Timbers take on Sounders in playoff showdown at PGE Park
Published on August 31, 2004 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Portland Timbers News Release
PORTLAND, Ore. - Riding a 10-game unbeaten streak into the postseason, the Portland Timbers (18-7-3, 57pts) are the hottest team in the A-League as they face the Seattle Sounders (13-11-4, 43pts) in the Western Conference Semifinals on Wednesday, Sept. 1 at PGE Park. Kickoff is 7 p.m. The second game of the series will be played at Qwest Field in Seattle on Sunday, Sept. 5 at 5 p.m.
2004 SERIES HISTORY
Portland leads the season series 3-1 and defeated the Sounders 3-1 in a two-game aggregate goal series on May 1 and May 15, advancing the Timbers to the U.S. Open Cup for the first time in franchise history. Highlights include: Alan Gordon scored his first professional goal less than 30 seconds into the season against Seattle on May 1, a game the Timbers won, 2-1 ... Portland goalkeeper Josh Saunders had a career night in a 1-0 shutout of the Sounders May 15, collecting eight saves while facing 23 shots to preserve the win ... Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar tallied the game-winning goal in the final seconds of stoppage time in the second overtime of Portland's 4-3 win July 17 ... Seattle's Roger Levesque scored twice in the Sounders' 2-0 win at PGE Park July 24.
TRENDS
The Timbers will try to keep a 10-game unbeaten streak alive against a Sounders team that won five straight until losing 3-1 to Minnesota on Saturday night ... Portland's last loss came at the hands of Seattle on July 24, but the Timbers have not dropped a game since that date ... the Timbers have outscored their opponents 22-6 since the loss to Seattle ... the loss also snapped a five-game winning streak against the Sounders, dating back to last season ... Portland has outscored Seattle 7-6 through four games ... all three Portland wins were by a one-goal differential.
NO LOVE LOST
The Portland-Seattle rivalry this season has produced 22 cautions between the two clubs. The Sounders have drawn 11 yellow cards and two red cards, while the Timbers have collected nine yellow cards in total. Seattle's Ryan Edwards was tossed from the season opener for throwing an elbow to the head of Gavin Wilkinson during a skirmish and Zach Scott was sent off July 17 for receiving his second yellow card of the night. Seattle has twice broken the 20-foul mark against the Timbers and Portland managed the feat once in the series, with a total of 149 fouls called in four games.
PLAYOFF FORMAT
The team with the most goals at the end of the two-game aggregate series will advance to the next round ... there will be no overtime played in the first game of the series ... if there is a tie in total goals at the end of the second match, there will be two 15-minute, "golden goal" overtime periods called a "series overtime" ... if it is still tied, the winner will be determined by FIFA penalty kicks.
LEAGUE LEADERS
Several Timbers finished the 2004 regular season among the league leaders in various statistical categories, including: Byron Alvarez, second in points (36) and third in goals (16); Alan Gordon, third in points (35) and tied for first in goals (17); Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar, first in assists (10) and tied for 13th in points (20); Alex Bengard, tied for sixth in assists (7); Josh Saunders, seventh in goals-against average (1.11) and tied for eighth in shutouts (6).
OTHER MATCHUPS
The winner of the Portland-Seattle series will take on either Minnesota or Vancouver, which compose the other half of the Western Conference Semifinals. In the Eastern Conference, the top-seeded Montreal Impact plays the Rochester Raging Rhinos and the second-seeded Richmond Kickers meet the Syracuse Salty Dogs.
FOR THE RECORD
The top-seeded Timbers finished the 2004 regular season with the most wins (18) in their four seasons of A-League play. The 57 points earned was the most in the league, surpassing Montreal of the Eastern Conference on the final day of competition. Portland finished 9-4-1 at PGE Park and 9-3-2 in away games. The 58 goals scored was the most in the A-League, as was the plus-28 goal differential.
THOMPSON HONORED
Timbers defender Scot Thompson was named to the A-League Team of the Week for Week 20. The nod came in recognition of an assist on the game-winning goal in Sunday's 2-1 victory over Milwaukee. Thompson, who is on loan from the Galaxy of MLS, was also given the mention for solid play on the back line in games against Minnesota and Milwaukee.
ALL ABOARD
Always an unmistakable presence when the Timbers travel to Seattle, the Timbers Army will be in full force on Sunday, Sept. 5 when the two clubs play game two at Qwest Field. The Timbers Army has organized a bus trip for the event and round-trip tickets are $25, with game tickets costing an additional $10. The bus leaves at 12 noon from PGE Park on Sunday and those interested can sign up at jeremyw@rocketmail.com.
INJURY UPDATE
Midfielder Scott Benedetti suffered a left-ankle sprain against Milwaukee and will not be available Wednesday ... Shawn Saunders is still sidelined with a strained tendon in his left ankle ... defender Aaron Heinzen is out for the season after having surgery to remove a piece of dead bone in his right ankle.
TICKETS AVAILABLE
Tickets for the first leg of the Western Conference Semifinals are available for purchase at the PGE Park box office as well as Portland-area Ticketmaster outlets. Individual tickets can be purchased by phone at (503) 224-4400 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Group tickets can be purchased by calling (503) 553-5555.
ON THE AIR
Both playoff matches will be aired live on KZNY AM-1010 with Andy McNamara calling the play-by-play and Aaron Heinzen providing the color analysis. Arnulfo Alvarez will call the games in Spanish on KRMZ AM-1150. Both broadcasts will be carried on the Internet at OregonLive.com.
USL First Division Stories from August 31, 2004
- Timbers take on Sounders in playoff showdown at PGE Park - Portland Timbers
- USL announces week 20 honors - USL-1
- Kickers To Face Syracuse In Eastern Conference Semi-Final - Richmond Kickers
- Mariner Forward Dante Washington Wins A-League Scoring Championship - Virginia Beach Mariners
- Eighth Season a Real Roller Coaster - Toronto Lynx
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
