A rivalry that was once dominated by the Tacoma Defiance (née Seattle Sounders 2) — the Defiance won 13 of the first 14 matches between the two sides — has turned fully to the Portland Timbers 2’s favor. The latest T2 win came on Friday, 6-3. T2 have now won the last four meetings.
T2 found the Defiance’s weakness (both stopping and defending crosses) within three minutes of the match’s opening whistle and exploited it mercilessly in the first half. They ended up scoring three times off headers from crosses in the opening 45 minutes.