Seattle Sounders defeated Portland Timbers 1-0 at Lumen Field with Pedro de la Vega's first-half strike, their first win since the Leagues Cup at the end of August. The club began the year in the CONCACAF Champions League, producing a season described as physically and mentally long and demanding. Seattle cannot finish higher than fifth but can guarantee a top-five spot with a win over Real Salt Lake. Stefan Frei highlighted the season's ups and downs, while de la Vega noted the squad's experience in big games. Real Salt Lake can clinch a postseason berth with three points and arrive in good form.
"There are a lot of positives to take from this game. It comes at a really good time for us. It's been a long year. We started with the CONCACAF Champions League in February. Physically, it's been a long year, but mentally, it's been a long year, too, with ups and downs. It's nice that we were able to reward our hard work with a trophy, but those ups and downs are taxing."
"After [winning] the Leagues Cup, coming back into the regular season is difficult. [But] we have players who are used to playing these types of games. That makes everything easier for us to handle. We needed to win this game."
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