Our live blog of Sunday's nationally-televised Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders Major League Soccer match at Jeld-Wen Field:

Some early links: (fans started lining up for this game YESTERDAY)

that ran in Sunday's Oregonian wonders if Portland coach John Spencer is in trouble. A telling quote from Spencer in this story, wondering if somebody moved with goalposts without telling him.

on O-Live, including our story on Mike Fucito facing his old team

but some wonder if this is even their biggest game of the week

in the Seattle Times, with news on invading supporters groups, Gorilla FC and the ECS

fan blog discusses the match, personnel changes, injuries, suspensions, etc.

Key matchup:

The

from the Timbers website

From MLS.com:

as Sounders talk about not being daunted by stepping into Jeld-Wen. Interesting take from Seattle's Zach Scott, who thinks Seattle supporters will "drown out'' Timbers fans

on MLSsoccer.com

Starting lineup for Portland:

Perkins in goal, Jewsbury, Danso, Horst, Smith on defense, Alhassan, Chara, Nagbe, Songo'o in midfield, with Boyd and FUCITO up front. Comment: Fucito, the former Sounder, goes vs. old team starting in place of the slightly hobbled (I guess dead leg counts for being hobbled) Mwanga. Portland subs: Bendik, Chabala, Purdy, Alexander, Palmer, Zizzo, and the kid with the dead leg

Starting lineup for Seattle:

Weber in goal, Parke, Scott, Hurtado, Burch on defense, Rosales, Alonso, Evans, Caskey in midfield with Montero and Johnson up front.

Subs

are Meredith, Gonzalez, Ianni, Rose, Cato, Levesque, Ochoa

Second half highlights:



Andy Rose (defender) replaces Evans (midfielder) for Sounders

48 - Alonso brings down Alhassan and gets a yellow card after Timbers Army "influences'' ref with its boos

On the long balls, Boyd is wearing Hurtado (on his back) like a Men's Warehouse 2 for 1 suit

50 - Alhassan makes a nice run top of box, then seems to cramp up badly

Out comes the stretcher but they help him off instead

54 - Zizzo comes in for the cramping Alhassan

Sea defender Patrick Ianni a s - disturber, not endearing himself to anybody on the Portland side

Seems like just a matter of time until Sounders score

Eddie Johnson flops, and Horst is the victim

58 - Zizzo big run right side, play ends up with Fucito firing off-target, but a nice offensive sequence for Timbers

59 - Johnson gets by Horst, dribbles into the box, makes a few moves AND FIRES A GREAT SHOT INTO FAR CORNER OF NET PAST PERKINS. Now it's 2-1 Portland

61 - Portland nearly scores on the counter. Can't quite get foot on ball in right spot in front of Weber. Fucito in the thick of it again

65 - Mwanga coming in for Fucito, dead leg and all. Let's see what he can add to the Portland attack

Word on Alhassan strained hamstring

66 - And Mwanga nearly HAS A GOAL immediately off a Smith ball. Just missed connecting

71 - Zizzo earns a corner, Horst gets his noggin on it but this time it doesn't go in

73 - Smith gets a yellow for tackling Rosales too harshly. Montero tries to score on direct free kick, right to Perkins

74 - Perkins has some fun with Eddie Johnson

75 - Seattle Sub: Cato in at forward for Caskey

76 - Boyd free kick, deflection by Sea defender nearly puts it into net

78 - Palmer for Songo'o for Portland

Palmer first shot nearly onto MAC balcony

83 - Portland back on heels, playing defense

Still some breath being sucked in here, because Portland has blown late leads before ...

Zizzo a one-man stall with his speed down the wing

89 - Montero upset when Zizzo gets the ball

90- Jewsbury yellow for stalling with the ball

NOW IT GETS HEATED. Montero gets a red card. He's gone

Lovel Palmer red-carded for Timbers

Six minutes of added time can only help Seattle

Andy Rose has a chance with a header, bounces right to Perkins

First half highlights:

1 - Fucito early run down left wing, a stab at goal. Weber there easily

2 - Alhassan over the bar. Shot had no prayer

3 - Seattle pressure, Sounders earn first corner. Cleared

4 - Evans turns Smith inside-out, and nearly connects with Eddie Johnson

5 - Alhassan earns Timbers corner ... Mosquera a little opening for a spectacular header, can't pull it off

10 - Eddie Johnson a sniff. Perkins there

10 - Fucito pressure forces a corner ...

12 - HORST NEARLY SCORES with a point-blank header off a corner (Songo'o took it)

HITS THE CROSSBAR. Easily best chance for either team. Seattle defense let Horst run in alone

16 - Now it's Alhassan firing a ball across the goal, and Weber has to punch it away

16 - What is the Sounders' defense thinking? They let Smith run loose left side, then they let Boyd go in all alone for a tap-in. TIMBERS GOAL, PORTLAND LEADS 1-0

21 - Alhassan having a pretty good game on his side of field, causing some issues for Sounders D

25 - Portland corner, Seattle can't find HORST again, and HORST'S HEADER GOES IN. Now it's 2-0 Timbers

31 - Some nifty footwork by Alhassan on defense earns cheers

37 - Horst nice job muscling Johnson out of the way. Portland defense looks composed right now but Seattle applying some heat

43 - Evans gets a lot of room to shoot, just wide. Seattle nearly pulls within one goal there. Sounders still coming

45 - Evans nearly scores again... then Fucito has a fast break the other way. Exciting stuff. Fucito can't do much with his opportunity

Stoppage time - Alonso a long shot that Perkins tips over the bar. Nice strike

Paul Buker

(also on

)