Martins helps Sounders whip Timbers

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Obafemi Martins scored two goals and got an assist for another from Clint Dempsey, and the Seattle Sounders went on to defeat the Portland Timbers 4-2 in a Cascadia Cup rivalry match on Sunday.

Chad Barrett also scored for the Sounders, who showed little fatigue after five matches in the past 15 days. Fanendo Adi scored twice for the Timbers.

The victory moved the Sounders ahead of the Vancouver Whitecaps in the standings for the Pacific Northwest's Cascadia Cup, the supporter-created rivalry between the three teams. The Timbers were effectively eliminated from the Cup race with the loss.

With just nine games left, the loss also hurts Portland's bid to return to the MLS playoffs after advancing to the Western Conference finals last year.

The Sounders (14-7-3) are currently in first place in conference, while the Timbers (7-8-10) sit in sixth behind the Whitecaps.

Obafemi Martins scored two goals and got an assist for another from Clint Dempsey, and the Seattle Sounders went on to defeat the Portland Timbers 4-2 in a Cascadia Cup rivalry match on Sunday.

Jaime Valdez/USA TODAY Sports

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Chad Barrett also scored for the Sounders, who showed little fatigue after five matches in the past 15 days. Fanendo Adi scored twice for the Timbers.

The victory moved the Sounders ahead of the Vancouver Whitecaps in the standings for the Pacific Northwest's Cascadia Cup, the supporter-created rivalry between the three teams. The Timbers were effectively eliminated from the Cup race with the loss.

With just nine games left, the loss also hurts Portland's bid to return to the MLS playoffs after advancing to the Western Conference finals last year.

The Sounders (14-7-3) are currently in first place in conference, while the Timbers (7-8-10) sit in sixth behind the Whitecaps.

Martins knocked in a goal in the 18th minute to put Seattle up 1-0. Brad Evans blew past Portland defender Liam Ridgewell and delivered the perfectly-placed cross to Martins in the box for the goal.

Martins did a backflip -- his trademark -- in celebration. His second goal -- giving him 10 on the season -- came in the 76th minute.

Seattle went up 2-0 in the 34th minute when Martins broke downfield and passed the ball off to Dempsey, who fooled Portland goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts with a roller into the net. Dempsey also has 10 goals for the Sounders this season.

After Chad Barrett came off the bench to score for the Sounders in the 70th minute, Adi narrowed it by beating Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei in the 73rd off a cross from Rodney Wallace.

Adi got the brace with another goal in stoppage time.

The rivalry between the teams dates back to 1975 when the trio played in the North Americana Soccer League.

The Cascadia Cup -- at least the trophy itself -- was introduced in 2004 when the three teams were part of the United Soccer Leagues First Division. Supporters pooled their money to buy a 2-foot tall silver cup that lists the years each team has won.

Sunday's match was the 88th meeting between the Timbers and the Sounders. Seattle hosted the last one on July 13th and won 2-0, with Dempsey scoring in the 71st minute after returning from World Cup duty.

Dempsey had a hat trick in a 4-all draw at Portland's Providence Park to kick off Cascadia Cup play in April.

The Timbers were coming off a 4-1 win over Alpha United FC Wednesday in Guyana to open CONCACAF Champions League play. The Timbers took a squad consisting mainly of reserves, while the starters stayed home.

Portland's last league game was a 1-1 draw at New England last Saturday. Ridgewell scored his first career MLS goal in the second half.

Seattle was coming off a 1-all draw at home with the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday. Dempsey and Evans played only limited minutes, and Seattle coach Sigi Schmid gave most of his starters a day off on Friday to make sure they were fresh for Sunday's match.

The Timbers hadn't lost to the Sounders in their previous five games (all competitons) in Portland.