The Seattle Sounders–Portland Timbers rivalry is one of the biggest rivalries in American soccer, which traces its roots all the way back to the 1970s when the two were playing in the North American Soccer League. The main reason behind the rivalry is the location of these two franchises, both of which are based in the Pacific Northwest region.
The first-ever duel between the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers happened in 1975. Since then, the two played another 125 matches, with Seattle winning almost half of those – the Sounders lead the series 62-49-15.
In recent times, however, it’s Portland Timbers who have been more successful. Most of their wins happened from early 2018 to summer 2019, when the Timbers beat the Sounders in six of their eight duels. Further, the most recent Sounders vs Timbers duel in the MLS saw Portland win 2-0.
That happened in August 2021. Fast-forward to July 2022 and oddsmakers see the Sounders as odds-on favorites. Are the bookies right to think so?
Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers Odds (2022 MLS)
Moneyline
| Seattle Sounders | -120 |
| Draw | +275 |
| Portland Timbers | +300 |
Goals Over/Under
| Over 2.5 | -143 |
| Under 2.5 | +110 |
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Date: Saturday, July 9
- Time: 4:30 PM ET
- Place: Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington
- How to Watch: FOX
Seattle Sounders Playing Great at Home
The Sounders are 8-2-7 overall, meaning that they’ve collected 26 points so far, which puts them in the #7 position in the Western Conference. Sixteen of those points happened at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington.
These guys are 5-1-4 at home, with a score differential of 17-7, which makes them one of the best home teams in the conference. They did, however, lose the last time they played at home – CF Montreal (rather surprisingly) beat them 2-1.
The loss in their previous home game should worry them much ahead of the clash with the Portland Timbers. Why? Because the Timbers are among the worst teams when it comes to playing on the road.
Portland Timbers Winless on the Road Since April
April 9, 2022 – that’s when we saw the Portland Timbers win an away match the last time. They beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-2, for which they should count themselves lucky as Vancouver’s Cristian Dajome missed a penalty in that game.
Since beating Vancouver, Portland are without a single win on the road in the MLS, with three losses and four draws. Actually, the Timbers have just one win on the road this season, while overall, they’re 5-8-6.
Their biggest problem this season has been their defense, as evident from the fact that their score differential is 29-29. On the bright side, they conceded “just” six goals in their previous five MLS games. Unfortunately, it seems very likely their record will get tarnished on Saturday.
Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers Prediction
Online sportsbooks think the Seattle Sounders are going to win on Saturday, and we can only agree with them. However, we don’t think it’s going to be an easy game. On the contrary, we think the Portland Timbers will try to fight back, possibly putting away a goal or two, which probably isn’t going to be enough to win them points.
Picks: Seattle Sounders to win; over 2.5 goals