Sports
Sammamish Sports Fans: Season Begins in Soccer-Mad Pacific Northwest
The Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps begin a new rivalry.
Expect colorful Seattle Sounders FC scarves on the streets as the Sounders begin their third season as a member of Major League Soccer. It looks to be a fiercely competitive season as two other Pacific Northwest teams – the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps FC – begin their inaugural season as MLS teams.
The Sounders, along with their two new regional rivals, make up what many soccer commentators nationwide call the hot spot of American pro soccer: the Pacific Northwest.
Portland, playing in renovated PGE Park (now called Jeld-Wen Field), capped season tickets sales at 12,000 and will certainly sell out all home games. The stadium holds about 20,000 fans. The Timbers have three away games before debuting in the new park April 14 against the Chicago Fire. The first Timbers-Sounders game is May 14 in Seattle.
Vancouver will play at BC Place, which also holds about 20,000 spectators. The team’s first game, March 19, is also its home openers, against Toronto FC. The first Whitecaps-Sounders game is June 11 in Seattle.