Players and Transfers
A large portion of the Sounders-Timbers rivalry can be seen on the soccer pitch itself. Before Seattle made the jump to MLS, many onfield rivalries between the players existed. As the years progressed, this would only enhance the level of competition, and intensify the matches. An example of this was the notable rivalry between Timbers defender Scot Thompson, and Sounders striker, Roger Levesque. Levesque, now with MLS's Seattle Sounders, has played in Seattle for several years, while Thompson has played in Portland since 2004.
Another reason the rivalry intensified was the transfer of star players between the two teams. While many players transferred to the other rival city from when the Timbers resumed play in 2001, the most memorable was the signing of Portland's all time assist leader, and fan favorite Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar to Seattle in 2007. That same season, Seattle star Andrew Gregor signed with Portland, thus creating tensions on the field, as the players became familiar with each other. While playing for the Sounders in 2003, Gregor had said "A lot of the guys, we know each other from years back, and we don't get along and stuff. It's always exciting."
NASL and USL matches between the teams were intense and more physical than other teams in the leagues. Sigi Schmid has said that Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver playing in the same league again will be "something that's going to be one of the key features of MLS". The first of these was Seattle fan favorite Mike Fucito who came to Portland via the Montreal Impact on April 20, 2012.
Read more about this topic: Seattle Sounders–Portland Timbers Rivalry
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