As with most rivalries, there isn’t one clear answer as to when the emotions in this one began to run hot.
In fact, very few, if any, quite understand the decades-long tension and the reasons why one’s team is better than another.
It’s simply known that a rivalry exists and that winning, and beating the other team, is the only real answer.
With the case of the match Sunday between the Sounders and Portland Timbers, beating turned literal as players swung punches and aggressively shoved bodies after the final whistle blew with the scoreboard in favor of Portland, 2-1.