn Serman, who scored a goal for his country during the World Cup. 

A GOOD START  WILL BE  CRITICAL

With an expected boisterous post-World Cup crowd, the Sounders will be looking to start on the front foot, move the ball down the flanks,  high press, and look to quickly counter on the transition. “ Everyone is excited about this, and we are hoping to ride the World Cup moment; we don’t like them, and they don’t like us,’ said Rothrock.  The key for the Sounders will be to sit on top of the Timbers early, get an early goal and continue to stay on the front foot using withd and have multiple runners in the box to receive crosses from the wings and attacking midfielders. The Sounders’ second half of the MLS season consists of 21 games.

INJURIES WILL PLAY A FACTOR

Several starters will not be available for the Thursday night clash with the Timbers. Cristian Roldan (right quad) and Pedro de la Vega ( knee) have been ruled out for the game, while Yeiamr Gomez ( hamstring) and Alex Rolday ( hip ) are listed as doubtful.

Seattle Sounders FC Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1)

  • Goalkeeper: Andrew Thomas
  • Defenders: Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, Kim Kee-Hee, Jackson Ragen, Nouhou Tolo
  • Defensive Midfielders: Hassani Dotson, Peter Kingston
  • Attacking Midfielders: Jesús Ferreira, Albert Rusnák, Paul Rothrock
  • Forward: Jordan Morris


PREGAME NOTES

  • Thursday marks the first match between Seattle and Portland this season, as
    well as the first match for either team following the league’s extended break
    for FIFA World Cup 2026™.
  • Sounders FC currently sits in sixth place in the Western Conference with 24
    points (7-3-3). Portland is in 13th place in the West with 14 points (4-8-2).
  • Sunday will be the 43rd meeting between the two sides in MLS regular sea-
    son play. Sounders FC leads the series 16-15-11.
  • Dating back to 1974 in the North American Soccer League, the Sounders
    and Timbers have met 124 times across all competitions, with Seattle leading
    58-47-19.
  • Sounders FC will honor Jimmy Gabriel, Sigi Schmidt and Kasey Keller in a pre-
    match ceremony, the three newest entrants into Sounders FC Eternal Circle of
    Legends.
  • Seattle has allowed only 11 goals in the regular season, tied for the fewest in
    MLS. The Rave Green have only surrendered more than one goal in a match on
    three occasions.
  • Jackson Ragen was named to his first MLS All-Star Team this year, with the
    defender set to join the league’s best in Charolette later this month for a
    match against Liga MX’s All-Stars.
  • Brian Schmetzer currently has 148 regular-season wins since taking over the
    club in the summer of 2016. He is looking to become the ninth coach in MLS
    history to reach 150 regular-season wins.
  • The Rave Green announcedon July 15 that it has loaned defender Cody Baker
    to the New England Revolution for the remainder of the 2026 season. The
    loan can turn into a permanent transfer if certain performance-based incen-
    tives are met.
  • Following Thursday’s match, Seattle hits the road to take on Austin FC on
    Wednesday, July 22 at Q2 Stadium (5:30 p.m. PT / Apple TV, iHeartMedia Seat-
    tle, El Rey 1360 AM) and the Philadelphia Union on Saturday July 25 at Su

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