Defense steals the show as Sounders win the derby

The "greatest rivalry in the MLS" went in favor of the Seattle Sounders as they defeated the Timbers 1-0 in Seattle. The Sounders won the derby and are rounding into playoff form with spectacular performances by Frei, Nouhou, Ragen, Alex Roldan, and de la Vega, amongst others, as they shut out and defeated the Timbers at Lumen Field and ensured the higher spot in the rankings for bragging rights.

The Timbers haven't lost to the Sounders in Seattle since, 2017. The Sounders have been looking for a rebound game to get them back on track following their League's Cup title.

The Sounders lost Yeimar last match, and Kim Kee-Hee could not continue in the line-up due to tightness in his calf. The Sounders finished the game with a man down. Jesus Ferreira also left the game after he was cramping. Obed Vargas and Reid Baker-Whiting were away in their national team games. The Sounders have not won since the Leagues Cup final and have had trouble at home with the Timbers over the last handful of years. All of these things paint a bleak picture of the game.

Working for the Sounders, Pedro de la Vega played his first game in over a month, Nouhou dominated defensively, Jackson Ragen did well passing out of the back, and Frei made another career save, spectacularly deflecting a powerful shot over the bar while diving to his left.

De la Vega said that his knee was at 100%, and while Sounders Nation wants to believe that, even Brian Schmetzer pointed out that there was a hitch in running.

Being a derby match, the Sounders Fans brought their 'A' game, and could be heard throughout the match. Unfortunately, they were not able to coax the official to review a few plays in the box, or the Sounders would have been able to score on 3 separate occasions. One play was reviewed, and that didn't go in the Sounders' favor either.

Albert Rusnak attempted to stop a counter-attack by fouling. He was given a yellow card. Upon review, the officials seemed to overlook that Rusnak came in contact with the ball first, and according to Brian Schmetzer, it was clear he didn't mean to catch the player. After his foot went over the top of the ball, his cleats caught the ankle of the Timbers player, and Rusnak was ejected.

Rusnak was playing in Vargas's position while he was away, and a point of emphasis since the Club World Cup has been to foul early in counter-attacks to allow the defense to set up. It was a sloppy challenge from Rusnak, but he had the right idea, even though it was poorly executed.

Brian Schmetzer pointed out after the game that this is the best rivalry in the MLS and the attendance in both places is enthusiastic, and seats are filled. De la Vega reported that an extra incentive was from a picture that the team puts up in the locker room after their latest victory. He claimed that they were "sick of looking at the same picture for a month."

De La Vega put the following touch on a good sequence of passing in the first half to smash in the game's only goal. The Sounders dominated play for the most part, even with Portland being unusually aggressive.

They had the better chances and deserved to win. The difference between this game and the previous ones was that the defense from Roldan and Nouhou was superb, and Ragen and Kee-Hee and Bell came up with play after play in the middle.

Their defense stepped up if their offensive passing can get back to the stretch they were in for the games around and in the Leagues Cup, they will be a nightmare match-up for any team in the playoffs. The win against the Timbers was a gritty step in the right direction.

The Sounders find themselves 5th in the standings. The victory over the Timbers prevents them from catching the Sounders and all but locks Seattle in 5th place in standings. It is possible if the Sounders win out to catch LAFC and earn a home play-off game, but that would require LAFC to do no better than 1 tie and 3 losses in their final 4 games, which is very unlikely to put it nicely.

The teams the Sounders will be playing, Salt Lake City in Seattle and New York City over there are also hungry to improve their positions, so the competition will be stiff as all the teams are trying to round into playoff form.