Getty Images Well, well, well … this should get the Cascadia bees a’buzzin’.
It’s not like the Portland-Seattle rivalry needed goosing. We’re talking cats and dogs here, anyway.
But if anything can properly weaponize the toxic brew of antipathy that already exists between supporters of these two Pacific Northwest rivals … yep, the video below should just about seal the deal.
Thing is, this isn’t some $14 production from a nut-job in California who has now gone into hiding …
This pot-stirring video is from the Portland Timbers themselves. It’s a longtime Timbers supporter explaining, in wincing detail, no less, the ins and outs of why Timbers fans and Sounders fans just will not see eye-to-eye. For instance:
“Seattle has always had that arrogance. This idea that they are better than they really are, and just because they wear some shade of green that doesn’t appear in nature, I don’t know how they justify it. … I would say it’s their arrogance.”
(MORE: NBC’s Arlo White talks about the rivalry)
Is this the best official-level shot since the Timbers purchased a billboard right outside CenturyLink Field in Seattle? (Now that was a good one, Merritt Paulson.)
The teams play tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. on NBC.
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- facebookuser111 - Sep 14, 2012 at 6:27 PM
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Fatbaldy McSweatervest doesn’t like coarse language. No sir.
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- dws110 - Sep 14, 2012 at 7:05 PM
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“You can’t duplicate what happens here at Jeld-Wen Field, it’s just impossible.” – Fatbaldy McSweatervest.
Well, no, the Sounders can’t duplicate what you’ve got going on, mainly because we’re 20 points ahead of you in the table and you’ll be doing jack-all come November. Have a nice long rest this off-season!
I hope that wasn’t too coarse for you, big guy.
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- Steve Davis - Sep 14, 2012 at 8:48 PM
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Well done, guys. I thought that might get a couple of fingers flying across the keyboard. Hee-hee
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- dhagentj - Sep 14, 2012 at 9:38 PM
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I see, this was some cynical attempt to get more pageviews. WELL I WILL HAVE NONE OF IT. (realizes he’s refreshed the page twice) Crap.
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- Steve Davis - Sep 14, 2012 at 10:58 PM
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Nah … more just having some fun. (But I think you were just doing the same there …)
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- ravegreenstreet - Sep 14, 2012 at 10:39 PM
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Cookie cutter stadium? You play on a puny, renovated minor league baseball field. Every giant of Europe that comes and plays in Seattle talks about how incredible the stadium is. Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea… You know, big boy clubs. Not Aston Villa and whatever small time teams you guys have to settle for.
Yeah, we’re arrogant. But when you are the greatest expansion franchise in the history of sports on and off the field, you deserve to be a little arrogant. We were arrogant in the USL because we actually won the league multiple times. The Timbers have NEVER won a significant trophy. Hell, you’ve never won a Cascadia Cup with the Sounders competing for it. The only thing you can brag about is your “intimate” atmosphere… And when you have to classify your atmosphere as “intimate” to make it sound better, you’ve officially become the “but I have a great personality!” girl of the soccer world.
41-27-8. The record speaks for itself. See you tomorrow, Portscum.
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- crusty96 - Sep 14, 2012 at 11:44 PM
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If you had the slightest clue about the history of Jeld-Wen field I’d bother responding to the baseball park thing but since you probably didn’t know soccer existed prior to 2009 when Seattle invented it and supporters culture I won’t bother.
Just to inform you. Every European team that comes to any MLS stadium raves about how great they are. Hell they have probably raved about Crew stadium. Though it does make me laugh that your fan base cares more about seeing Manchester United, Chelsea or Barca than a league game that matters. Really speaks volumes about your city.
I know it hurts when every national reporter who has been to Jeld-Wen for a game has said its a better atmosphere than Seattle. I know your feelings get hurt…but you gotta let it go guys.
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- dhagentj - Sep 15, 2012 at 12:22 AM
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Interestingly enough, Seattle got more people to the Vancouver game this year than they did for Chelsea.
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- ravegreenstreet - Sep 16, 2012 at 4:56 AM
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Oh I know all about JELD-WEN’s history. Age =/= good stadium. It’s still a small, Fisher Price “My First Stadium” with a youth sized pitch.
That’s a cute little snippet you pulled out of your butt. I never heard the teams walk out of Chicago or the other cities they played and praise the stadium. You’re confusing their mandatory “MLS is good, its getting much better each year” bullcrap with actually praising the stadium and facilities. Eden Hazard of Chelsea even made a personal tweet about how incredible our facilities and stadium are. So, nice try.
And how did you manage to get the idea that we care more about friendlies than the league? That’s an incredible talent for twisting words you have. Most of the Sounders fan base is trying to get RID of friendlies, myself included.
You guys definitely get a lot of praise for your atmosphere, but to say that it’s unanimous is idiotic. Besides, I’d GLADLY give up the “atmosphere” crown to you guys if it means we keep playing for championships and trophies while you twiddle your thumbs at the bottom of the table wishing you could trade spots with us.
It speaks VOLUMES about the Timbers’ lack of ambition when your own GM says that an essentially pointless fan-trophy is your second most important trophy. SERIOUSLY? How pathetic! But when you can’t even advance past amateur teams in tournaments then I guess you have to start thinking realistically. Want to know what the Sounders are shooting for? A Champions League title. Want to know why? Because we can actually win it. We have ambition, and owners that actually KNOW how to run a football club, unlike that pretender Paulson. Heck, his main mission was to bring MLB to Portland until the Timbers Army brain-washed him. He has no idea how to run the club, and it’s painfully obvious.
We have trophies. We have attendance records. We have world-class players. Don’t ever think for a second that ANY Sounders fan would switch places with the Timbers.
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- ravegreenstreet - Sep 16, 2012 at 5:08 AM
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And one more thing, I’ve been a Sounders fan since the A-League Sounders. I was even coached throughout my childhood by USL Sounders… so I was very, very close to that team. Once again, you try to throw out blanket statements to try and bring down Sounders supporters only to end up looking stupid.
The whole “YOU GUYS ARE FAKE FANS AND DIDN’T SUPPORT THE SOUNDERS UNTIL MLS” argument is by far one of the stupidest you guys have come up with. First of all, the Timbers’ attendance has DOUBLED since the USL, are all of those new fans “fake”? By your logic they have to be. Newsflash: that’s what happens once a franchise reaches the top flight. Few people, no matter how into a sport they are, care about semi-professional teams. Secondly, Seattle had THREE top flight sports franchises during the A-League/USL Sounders. The Timbers only had the Trailblazers to contend with sport’s fans money in Portland. Besides, we’re 4 years into these massive crowds and over 30,000 season ticket holders. At what point do those “fake” fans become true fans? I definitely think after 4 seasons of being season ticket holders, you’d be classified as real supporters.
I can’t WAIT until the final match in Seattle!
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- corgster - Sep 16, 2012 at 12:57 PM
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The problem is your fanbase shows up more for friendlies than CCL games. Which lends itself to pointing out a interesting divergence of interest.
The pitch size arguments. O how I find them defiantly ignorant. It’s an excuse more than anything given FIFA rules.
History does mean something. It’s the same stadium my mother watched the Timbers before I was born, the same stadium that has seen World Cup games from TWO world cups, and of course you heard Pele played there. Why is it that Seattle fans are bent on denigrating a stadium that has seem soccer’s history? A history that even documents a soccer game at the same field in 1893!
ravegreen is classic fodder of arrogance within the Sounders fan base.
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- zoophagous - Sep 14, 2012 at 10:47 PM
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Somehow Portland’s tiny venue is something to be proud of?
Congratulations on not growing your fan base since the USL!
Timbers – division 2 forever.
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- ndnut - Sep 14, 2012 at 10:54 PM
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Wrong. USL PRO is division 3.
Timbers- division 3 forever.#RaveGreen #Cascadia
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- obiwan47 - Sep 14, 2012 at 10:58 PM
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Judging by the comments alone, the arrogance observation was entirely accurate.
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- facebookuser111 - Sep 15, 2012 at 1:49 PM
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When Sounders supporters back their team its arrogance. When the Timbers release a video of a besweatervested old man muttering vaguely about the Sounders and their supporters its just sort of quaint.
And sad.
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- corgster - Sep 15, 2012 at 11:08 PM
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When Sounders fans back their team and their ignorance is pointed out, that is arrogant.
And to the comments above:
- USL, the same league that the Sounders played. Wow.
- From 1926 to 1956, not a single baseball game was played at then Multnomah Stadium. Baseball was played there, yes, but it is a history of failures (four times it has come and gone). And arguably during the first portion it was top baseball in the Pacific Coast League, but all the originals left for MLB back in the 1950s-60s.
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- ndnut - Sep 14, 2012 at 11:07 PM
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It’s like my speech I gave a couple days ago in class. The thesis: “I believe the Minnesota Vikings will win the Super Bowl this year.” you never go into something expecting to lose. A little bit of arrogance/cockiness is a good thing. When you are as connected to the team as soccer supporters, especially in this region, are, you need to have the same thing. If this isn’t present, you will lose (possibly explaining the lack of success in Portscum. Just sayin’).
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- ndnut - Sep 15, 2012 at 12:07 AM
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Your city would care more about European friendlies too of if your stadium could expand and show that. It’s just that way because soccer fans in America that don’t like MLS (they are everywhere, including your city) want to see the big names. Plus, we still sellout every home game with a larger capacity than your stadium.
Attendance: Adv-Seattle
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- ndnut - Sep 15, 2012 at 12:18 AM
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@crusty96 The soccer culture reference was not a dig at you guys. I was saying that the sport is taken more seriously in the Pacific Northwest than most regions, including the Upper Midwest where I live. I was drawn to be a Sounders fan because they were different (drawing fans, wearing Rave Green, etc.) and good (like people being Steelers/Cowboys fans because of their dynasty and sticking with them afterwards). Also, KC is 5.5 to 6 hrs. away and we don’t connect with them as much in SF, SD as you would think. Chicago is more relatable, but still a ways away and not a very visible soccer culture compared to the Pacific NW. If I’d become a fan of the Beautiful Game just a year later, I may have become a Timbers fan (like the youth who rushed to support the Jacksonville Jaguars when they first became a team). But now, I bleed Rave Green, and we will #DefendTheCup tomorrow in our domination over you in a National Network Television audience, embarrassing your poor little city in front of the nation.
#RaveGreen
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- ndnut - Sep 16, 2012 at 8:35 AM
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Re: USL
This is true, but the Timbers struggled in USL, and the Sounders flourished. That was the basis of that case.
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- corgster - Sep 16, 2012 at 12:40 PM
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Their logic needs qualifiers then. They never mentioned the Sounders.
