After eight goals, the latest Cascadia Cup battle between rivals Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers ends in a 4-4 draw.
On Sunday afternoon, someone saw me in my Sounders jacket and asked me if we won yesterday. Without thinking I said “Yeah!” Then a heartbeat later, “Wait, no. We tied, but it felt almost like a win.”
Indeed, it was an emotional roller coaster. The Sounders were down 4-2 with five minutes left of regular time. Then Clint Dempsey scored his second goal of the match. Fifty-four seconds later, DeAndre Yedlin gets taken down in the box and the penalty kick is awarded. Dempsey completes his hattrick from the penalty spot to even the score.
There were so many moments in this match that stood out to me. And I’m happy that I was able to capture some of them. A few were pivotal to the outcome of the match, while others were just fleeting glimpses that the TV cameras may not have picked up.
- Clint’s first of his three goals and the look he gives the Timbers Army while he celebrates. (#33 and 34)
- One of the Timbers capos during the “We salute you” chant after the Timbers leveled the score at 1-1. (#26)
- Portland defender Kah apparently getting injured during their first goal celebration. (#25)
- A smirking Will Johnson after receiving a yellow card. (#40)
- Portland coach Caleb Porter, trying to motivate the Timbers Army as he walks off the pitch at the end of the first half, with the match tied at 2-2. (#52)
- The anguish of Jalil Anibaba after his shot on goal gets deflected away by teammate Obafemi Martins. (#58)
- DeAndre Yedlin trying to rally his teammates immediately following the Timbers’ goal which gave them a 4-2 lead over the Sounders. (#60)
But that is just to name a few of my favorites. There really are a lot of them. In fact, I feel like this was one of my best shoots. Though I suspect most photographers that were there can probably say the same thing. The amount of action and passion shown by the players was amazing. And of course the supporters for both clubs gave everything they had for their sides.
This is one of those matches that I will remember for a very long time.
But enough writing, on to the photographs!