By SEAN RUBIO
One of the biggest rivalries in American soccer will be rekindled as long-time foes Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC highlight the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
The Pacific Northwest clash headlines a third round filled with intriguing match-ups. The Houston Dynamo face off against the Austin Aztecs, the Kansas City Wizards will take on the Minnesota Thunder and the Cinderally story of the tournament, the Ocean City Barons, meet MLS power D.C. United.
In their first meeting since Seattle’s “promotion” to MLS, emotions will be high as the high-flying Sounders will travel to PGE Park to take on a Portland Timbers side that has only lost once in USL First Division play this season. The Timbers are coming off a 4-0 drubbing of the Montreal Impact, and should prove a stern test for Sigi Schmid’s men.
The Sounders-Timbers rivalry is just one of the local match-ups on the schedule, with USL newcomers Austin Aztex taking on Western Conference power Houston Dynamo. Austin got past another Texian foe in the Second Round, defeating the El Paso Patriots 2-0.
Both matches are on Wednesday, July 1st, and will be broadcast on USLLive.com.
The tournament's Cinderella story, the Ocean City Barons, will travel to Boyds, Maryland to take on DC United. Ocean City is the only PDL team left in the tournament, and will be a heavy underdog against the Eastern Conference leaders. In their Second Round encounter with Real Maryland Monarchs, the match was stopped in the 74th minute due to lightning, with the Barons leading 1-0. In 2005, Ocean City was involved in the highest scoring match in the professional era of the Open Cup, as they fell to Richmond Kickers 8-4.
The Wilmington Hammerheads and Harrisburg City Islanders are the only two USL Second Division sides remaining, and they will take on Chicago Fire and New England Revolution respectively. Neither USL team should be taken lightly; the Hammerheads have twice advanced past the third round (2003, 2006), and the City Islanders won their third round match as recently as 2007.
Rounding out the third round are three MLS/USL First Division tilts: Kansas City Wizards will travel north to face the Minnesota Thunder, currently in last place in USL-1. The Columbus Crew will play host to the Rochester Rhinos, and Chivas USA will head east to take on the Charleston Battery.
For dates, times, and broadcast information, visit USOpenCup.com.
Excited to see the Timbers and Sounders clash once again? Hoping Ocean City can pull the upset? Still waiting for a reason to care about the Open Cup?
Share your thoughts below.
Garrett,.. Keep dreamin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lathe_of_Heaven
” but I think it says something about them that they hate Roger Levesque so much.”
Welcome new corporate customer of the Seattle Sounders franchise. Since you just tuned in we’ll give you some history.
Roger Lavesque has zero class. We have his lack of class on film. I find it amazing he pretends to have no idea where our hate from him came from. Since you clearly haven’t been around before this year to witness his lack of class in person you’re going to have to take my word for it.
just got off phone with Brian in Timber FO: 3 entire sections sold for sounders fans: over 500 traveling on a wednesday.
I don’t know about internet hooligans but in person Timbers fans are good spirited. I’ve been to a ton of games and I’ve never seen their fans that travel get into a confrontation with sounders fans. Plus they’re loud and are clearly passionate about their team. And you’ve really got to respect that last part given how often we beat them. You’d think they’d have given up by now, but no they keep on kicking.
I wouldn’t call the Timbers Army thugs or hooligans necessarily, but I think it says something about them that they hate Roger Levesque so much. He is truly one of the nicest guys in sport.
Same old Portland
The winters are so grey and damp
but in all of George Orr’s dreams
You’ll never be Champs
The famous seattle sounders went to Rome to see the Pope.
Do you know what he said?
“is this going to be televised in minnesota?”
jtd, If you’re going to be in MN i would hope that you would come out to the National Sports Center and support your local MN Thunder as they take on KC.
Posted by: Josh T. | June 30, 2009 at 09:31 AM
Word. It’s worth it.
“I hate phony internet hooliganism. Somehow, geographic isolation has created a cesspool of that nonsense in the northwest, probably because they’re too far away for anyone to be able to verify their claims.”
That’s not a baseless claim at all. In fact, when someone mugs you in Seattle they step out of an alley and send a tweet demanding all your money. The internet hooligans are running the show up here and we just don’t know where to turn because we are too far away. =P
“The TA/Portland fans have been coming across on the message boards as rather thugish regarding this match…”
“01! C0M3 4ND 4V3 A G0 1F U F1NK UR H4RD 3NUF!”
I hate phony internet hooliganism. Somehow, geographic isolation has created a cesspool of that nonsense in the northwest, probably because they’re too far away for anyone to be able to verify their claims.
“is this going to be televised in minnesota?”
jtd, If you’re going to be in MN i would hope that you would come out to the National Sports Center and support your local MN Thunder as they take on KC.
What makes this derby all the better is that you can’t trip and fall in either Seattle or Portland and not land in an amazing micro brewery or brew pub. Also, I’m a Sounders fan but Portland fans are great. They travel really well and for the most part talk (crap) but in the end are a lot of fun to have around. As with most great fan bases there are just a few people who can give them a bad name at times, just like TFC.
Ian! Don’t let the outsiders know that! We worked hard to get the reputation for rain. Now all the californians are going to invade.
actually there’s better weather in the PNW than most places around the US, but don’t tell anyone 😉
Why is it that people who live in areas with bad weather more passionately follow soccer. Think about it:
Northwest US
Washington DC
Great Britain
Russia
All of these fans are nuts about their favorite club teams. Thought it was interesting.
They’re flat
They’re round
They flop upon the ground
Shittle Flounders!!
I hope that neither Freddy sees the field on Wednesday. Maybe montero if the Sounders need a late goal. The field is narrow and the turf is garbage, save them for the MLS season. I am assuming they will start Keller, and we know Alonso is out with an injury. Evans and Marshall are off to Gold Cup duty.
I have no desire to move to the Northwest except to be part of the soccer environment there. It would be great to know other people as passionate about the sport as I am.
cannot wait for this rivalry match..
the true american rival derby
best in the nation!
How many teams would need to be added to MLS before the Battery got a shot? 30? Would a 46 team league be too cumbersome?
Tom P-
I agree and i support neither team.
I can say that a game between Montreal and TFC would carry the same weight and the same passion. Lets hope Montreal makes it into the MLS.
Portland fans are not “thugs” they just have little mans syndrome
scott47a, I appreciate the irony of you bringing up NBA. Well in son.
Have you ever had a tin?
They play soccer in Portland? Who knew.
I did read they are that Portland is the unhappiest city in the United States, though:
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/02/0226_miserable_cities/2.htm
God bless them, still haven’t recovered from drafting Sam Bowie ahead of that other guy:
http://reclinergm.wordpress.com/2008/01/26/the-man-behind-the-biggest-draft-blunder-in-nba-history/
just a heads up you can watch the match on usllive.com for free.
Be great to see the Sounders/Timbers game sell out. Can’t wait until 2011 with Seattle, Portland and Vancouver in the MLS!
I can’t wait to see what happens when the lumberjack gets within 50 feet of Ljungberg on the first corner.
Timbers have had some cakewalks at home recently. This one won’t be.
I-5 will be a sea of lime green Weds.
Ah, Portland…Seattle’s Tijuana and the red-headed stepchild of the northwest
TO ALL: wouldn’t be nice to watch a true derby like this on TV – especially for all of us who don’t live in the NW but are waiting for a true derby to form here our domestic league(s)? (OK- Chivas- Galaxy is real one)
I would really love to watch this game live.
I am always startled whenever anyone says the TA is coming off as “thuggish”, especially considering the Vancouver rivalry game ended with some TA members buying Whitecaps fans beer because their team lost. Portland fans are passionate, but hooligans they are not.
Also, the game is almost a sellout.
The Timbers v Shittle match is live on FSNW wed. at 7pm PST. I belive it’s in HD
DirecTV
FSNW = Channel 687 (not sure the HD channel #)
Dish Network
FSNW = Channel 426HD
While I want the Timbers to win, they must play better than when they played my hometown team, Sonoma County Sol. They did not impress me too much that game. The 3-0 score for them to make this game does not reflect the true game.
^ the timbers/sounders match? ^
is this going to be televised in minnesota?
Luis
The PGE park/AAA stadium proposal was just split in half into two separate projects. Ultimately Portland has until September first to get the funding approved and any gaps in the funding taken care of.
I hope that the match between Seattle and Portland doesn’t get ugly between the fans. The TA/Portland fans have been coming across on the message boards as rather thugish regarding this match…
Pretty sure you need some timbers to build a bonfire!
Columbus is actually playing at Rochester in the newly named “Marina Auto Stadium”
What’s the deal with the Portland stadium anyway? I read somewhere that the deal is falling through, but I don’t recall where and haven’t seen anything since – making me wonder if I read it on some fan forum and it was not true?
HM: One of the reason that the Yakima Reds almost went under before this season was because they had to travel across country for their US Open Cup game against Harrisburg. With the size of this country and the lack of money at the lower levels keeping it regional is the best way to go.
Build a bonfire!
Build a bonfire!
Put Seattle on the top!
Put Vancouver in the middle
and we’ll burn the Fu–ing lot!
This will be a nice tune up for 2011 for sure!
I’ve already got my ticket for the Northwest Derby.
C’mon Timbers!
“Build a bonfire,
build a bonfire,
Put Seattle at the top…”
HM, i think thats how the turny works. it would be difficult to expect the OC Barrons to fly their whole team out to LA or Seattle for a single game.
i hate admitting it, being from the east coast, but i admire the success that the pacific northwest has achieved. looking forward to the day when there are 3 strong first div clubs in the PNW
Hm: no one ever said this was a random draw, there is certainly a regional component to this round (it gets more random for the next round) since there are still USL-2 teams and even pdl teams involved, and almost no money to be made, it would be unfair to ask some team like the oc barons to fly across the country they don’t have the budget. Plus, regional exposure and rivalries are a good thing.
Amazing how the USOC draw always matches teams right next to each other.
SOUNDERS! Timbers are goin’ down.
Bet the Yankee game goes into extra innings and we see the last 20 minutes of the game. Not that I’m bitter at how soccer gets treated on TV or anything.
Should be a terrific match. Funny to the hunted after all those years of taking on MLS teams as Sounders USL.
I think Portland will come out blazing and if Sounders can withstand first 25 minutes or so, the advantage goes to them.
Seattle would love to win Cup and get an international invite plus any trophy the first season will be seen as an accomplishment.
Wish I could go. Definitely be watching…Hope M’s and Yanks are rained out.
I hope Seattle runs out the first team, but am expecting to see Le Toux and Levesque up front.
For all readers that get FSN NorthWest the Timbers-Sounders match will be on television immediately following the Mariners@Yankees ~ 7PM for the start.