| 25 September 2011
All week, players in the Sounders FC camp awaited the derby match that would decide the winner of the Cascadia Cup, the regional trophy played for by the Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps, and the Portland Timbers.
The tradition dates back several decades to the NASL days but was brought back this season as Vancouver and Portland entered the MLS. But of course, the three year MLS veterans in the Sounders were not about to play nice with their new MLS counterparts. Seattle plays to win and last night the Sounders took the Cascadia Cup in a 3-1 win away over the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Vancouver drew first blood, scoring on what appeared to be an off-sides play in the 22nd minute. But just ten minutes later a hand ball by defender Jay DeMerit gave Seattle a penalty shot which was successfully scored by Brad Evans to tie the match at 1-1. Then, the Fredy Montero show burst on in Vancouver. In the 63rdminute, Montero employed some fancy footwork to drive a shot in to give the Sounders a 2-1 lead and then proceeded to add to his tally with a second goal (although deflected) in the 67th minute. Montero now holds the highest scoring position for the Sounders this season with nine goals after a slow start earlier this year.
Kasey Keller was once again in fine form as well. He ended the match with six spectacular saves preserving Seattle’s lead until the final whistle at which time he was presented with the silverware of the Cascadia Cup. Always the defining example of a true champion, Keller presented the Cup to the 1,000 traveling Seattle fans who came to Vancouver to witness history. Hopefully this is just one of many trophies to come.
