PORTLAND, Ore. — Much about the buildup to the 107th all-time meeting of Seattle and Portland professional soccer teams felt familiar, comfortable as an old habit.



Fans sipped high-alcohol-percentage beers along 21st Ave NW. Others stopped for a last-minute caffeine kick at the Starbucks where Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer once got flipped off, double-bird, by a passerby Timbers supporter.



The Timbers Army waited patiently in a line that wrapped around Providence Park, looking itchy in their scarves in the August heat. Bike racks filled to capacity. Sounders fans were cordoned off in their little corner of the stadium, same as always, cheering their team when they walked in as if there were an invading army.



To those accustomed to the rhythms, though, something felt slightly off. The pre-game aura was subdued; maybe it was the work day. There was something vaguely foreboding in the air.



Much of the conversation in the week leading up to the...