The Other Portland Got Dragged into the Timbers-Sounders Rivalry, and They’ve Chosen a Side

Earlier this month, the Sounders launched an impressively passive-aggressive campaign declaring their love for Portland—the one in Maine.

(Emily Joan Greene)

The eyes of the soccer world are currently transfixed on the World Cup, which means the Major League Soccer season is currently on hold. But rivalries never take time off, not even in the 28th ranked football league in the world.

In case you hadn't heard, the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders don't like each other very much. It's a feud that spans decades—and now, things have grown so heated between the two clubs that it's drawing towns on the other side of the country into the mix.

Earlier this month, the Sounders launched an impressively passive-aggressive campaign declaring their love for Portland—the one in Maine. The effort included an entire website extolling the virtues of the Forest City, a promotional video and even billboards, which they dared to erect right in our backyard.

To be fair, the Timbers sort of started this round, commemorating the teams' 100th game against each other by releasing a short Ken Burns-style mockumentary on the rivalry full of anti-Seattle ribbing.

Regardless, the Other Portland didn't seem to appreciate being used as a pawn in a game of snark—at least as far as the town's paper of record is concerned.

Oh, snap.

That cross-country fist-bump didn't go unnoticed, either. As a token of appreciation for rejecting the Sounders' fake flattery, the Timbers sent the Press-Herald a jersey signed by every member of the team, which the paper was proud to show off on its Twitter account today.

Will this latest tete-a-tete make the next Timbers-Sounders game even more intense? Guess we'll find out June 30, when the two teams square off yet again up north at CenturyLink Field.

In the meantime, let us all put our differences aside, and get back to cheering on this country we all share in the biggest sporting event in the w—oh, wait.

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