In a match-up of heated rivals both in need of a victory, the Portland Timbers started Sunday's showdown vs. Seattle looking every bit like the team intent on snapping their recent funk.
The Timbers rode a pair of first-half goals from Kris Boyd and David Horst and some of their best soccer of the season to a 2-1 victory over the Sounders at Jeld-Wen Field on Sunday.
Boyd opened the scoring with a 16th-minute finish from Boyd, who slipped past Jhon Kennedy Hurtado to finish with ease. In the 25th minute, Horst headed home a corner kick from Franck Songo'o to send the sold-out crowd in Portland into an uproar.
Seattle battled back, and pulled to within 2-1 courtesy of a beautiful goal from Eddie Johnson, but they never found the equalizer in a match that ended with Seattle's Fredy Montero and Portland's Lovel Palmer earning red cards.
The loss marked Seattle's seventh straight MLS match without a victory, a stretch that has dropped the Sounders to fourth place in the West, just five points ahead of fifth-place Los Angeles.
Portland won the match on the field, while Timbers supporters won the battle in the stands, unveiling a jaw-dropping tifo before the match.
Here is the tifo (Match highlights are after the jump):
What did you think of the match? See the Timbers climbing back into the playoff race? Starting to worry about the Sounders?
Share your thoughts below.