TUKWILA, Wash. — When Seattle Sounders defender Brad Evans walks onto the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field on Saturday (12 p.m. PT; FOX, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS), it will be his 13th career regular-season game against the Portland Timbers. They all count for three points, but the 32-year-old veteran knows the impact of matches against the Sounders’ bitter Cascadia rivals carry much more significance.
“There’s certainly a buzz in the air around these games that’s a bit different because the media builds it up, it’s on TV a bit more, you read it in the papers,” Evans said.