It all comes down to this.
On Saturday night, the Seattle Sounders will face off against the Portland Timbers in the final match of the 2024 MLS Regular Season (6 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS). The two bitter rivals will go toe-to-toe for the 122nd time across all competitions dating back to 1975. It’s the biggest rivalry in North American soccer.
Beyond the regional bragging rights, Saturday night’s fixture is shaping up to be one of the highest-stakes rivalry matches of the last decade. Here are five reasons you won’t want to miss the match.
1. Explosive Form
After the slowest start in club history, the Sounders have been the most in-form team in the league across the second half of the season. With a record of 12-2-2 across their last 16 regular season outings, Seattle has shot up the table into No. 3 in the West. The Rave Green have scored 30 goals during that stretch while conceding just 13 goals.
Decision Day
It all comes down to this: the biggest rivalry in MLS. We host the Portland Timbers in the final match of the regular season, with playoff seeding, Cascadia Cup, and Concacaf Champions Cup qualification on the line.
2. Epic Decision Day
For the first time in the MLS era, the Sounders and Timbers will meet on Decision Day. Both sides have secured berths in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, but that will only heighten the intensity on the pitch.
The Sounders haven’t beaten the Timbers at Lumen Field since 2017. With momentum on their side, Saturday night’s match presents the perfect opportunity for Seattle to reverse that trend.
TWO BEERS AND TWO TICKETS FOR $90
Michelob Ultra on the Sounders: Grab two tickets to our Rivalry match against Portland Timbers on October 19, plus two beers. Hurry, this limited time deal won't last for long.
3. High Stakes
The recipe for Seattle to win Cascadia Cup for the first time since 2021 is simple. If they beat the Timbers, they will lift the regional trophy at home for the first time in club history. It would mark their 8th time earning the honors of Kings Cascadia, breaking their current deadlock with the Vancouver Whitecaps. However, if the Timbers win or draw at Lumen Field, they will win the competition for their 6th time since 2004.
The Sounders will also qualify for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup with three points over Portland on Saturday. It would mark the Rave Green’s first time back in the continental competition since becoming the first MLS club to win the Concacaf Champions League back in 2022. That historic title secured Seattle a spot in the upcoming 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
4. Return of Roger Levesque
When it comes to rivalries, whether someone is a hero or villain is often a matter of perspective. Few players embody that phenomenon quite like Roger Levesque.
A cult hero for Seattle in the late USL/early MLS days, Levesque has produced some of the most iconic moments in the Seattle-Portland rivalry. And on Saturday night, Roger will return as the club’s Born in ’74 Sounders Legend of the Match. Levesque will be available for photos and autographs in Soccer Celebration before the match and will be honored on the field in a special ceremony.
5. Special Activations
Saturday night’s festivities will also include a pre-match beer garden presented by Michelob Ultra, and a special pre-match musical performance by local artist Ayron Jones.
Following the match, players will hand out carnations as a thank you for the support all-season long. The carnations is a tradition that dates back to our inaugural season in 1974, and symbolizes the relationship between the players and the fans.
