Sounders vs. Timbers, recap: rivalry blues

The Seattle Sounders welcomed the Portland Timbers to Lumen Field for what was meant to be a celebration. The Sounders unveiled their banner to commemorate winning the Concacaf Champions League against their biggest rival on national television, and although they put on a good show to start the game they promptly fell apart on their way to a 0-3 loss at home. The years-long nightmare in Seattle when the Timbers come to town continues, and there’s no clear reason why. There’s only so much road wins in Portland can do to alleviate the frustration of losing home rivalry games for five years running.

The game started well enough, with Seattle creating a number of chances in the first 15 minutes,…