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Timbers-Sounders preview

There is never much need for any promotional buildup when the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC square off on the pitch but when the two sides meet Sunday afternoon at Providence Park it will be more about pride that any real shift in the Western Conference table.

One of North American soccer's longest and most heated rivalries, the Pacific Northwest derby between the Timbers and Sounders dates back to the 1975 North American Soccer League (NASL) season, Portland's first year as a professional club. The Timbers have registered an overall record of 33-47-12 all-time against Seattle and a mark of 6-8-4 during the MLS era, in all competitions.

Sunday's match is the first of three regular-season meetings scheduled between the rivals this season.

Portland has been the better team as of late and is unbeaten in its past eight league matches. Most recently, the Timbers (6-6-8, 26 points and in seventh in the Western Conference) battled the Montreal Impact to a 1-1 home draw as forward Jack McInerney scored his fifth regular-season goal of the MLS season.

The draw was the Timbers fourth in five matches and snapped Portland's two-match shutout streak.

The Portland Timbers signed Lithuanian left-back Vytautas Andriuskevicius on Thursday to bolster its defense.

"We have been looking to add a more natural left-back that fits our system on both sides of the ball during this window, and we feel Vytas is a good fit for our club and the league," Timbers general manager Gavin Wilkinson said.

"He has experience playing in strong European leagues and for his country at the international level and, at 25, is in the prime of his career."

Seattle (6-10-2, 20 points and in ninth place) is coming off an impressive 5-0 home victory over conference-leading FC Dallas on Wednesday, the Sounders' only victory in their past five matches.

Seattle has a 1-5-2 record on the road this season and is led by rookie forward Jordan Morris, who ranks first on the team in goals scored (six).

The Sounders will be without forward Clint Dempsey in Sunday's match after the United States National Team stalwart received a red card in the victory against FC Dallas.

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