3 July 1985 - It Stayed Close For A Few Minutes, At Least

On 3 July 1985, Seattle beat Portland 1-6, setting the largest margin of victory in the longstanding rivalry between the two clubs.

The two teams first played each other on 2 May 1975 as NASL teams in what was Portland's first game. Seattle won, 0-1. They continued to meet until 1982, when financial pressures forced the dissolution of Portland's team. Seattle followed after the 1983 NASL season, with the league itself folding in 1985.

In 1984, Seattle reformed as the Seattle Storm and joined the Western Soccer Alliance, with Portland joining a year later. That set the stage for their first post-NASL meeting in the Western Alliance Challenge Series that also included the San Jose Earthquakes and the Victoria Riptide.

Portland hosted Seattle at the Civic Stadium where a meager crowd of just under 3,000 watched as Seattle took a 2nd-minute lead with a goal from Ken Fuegman. Portland's Mark Miller quickly equalized (11'), but Seattle then pulled away, scoring five unanswered goals, starting with Brian Schmetzer's 13th-minute strike. Bruce Raney had a hat-trick, with Peter Fewing providing the remaining goal.

Since then, the rivalry has moved through the Western Soccer League, the American Professional Soccer League, the A-League, the USL, the US Open Cup, and Major League Soccer, but the 6-1 scoreline remains a record.

30 May 2012 - Cal Cruises Into History

On 30 May 2012, the 99-year old US Open Cup saw one of its biggest upsets when amateur side Cal FC beat the MLS's Portland Timbers.

Based out of Thousand Oaks, California and competing in La Gran Liga de Oxnard of the United States Adult Soccer Association, the fifth tier of the US football pyramid, Cal FC's team included a mix of former professionals and perpetual amateurs. They were coached by US international-turned-commentator Eric Wynalda and his Fox Football Fone-In co-host Nick Webster.

Playing in their first US Open Cup, they started with a 3-1 win over the defending PDL champions Kitsap Pumas in the first round, followed by a second-round rout of the USL-Pro Wilmington Hammerheads, 4-0. That sent them into the third round, where they drew Portland, who were just entering the competition.

The top-flight side hosted the match and dominated it statistically, taking 43 shots to Cal's 11, but that barrage failed to lead to a goal. Their best opportunity came in the 80th minute, when the referee awarded a penalty kick to Portland, but striker Kris Boyd sent the ball over the bar. Then, in extra time, Cal forward Artur Aghasyan--who had played briefly for Real Salt Lake in 2011, making four appearances--found the back of the net, beating Portland keeper Troy Perkins in the 95th minute to secure the 0-1 victory for the underdogs.

Unfortunately for Cal FC, they could not maintain that form and lost 5-0 to the Seattle Sounders in the next round. But their win over Portland remains an iconic moment in the competition.

2 May 1975 - The Beginning Of A Beautiful Rivalry

On 2 May 1975, the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers played for the first time, starting a rivalry that has spanned over six different leagues.

That first game in the series was Portland's first game ever. Founded earlier that year, they were starting their inaugural NASL season and opened it by hosting Seattle, who were in their second year in the league. A crowd of 8,131 showed up at Portland's Civic Stadium for the game and watched Seattle claim the win, 0-1.

But Portland got their revenge by winning their division, then eliminating Seattle in the playoffs en route to the Soccer Bowl, where they finished as runners-up to Tampa Bay.

Since then, the teams have met in the Western Soccer Alliance, the American Professional Soccer League, the A-League, the United Soccer League, and their current home, Major League Soccer. They've also played four times in the U.S. Open Cup, with Portland winning three of those. Overall, though, Seattle has the edge with a record of 42 wins, 29 losses, and 9 draws.

24 August 1975 - The Rowdies Go Bowling

On 24 August 1975, the Tampa Bay Rowdies won the inaugural Soccer Bowl, beating the Portland Timbers 2-0.

The North American Soccer League, which dated back to 1968, had used playoffs since the 1969 season, but the finals had always been played at the home field of one of the participants. By 1974, league commissioner Phil Woosnam believed that a neutral venue would generate more excitement along the lines of the NFL's Super Bowl and thus the Soccer Bowl was created for the 1975 season.

Like the Soccer Bowl, both Tampa Bay and Portland were in their first NASL season. Tampa Bay, coached by former Charlton Athletic manager Eddie Firmani, won their division, then reached to the Soccer Bowl with playoff wins over Toronto and Miami. Portland, meanwhile, led by former Aston Villa manager Vic Crowe, also won their division, then advanced with wins over Seattle and St. Louis.

They met at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California, where a capacity crowd of 17,000 gathered for the event. The two teams were deadlocked at 0-0 until the 66th minute, when Tampa Bay substitute defender Arsène Auguste, who had come on only three minutes earlier, unleashed a blast from 35 yards out to beat Portland keeper Graham Brown. Striker Clyde Best then sealed the win with a goal in the 88th minute.

It was the only Soccer Bowl apperance for Portland. Tampa Bay returned twice more, but lost to the New York Cosmos in 1978 and to Vancouver Whitecaps in 1979.

29 May 2011 - It Really Shouldn't Be That Difficult

On 29 May 2011, DC United beat Portland 2-3, but not without a little penalty kick controversy.

Portland, in their first MLS season, were hosting DC at Jeld-Wen Field. In the 64th minute, with DC leading 0-1, the referee awarded a penalty kick to Portland after defender Dejan Jaković dragged Portland striker Kenny Cooper down in the box. Goalkeeper Bill Hamid guessed correctly and blocked the shot, but was flagged for coming off his line too early.

Cooper took the re-kick with Hamid blocking the shot again, but the keeper was once more flagged for coming off his line. Replays confirmed the linesman's call on both shots, though the second one was slightly more subjective, as Hamid's movement was relatively minor. For the third attempt, Portland replaced Cooper with Jack Jewsbury, who buried the kick to level the score.

The ordeal turned out to be a minor footnote as DC won 2-3 after Chris Pontius converted a penalty kick of their own and Josh Wolff added a late cushion.