Albert Rusnák scores as Seattle Sounders play to 1-1 draw with Timbers
PORTLAND, OREGON - MAY 17: Albert Rusnák #11 of Seattle Sounders scores his team's first goal as Maxime Crépeau #16 of Portland Timbers fails to make a save during the MLS match between Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders at Providence Park on May (Soobum Im / Getty Images)
PORTLAND, Ore. - Santi Moreno's goal in the 36th minute pulled the Portland Timbers into a 1-1 draw with the Seattle Sounders in a Cascadia Cup rivalry match on Saturday night.
The Timbers (6-3-5) have not lost at home since the season opener against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Portland is undefeated in four straight.
Both teams were short on rest following mid-week games. The Timbers played to a scoreless draw at the Utah Royals on Wednesday, while Seattle fell 4-0 at LAFC.
Veteran Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei, who recently made his 400th appearance for Seattle across all competitions, did not make the trip to Los Angeles but started in Portland.
Albert Rusnák's goal in the 30th minute gave the Sounders (5-4-5) a 1-0 lead. He took a cross from Danny Musovski and sent the ball past a Portland defender and diving goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.
Crepeau finished with five saves. Seattle had six shots on goal compared to Portland's one.
A short time later the Timbers pulled even with Moreno's goal that Seattle's Alex Roldan slid to try and stop. It was Moreno's fourth goal of the season.
"We didn’t keep possession of the ball in the second half," Timbers coach Phil Neville said about the stalemate after halftime. "We wanted to keep the ball in the final third, but we went into survival mode."
The last meeting between the rivals was a 1-1 draw last October at Seattle's Lumen Field.
"I’ve been part of this rivalry for quite a bit of time now, and it’s always a special occasion. It’s two cities that have a major history and we never want to lose to them. Whether it's home or away, it’s a game that all these players want to be on the field for," Roldan said.
Fans of the Timbers, Sounders and Whitecaps created the Cascadia Cup, which is awarded to the team that wins the three-way competition between the trio, based on points.
The Whitecaps took the early lead in the competition with their victory over the Timbers in the season opener. Portland is the defending champion.
The Source: Information in this story came from The Associated Press.
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