The Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders square off at Jeld-Wen Field today in the latest installment of their Cascadia Derby (5pm, ESPN2 first, then ESPN).
The match is a vital one for two teams struggling at the moment. The Sounders come into Portland winless in six matches and in danger of slipping even further down the standings.
The Timbers are also in desperate need for points, having won just once in their past six matches. A victory today is vital to the team's hopes of climbing back into the Western Conference playoff race. Right now Portland is in last place in the West, but with multiple games in hand on the teams above them in the standings, the Timbers can start a climb with a victory today.
As if the rivalry weren't already filled with enough intrigue and intensity, Portland will be starting former Sounders fan favorite Mike Fucito today, as the Timbers trot out a very attack-minded side. Here are the lineups for both teams:
TIMBERS– Perkins; Jewsbury, Danso, Horst, Smith; Alhassan, Chara, Nagbe, Songo'o; Fucito, Boyd
SOUNDERS- Weber; Scott, Parke, Hurtado, Burch; Rosales, Alonso, Evans, Caskey; Montero, Johnson
If you will be watching today's match, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action.