2012 MLS Standings: Loss To San Jose At Home Stings, But Sounders Still In Good Position

The Seattle Sounders missed a great chance to gain ground on the San Jose Earthquakes atop the MLS Western Conference Saturday night at CenturyLink Field. They fell 2-1 and now the Earthquakes are ever so close to clinching the conference regular-season title.

With San Jose thinking about that and the Supporter's Shield for most points in the entire league, the Sounders must set their sights on a second-place finish. They're in solid position to do so despite the home loss, and at 48 points are only one point out of second behind Real Salt Lake and the LA Galaxy.

Seattle has five matches left to play in the regular season. The Galaxy and RSL have four. Second place is important because that team would get to host a conference semifinal, while fourth place means a play-in game just to get into the conference semifinals.

The Sounders are 13-7-9 on the season and headed to a fourth postseason appearance in four seasons of existence.

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Seattle Sounders Close To MLS Playoff Spot

The Seattle Sounders have a chance to clinch a MLS playoff spot this week as they return home to face the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.

A Sounders win against the Earthquakes would clinch the team a playoff spot outright, but there are a few other scenarios which could work out in their favor. They can also clinch a spot with a tie against the Earthquakes and a tie or loss by Chivas USA in their game against the Columbus Crew on Wednesday, or a tie or loss by Chivas USA in their game with D.C. United on Saturday.

Prior to Saturday's pivotal MLS matchup, the Sounders (13-6-9 in MLS play) will play a CONCACAF match against Marathón in Honduras on Wednesday that begins at 7 p.m. PT and will be televised on Fox Soccer.

Saturday's game starts at 7:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on KONG.

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Updated Cascadia Cup Standings

Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers Play To Hard Fought 1-1 Draw

It was far from the prettiest game ever played, but derbies often aren't. But the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers put on quite a show, in a hard-fought match that good have gone either way until the very end. Neither team will be fully satisfied with the result, but it was likely the fairest one as both teams had their chances but struggled mightily to finish. With Seattle and Portland splitting the points, the destination of the Cascadia Cup will remain unknown for another few weeks.

The first half was a tense and even affair, but ultimately uneventful as the two sides went to the break level at 0-0 without much in the way of scoring chances. The second half started off in a similar vein, but the game opened up significantly after Fredy Montero opened the scoring with an absolute wonder-strike. Finding themselves a goal down, the Timbers began to throw men forward with abandon and the pressure clearly rattled the Sounders. After threatening for the better part of 20 minutes, Portland equalized in the 78th minute thanks to Rodney Wallace's perfectly placed header from a Jack Jewsbury corner.

The goal gave the Timbers even more confidence, and it was a nervy finish for the Sounders; the Timbers continued to threaten from set pieces, and in the 92nd minute Bright Dike very nearly won it for the home side when he pounced on a failed clearance and clanged a shot off the post. That scare seemed to wake up the Sounders a bit, and they spent the remainder of the game holding on to possession and taking only clear opportunities to attack, with the game's last chance coming after a punched ball by Joe Bendik fell to Osvaldo Alonso whose low, driven effort was smothered by the Timbers keeper.

The Sounders next Cascadia Cup match will take place in Vancouver on September 29th and the Timbers will make their lone visit to Seattle this season on October 7th, but the more pressing matter will be next Saturday's clash with current Supporters Shield race leaders he San Jose Earthquakes. Seattle has lost both previous games against the Earthquakes this season, and a failure to win next weekend would be a major blow to Seattle's playoff positioning and CONCACAF Champions League qualification odds. But after a game like today's, Sounders fans would be well served to take a bit of a breather before thinking about the challenges ahead.

Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders: Rodney Wallace Converts Corner, Equalizes Match At 1-1

Things are getting interesting in Portland; thanks to a Rodney Wallace header from Jack Jewbury's corner in the 78th minute, the Portland Timbers have tied things up at 1-1 and the home side looks intent on picking up a winner. Portland turned up the heat after Fredy Montero's opener in the 57th minute, and the dam finally broke on the home side's 7th corner of the afternoon.

The clock is ticking ever closer to the 90th minute, but the game still feels as though it has at least one more goal to give. If the Sounders are able to score they'll draw even with Portland in the Cascadia Cup standings. If the home side manages to convert, they'll take possession of the trophy and control of some measure of bragging rights for the next year. In any case, after a somewhat ugly first half, the second 45 minutes has been breathlessly entertaining an there's little doubt the finish will be just as nerve-wracking for both sides.

VIDEO: Fredy Montero's Golazo Against The Portland Timbers

Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders: Fredy Montero Wonder-Strike Gives Sounders 1-0 Lead

Just seconds after Portland Timbers keeper Donovan Ricketts was removed from the game after a scary looking collision with Seattle Sounders striker Eddie Johnson, Fredy Montero welcomed his replacement Joe Bendik to the game in the rudest possible way. Montero latched on to Michael Gspurning's long punt and fired a stunning volley into the far corner to give Seattle the lead. There was little Bendik could do about the strike, but his team now has a lot to do, trailing 1-0 with just over half an hour remaining.

Montero has had something of a rough day, finding himself the focal point of a great deal of attention from the Timbers defense with Mauro Rosales and Christian Tiffert both missing due to injury, but a goal like that will go a long way towards improving his outlook on the day. Now the Sounders must make the lead stand, which will be no easy task against a Timbers side that will no doubt be pouring men forward in search of an equalizer.

Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders: Teams Head To The Break Even At 0-0

It's been a derby match all right; lots of physical play, some pushing and shoving, very little in the way of flowing play or decent attacking moves. Each side has had their chances, but a 0-0 scoreline as the game heads to the half seems about right. Franck Songo'o has had the Timbers best effort, sending in a rocket from just outside the box that was turned away by Michael Gspurning, while Osvaldo Alonso has come closest for the Sounders with a volley from 30 yards out that went just wide.

Both sides have been largely tentative going forward, with the majority of the action taking place in the center of the pitch. That will like suit the Timbers just fine, as their preferred compact shape has been largely unaltered and they've arguably had the better of the chances while the Sounders have struggled to find a rhythm. Seattle will need to make some tactical adjustments if they hope to find a goal, while the Timbers will require a bit of creativity in the attacking third.

Eddie Johnson Booked For Reckless Tackle, Will Miss San Jose Match

Seattle Sounders striker Eddie Johnson was shown a yellow card for a reckless tackle on Portland Timbers midfielder Diego Chara, meaning he will miss the Sounders next game against the San Jose Earthquakes due to accumulation. The tackle did not appear to be of the intentionally dangerous variety but was rather an awkward "forward's challenge"; nevertheless, the booking was fair and the result is the same.

In a game that's been predictably chippy and is being officiated by a somewhat card-happy ref in Ricardo Salazar, the Earthquakes game could be the least of Johnson's worries; there's still nearly an hour to go, and if every other match in the history of the series between the two teams is any indication then there's going to be little easing of tensions as the game progresses. Fredy Montero (who was sent off in the last meeting between the two sides) is also in danger of missing Seattle's next game should he find his name in Salazar's book.

Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders Lineups: Mauro Rosales And Christian Tiffert Not In Sounders 18

Seattle Sounders fans were relieved yesterday when it was announced that Designated Players Mauro Rosales and Christian Tiffert had been upgraded from questionable to probable on the most recent injury report, but that relief has turned to anxiety today; both have been left out of not only the starting lineup, but the full squad for today's Cascadia Cup contest. The Timbers meanwhile will be without Lovel Palmer, but will field a team much closer to full-strength.

Portland Timbers Starting XI:

Donovan Ricketts; Kosuke Kimura, Hanyer Mosquera, David Horst, Rodney Wallace; Darlington Nagbe, Jack Jewsbury (c), Diego Chara; Sal Zizzo, Bright Dike, Franck Songo'o

Portland Timbers Bench:

Joe Bendik, Futty Danso, Eric Alexander, Kalif Alhassan, Kris Boyd, Mike Fucito, Danny Mwanga

Seattle Sounders Starting XI:

Michael Gspurning; Adam Johansson, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Leo Gonzalez; Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso (c), Andy Rose, Steve Zakuani, Fredy Montero, Eddie Johnson

Seattle Sounders Bench:

Josh Ford, Zach Scott, Marc Burch, Mario Martinez, Patrick Ianni, Alex Caskey, Sammy Ochoa

Seattle Sounders Can Make Amends, Ruin A Rival's Season Against Portland Timbers

Bounced from the US Open Cup by an amateur side and any shot at the playoffs long gone, the Cascadia Cup and local bragging rights are the only thing the Portland Timbers have left to play for. A Seattle win at Jeld-Wen would go a long way towards taking away both.

Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers: Cascadia Cup Time

The Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers take their heated rivalry to the pitch on Saturday.