The fierce rivalry between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders began in 1975 when the two clubs met for the first time in the North American Soccer League. More than 40 years later, the Timbers and Sounders will face each other for the 100th time when Portland hosts Seattle at Providence Park on Sunday, May 13. Ahead of the match, the Oregonian/OregonLive is taking a look at the top 15 most memorable games in Timbers-Sounders rivalry history.

Bruce McCurtain/Oregonian Archives

Timbers play Seattle for the first time in NASL home opener (May 2, 1975)

The rivalry between the Portland Timbers and the Seattle Sounders was born on May 2, 1975 when the Timbers, who had just joined the North American Soccer League as an expansion franchise, hosted the Sounders in their first-ever game at Civic Stadium. Only about 8,000 fans attended that first match as Seattle managed to eke out a 1-0 win over Portland while rain poured down on the field. But that match marked the beginning of the fiercest rivalry in American soccer.

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Brent Wojahn/The Oregonian Historic Portland Timbers

Timbers beat Sounders in playoffs in inaugural season (August 12, 1975)

After compiling a 16-6 regular season record in their inaugural season in 1975, the Timbers went on to face the Sounders in the first round of the North American Soccer League playoffs. An incredible 31,000 fans crowded into Civic Stadium to watch the game. Portland and Seattle remained locked at 1-1 at the end of regulation, which sent the game to overtime. That's when Portland's Tony Betts headed in his iconic sudden-death, game-winning goal to give the Timbers a 2-1 victory. Portland went on to earn a spot in the Soccer Bowl before falling to the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

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Brent Wojahn/Oregonian Archives

Timbers beat Sounders in controversial shootout (June 10, 1978)

The Timbers were riding a seven-game winning streak when they took on the Sounders on June 10, 1978 at Civic Stadium. Portland and Seattle battled in the physical match as the two teams combined for 38 fouls. But neither side could find the go-ahead goal and the game remained scoreless after regulation and overtime, which sent the match to a shootout. In a controversial shootout where Yugoslavian referee Marjan Raus disallowed two goals and allowed a questionable Portland goal, the Timbers ultimately prevailed as Willie Anderson scored his final attempt to give Portland a 2-1 shootout win. With the victory, the Timbers tied the NASL record for consecutive wins with eight. Portland went on to break the record in its following game.

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Robyn Larsen

Timbers beat Sounders in United Soccer League home opener (May 11, 2001)

Twenty years after the Timbers played their final North American Soccer League game and 11 years after Portland played in its final Western Soccer League match, the Timbers renewed their rivalry with Seattle as they hosted the Sounders in their home opener in the A-League on May 11, 2001. A crowd of 12,295 fans watched from the stands at PGE Park as the Timbers beat the Sounders 2-0.

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Courtesy of the Portland Timbers

Takayuki Suzuki leads Timbers to first win over Sounders since 2006 (April 26, 2008)

Timbers forward Takayuki Suzuki drilled a memorable laser beam shot from the top of the box past a diving Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Chris Eyelander to lead the Timbers to a 2-0 win over the Sounders on April 26, 2008. Suzuki also added an assist in the match in front of 9,894 fans at PGE Park. It was Portland's first victory over Seattle since 2006 and third win in a row to begin the 2008 season.

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Olivia Bucks/The Oregonian

Roger Levesque leads Sounders to U.S. Open Cup win over Timbers (July 1, 2009)

The Sounders entered MLS as an expansion franchise in 2009. The Timbers, who entered MLS in 2011, remained in the lower division USL at the time. With the two clubs playing in different leagues, they only had one opportunity to take the field against each other in 2009. That moment came on July 1, 2009 when Seattle traveled to Portland for a third-round U.S. Open Cup game. It took only 48 seconds for Seattle to dash Portland's hopes of getting an upset win as Seattle's Roger Levesque scored the opening goal. After scoring, Levesque mimed being chopped down like a tree in a now infamous goal celebration. Levesque is still despised in Portland in large part due to that goal celebration. The Sounders went on to win the game 2-1.

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Don Ryan/AP

Sounders beat Timbers on penalty kicks in U.S. Open Cup (June 30, 2010)

The Sounders and the Timbers were still in different leagues in 2010. The Timbers were competing in the lower division USL and preparing to enter MLS in 2011, while the Sounders were in their second season in MLS. Since they were in different leagues, the two clubs met just once in 2010 when Seattle traveled to Portland to face the Timbers in the U.S. Open Cup on June 30. The Timbers and Sounders played to a hard-fought 1-1 draw in regulation, but Seattle managed to come away with the 4-3 victory on penalty kicks. The Sounders went on to win the U.S. Open Cup as the Timbers vowed to get revenge.

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Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian

Timbers face Sounders in MLS for the first time (May 14, 2011)

Portland renewed its rivalry with Seattle in 2011 when the Timbers joined the Sounders in MLS. The two teams met for the first time on May 14 in front of a crowd of over 36,000 at Qwest Field in Seattle. Many members of the Timbers Army made the drive up to Seattle for the rivalry game. Rain poured down on the field throughout the match, but that didn't deter the fans. Seattle scored the first goal, but Portland rallied back to score the second goal as the game finished in a 1-1 draw.

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Brent Wojahn/The Oregonian

Portland earns first MLS win over Seattle (June 24, 2012)

The Timbers had a difficult season in 2012, but a highlight moment came on June 24 when Portland beat Seattle for the first time in MLS play. The Timbers Army celebrated the history of the club with a giant tifo ahead of the game, which depicted Timbers legend Clive Charles and included the phrase, "Legends are born when the previous are surpassed." The Timbers went on to put in a gutsy performance on the field. Portland scored two goals in the first 25 minutes to take an early lead on their home turf. The Sounders battled back with a second half goal, but the Timbers hung on to secure the win and earn the opportunity to celebrate with their home fans.

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Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian

The Timbers beat the Sounders in Seattle in the MLS Playoffs (November 2, 2013)

Portland faced Seattle in the MLS playoffs for the first time in 2013. The Timbers were forced to travel to Seattle -- a place where they had historically struggled in MLS play -- for the opening match of the two-game Western Conference semifinal series on November 2. But the hostile environment didn't hurt the Timbers, who came away from the game victorious. Ryan Johnson and Darlington Nagbe scored as the Timbers secured a 2-1 win in the game and a huge advantage in the series. It was Portland's first-ever playoff win as an MLS club and it was a big one.

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Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian

Timbers oust Seattle from MLS Playoffs (November 7, 2013)

The Timbers returned home to Providence Park with confidence a week after beating the Sounders in the first leg of the Western Conference semifinal series. And on November 7, 2013, Portland ousted their rivals from the MLS Playoffs. The Timbers took a 3-0 lead by the 47th minute behind goals from Will Johnson, Diego Valeri and Futty Danso to put the game well out of reach. Seattle rallied back with two goals late in the game, but it was too little, too late. Portland celebrated their first-ever win in an MLS playoff series by knocking their rivals out of the postseason. Portland still has bragging rights over Seattle for the win as the two teams have yet to face each other again in the MLS playoffs.

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Don Ryan/AP

Clint Dempsey's hat trick leads Sounders to comeback draw with Timbers (April 5, 2014)

Seattle traveled to Portland on April 5, 2014 for a rivalry game that Timbers fans might want to forget. In a wild and back-and-forth match, Seattle took an early lead off a Kenny Cooper goal in the third minute. Portland rallied back at home as Diego Chara and Diego Valeri each scored to give the Timbers a 2-1 advantage by the 14th minute. But Seattle star Clint Dempsey then leveled the score in the 25th minute. Portland appeared to put the game out of reach in the second half when Chara and Maxi Urruti scored within three minutes of each other to give the Timbers a 4-2 lead. Chara finished the game with a brace on his birthday, but it wasn't enough to lead Portland to victory. Dempsey closed the gap with another goal in the 85th minute and then scored on a penalty kick a few minutes later to complete the hat trick and lead the Sounders to the 4-4 draw. Dempsey is loathed in Portland and this match certainly played a part in that.

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Clint Dempsey's tears up referee's notebook in wild U.S. Open Cup match (June 16, 2015)

One of the most memorable games in Timbers-Sounders rivalry history came in the U.S. Open Cup. The Timbers traveled to Starfire Sports Complex for what was expected to be a hard-fought and intense affair on June 16, 2015. But no one could have predicted just how crazy the game would turn out. The Sounders ended up finishing the wild match with just seven players after getting three red cards and suffering an injury to Obafemi Martins. The Timbers walked away with a 3-1 win. But the match became infamous for one moment in overtime. Seattle's Michael Azira was shown a red card in the 102 minute, leaving the Sounders with just eight men on the field. Seattle forward Clint Dempsey was visibly upset with the call and immediately ran up to the referee to argue. After he was a shown a yellow card for dissent, Dempsey proceeded to grab the referee's notebook out of his back pocket. He then ripped up the notebook and threw it on the pitch. He was shown a red card for the meltdown and the Sounders were left with just seven men on the field.

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Randy L. Rasmussen/Staff

Timbers forward Fanendo Adi celebrates 4-1 win over Sounders with a chainsaw (June 28, 2015)

Less than two weeks after Clint Dempsey's infamous meltdown in the U.S. Open Cup, the Timbers faced off against the Sounders in an MLS game at Providence Park. And once again, the Timbers walked away with the win. Darlington Nagbe scored a spectacular goal to give Portland an early lead, but Seattle rallied back before halftime as Lamar Neagle found the equalizer. The game remained tied until the 74th minute when Timbers striker Fanendo Adi came alive. Adi scored in the 74th minute and again in the 76th minute to put the game out of reach. After scoring his second goal, Adi jumped over the barrier, grabbed Timber Joey's chainsaw and reeved it for the jubilant crowd. Portland scored again in stoppage time to earn the 4-1 win.

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Pete Christopher/Staff

Timbers get goals from four players in win over Sounders (August 28, 2016)

Exactly one week after falling 3-1 to the Sounders at CenturyLink Field, the Timbers returned home and secured a memorable 4-2 victory over their rivals on August 28, 2016. In an exciting first half, the Timbers saw goals from four different players as they took an insurmountable 4-0 lead. Vytas opened the scoring in the 16th minute before Fanendo Adi found the back of the net in the 21st minute. Lucas Melano then scored in the 29th minute and Steven Taylor added yet another goal in the 44th minute to seal the win. It was the first time that the Timbers had scored at least three goals in the first half at Providence Park. The Sounders battled back in the second half, but couldn't overcome the deficit as the Timbers won 4-2.

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