U.S. Soccer’s longest running rivalry prepares its next chapter.

On Sunday afternoon one of the longest standing rivalries in American soccer prepares itself for a new chapter as the Seattle Sounders host the Portland Timbers.

The origins of the sporting rivalry go back to the 1970s and it has since spanned four different professional leagues; from the NASL to the WSL, and USL, taking us to the present day and MLS. With such a rich history, the initial curiosity is what instigated the rivalry. “The proximity always helps,” Caleb Porter, head coach of the Portland Timbers, explained. “In Portland we have two sports; basketball and soccer. I think that makes our fans even more proud of soccer and they want our support to be even better because they want something to brag about. I think it [the rivalry] stems from the old NASL days too.”

Porter is well placed to speak on the matter. Born in Tacoma, Washington, he moved to Portland, Oregon, at a young age when his dad took a job as a Forrester. It was that time spent in the city of Portland that later enticed him into coaching the Timbers, but in many ways you could argue he has one foot in both camps. “Well I don’t know about that,” he said with a laugh, “I have two feet in one camp and that’s the Portland Timbers.”

Aware of the history that binds these two together, Porter was born the same year the Timbers were founded 1975, the Sounders having arrived one year prior. Hosting Seattle was Portland’s first match in the North American Soccer League, a fixture in which the visitors handed them a 1-0 defeat. A few months later the two would meet again in the NASL play-offs and the Timbers would exact revenge with a 2-1 overtime win.

From there a rivalry was born. Originating in the humble surroundings of a minor league baseball stadium and attendances of just over 6,000 fans, Sunday will see over 64,000 fans in attendance at Century Link field. An important game for both sides in relation to their season, Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid also notes the wider implications.

“I think the rivalry is incredibly important to the league because it’s based on the cities’ histories,” Schmid said. “It’s not just a soccer rivalry that came about because the teams came into MLS. It’s a rivalry that existed all the way back to the North American Soccer League. It’s a rivalry between the two cities of Portland and Seattle and as a result of that it makes it pretty deep seated and pretty intense”

That intensity is in large part due to the fans and the supporters group - Emerald City Supporters Group of Seattle and the Timbers Army of Portland. “They bring undying passion to the field and they are unwavering in their support,” Porter said of the fans.

Unable to compete on the field with the players, it is in the stands where the supporters groups do battle through their elegant and exceptionally choreographed Tifos. An Italian word, it now comes to define the large artistic displays both sides unfurl before a derby match. Often requiring months of organisation and planning, that sacrifice of time and energy is not lost on the players.

“The effort the supporters put in is just another example of the passion our supporters have in Seattle,” former Seattle Sounders player Roger Levesque said. “The message and the idea behind it is just a reminder of where the club has been and all the success the club has had. It makes you proud to be a Sounder.”

The work of the supporters groups also extends past colourful banners. The Timbers Army organise charitable efforts to benefit the local community including Operation Pitch Invasion; an initiative that looks to build soccer fields in the local area. “For us it’s the most Timbers thing you can do, giving back to Portland,” said Shawn Levy, a member of the Timbers army.

Meanwhile in Honduras, where Seattle played a CONCACAF Champions League tie this week, Levesque along with a group of supporters organised their own philanthropic efforts by putting on a soccer clinic to help the nation’s poorest children. “We’re just looking to give kids another positive opportunity, whether that’s soccer, whether’s that education or just a safe place for activity,” Levesque said.

With both teams having generated positive repercussions outside of the soccer field, they have also contributed something to US soccer culture with the Cascadia Cup.

Formed in 2004, the cup is a fan initiated trophy that sees Seattle, Portland and the Vancouver Whitecaps compete in a three team league in which their results against each other in MLS decide which team is the best in the Pacific Northwest for that year. Portland last lifted the cup in 2012 and know they cannot win it this season. Therefore, given the choice of Vancouver retaining the cup or Seattle collecting it, which would fans rather see? “Vancouver, all day, in every thing,” replied Levy with a laugh.

In terms of Sunday however, there remains a lot at stake for Portland to contest. Seattle sit just inside the play-off positions and a defeat could be damaging to their unblemished record of consecutive play-off qualification since 2009. With the Sounders defeated 4-1 during their last encounter in the league, emotions will be running high in both dugouts and it it then when cool heads must prevail. “I have to be calm for them [the supporters],” Porter explained.

That tranquility was somewhat absent in the Seattle ranks during their US Open Cup meeting in June. A bizarre encounter which saw a 3-1 defeat for Seattle, the Sounders also incurred three red cards including one for star man Clint Dempsey after he was dismissed for tearing up referee Daniel Radford’s notebook ( a move that would see him earn a three game ban in MLS and a two year ban from the Open Cup).
“Once you get out there it’s a battle,” Levesque said. “It can be emotional. For me it was about being at the right place in the right time and if I wasn’t starting it was waiting for that opportunity and pouncing on it.”

Both sides will also welcome fresh talent to the game. Porter has added Argentinian Lucas Melano to his roster and feels he doesn’t need to give the 22-year-old any special instructions. “There are just some things you know when you become part of a club, you know what the rivalry games are,” Porter said. “I’ve had a little chat with him but I don’t think I need to educate him on it.”

Meanwhile Sigi Schmid will likely include defender Roman Torres and former Borussia Dortmund forward Nelson Valdez. A new experience it may seem daunting to many, although teammate Tyrone Mears feels the additions will only serve to benefit the Sounders.

“In terms of the new players, Nelson has played in massive games, Roman has been captain of Panama and they’ve experienced the crowd at Century Link, (Seattle’s home ground)” Mears said. “When you’re playing in games like that it brings the best out of the best players.”

However come Sunday at 4pm, talking will do no favours. Action will take centre-stage as Seattle and Portland meet for the 91st time in their respective histories. A rivalry that is arguably the envy of U.S. Soccer if not U.S. sports, it would seem a feud that is destined to grow, not only the respective teams but also the sport as a whole. “In a rising tide all ships rise,” Porter said.