The Seattle Sounders brought life back to Lumen Field. With a first-half goal from Pedro de la Vega, the team beat their rivals, the Portland Timbers, 1–0 and finally ended a long and frustrating run of ten straight home matches without a derby win: a streak that stretched all the way back to 2017.
The result keeps the Sounders in fifth place in the Western Conference, sitting on 49 points with 13 wins. Portland, stuck at 44 points, dropped to seventh and is still fighting to hang onto the last direct playoff spot.
A rivalry that demanded everything
It was a tense game in Seattle, one of those that tests heart more than skill. The winning goal came just 16 minutes in, born from a quick, precise build-up. Jesús Ferreira started the play down the right, slipped the ball to Alex Roldan making a smart overlapping run, and Roldan sent in a perfect cross for De la Vega, who struck it first time into the net.
After that, it became a battle of endurance. Portland pushed hard and forced Seattle to defend deep. Nouhou came up with a vital block in the 30th minute, throwing himself in front of Kevin Kelsy’s close-range shot. Moments later, Stefan Frei made the kind of save that changes the course of these rivalries, stretching out his left hand to stop a powerful attempt from David Da Costa.
Late in the first half, Paul Rothrock nearly doubled the lead, but Portland goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau came out quickly to block the shot and keep his team alive.
A solid defense and nerves on edge
The second half played out in much the same way , Portland trying to find gaps, Seattle staying compact and organized. De la Vega almost struck again right after the break with a first-time shot that sailed just over the bar. At the other end, Kristoffer Velde came close in the 67th minute with a curling left-footed strike that flew just wide, proof that the Timbers were still in it.
The closing moments carried the kind of tension this rivalry always seems to produce. Portland kept pressing, but Frei stood firm again, pulling off two solid saves to keep the clean sheet. Deep in stoppage time, Seattle went down to ten men after Albert Rusnák was sent off following a VAR review.