Seattle Sounders Likely To Host Three-Day, Preseason Cascadia Cup Preview

by Jeremiah Oshan on Jan 16, 2011 8:20 PM PST in Sounders: MLS Regular Season

UPDATE 3: Timbers coach John Spencer was on ExtraTime Radio and talked about the preseason tournament. The only question at this point, is when it's taking place. Of course, this tweet should give you a clue:

If you work a job that requires weekends request March 4th, 5th and 6th off. You'll want to be at @StarfireSports. http://sbn.to/gB2CdBless than a minute ago via TweetDeckEmeraldCitySupporter
WeAreECS

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UPDATE OF MY UPDATE: Steve Goff just responded to my email (Yes, I was shocked too) and said the reporting was accurate as it had been confirmed by multiple league sources, but noted that this "rivalry week" was being discussed for 2012 at the earliest, not for 2011.

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UPDATE: It's looking more and more like there may have been some misspeaking/misunderstanding when news of a Cascadia Cup rivalry week came out. Marc Weber of The Province reports that Vancouver Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi downplayed the possibility of a rivalry week, but added another voice confirming talks of a preseason tournament.

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I've been unable to confirm a Washington Post report that says MLS is planning to cram three Cascadia Cup games into a single week, but I have learned that plans are close to being finalized for a three-day, round-robin preseason tournament at Starfire Sports Complex that would essentially work as a Cascadia Cup preview. The Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps would all play one another during the event that would also potentially feature academy teams.

Details are still being finalized and should be announced in the next couple of weeks, but I've received multiple confirmations that this is likely to happen. Among those details are how to keep the various supporter groups separated. Portland and Seattle played a preseason game last year without incident, but that was at Qwest as opposed to 2,000-seat Starfire.

Whether or not this is at all related to the Washington Post report is unknown, as I've been told that is something that would be decided at the league level. In Steve Goff's story, he said the plan was for the Sounders, Timbers and Whitecaps to play each other over the course of about a week, presumably with each team hosting one game and going on the road for another.

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Makes sense

With the Turkey trip cancelled, this would be the preseason replacement.

Fun for us.

I was thinking that something similar would make sense in Vancouver when BC Place is done as it will have the retractable roof.

by PeterJH on Jan 14, 2011 1:26 PM PST via mobile reply actions

Preseason is fine

but I am not really in favor of an in-season one.

Though, if that’s going to be one of our midweek games, you can’t beat that travel, from the team’s perspective.

I’m nearly positive our Cascadia games will be on weeknights, for TV. Which is too bad. We deserve to be able to spend an entire Saturday preparing and/or travelling.

by Cornchops on Jan 14, 2011 1:42 PM PST via mobile reply actions

I hope you aren't right

about our Cascadia games being during the week for the very reason you mentioned. I can get off a bit early and get down to Starfire for USOC games, but I generally can’t take days off in the middle of the week to get down to Portland.

I expect quite a few Sounders fans are in a similar situation.

24 is clearly the most perfect of numbers.

by AMb1valenT on Jan 14, 2011 1:49 PM PST up reply actions

I'm pretty sure MLS doesn't care about us

Only what we look like on TV.

And we look good any day of the week.

by Cornchops on Jan 14, 2011 2:18 PM PST via mobile up reply actions 1 recs

Back when it was possible to get tickets

I’d leave work early and drive up to watch Canucks games, and drive back afterwards.

Don’t let the weeknights stop you. Where there’s a will…

by PeterJH on Jan 14, 2011 1:51 PM PST via mobile up reply actions

Sure, that's an idea

And I would hope that many (including me) would be able to make it work

But it sure would be easier to have the games on a Saturday or even a Sunday so that the quick turnaround only has to happen on one end.

Maybe I’d better start getting in good with my boss now, just in case? ;)

24 is clearly the most perfect of numbers.

by AMb1valenT on Jan 14, 2011 1:58 PM PST up reply actions

For what it’s worth, Mullet Bob Lenarduzzi has said a couple of times that the Whitecaps don’t plan on hosting any pre-season friendlies in Vancouver.

Now, that was a couple of months ago. Things might have changed. But it’s been said.

Manager at Vancouver Whitecaps and western Canadian soccer website Eighty Six Forever and infrequently-posting flunky at Edmonton Oilers blog The Copper & Blue.

by Benjamin Massey on Jan 14, 2011 2:02 PM PST reply actions

All three games would be at starfire

Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, North American soccer editor SB Nation and of course follow me on Twitter

by Jeremiah Oshan on Jan 14, 2011 2:05 PM PST up reply actions

I read it in a bit of a hurry and mis-interpreted the last paragraph. Bah.

Manager at Vancouver Whitecaps and western Canadian soccer website Eighty Six Forever and infrequently-posting flunky at Edmonton Oilers blog The Copper & Blue.

by Benjamin Massey on Jan 14, 2011 2:08 PM PST up reply actions

Call me a crazy idealist...

…but this seems like it could be a good opportunity for the supporter’s groups to, you know, get along with one another. Or at least treat each other like civilized human beings. Maybe realize that they can have a fun time, chant for their team, chant against the other team, jump up and down, drink some beer, and at the end of the day, have a good time without being idiots and causing trouble.

From a practical standpoint, yes, you have to have some plan to help minimize incidents, and there will be incidents, but it seems like a good idea to have the supporter’s groups interact in a less-intense preseason setting before going into an MLS match.

by ubelmann on Jan 14, 2011 2:24 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

NO YOU MUST KEEP THEM SEPARATED

or bags of urine will fall like rain

Nos Audietis

by sidereal on Jan 14, 2011 2:35 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Agreed.

I met some guys from Portland at the MLS Cup and went out for beers afterwards. Good times.

by DarthGreedo on Jan 14, 2011 2:51 PM PST up reply actions

After the match

Absolutely. I have no problems with it and would even encourage it.

During the match, all it takes is one drunk d-bag shoving another guy and things get tribal in a hurry.

by Daaaaave on Jan 14, 2011 3:39 PM PST up reply actions

Idealist too

Yeah, I never really got the whole fighting thing. I like my sounders and huskies but I have never had a hard time drinking beer with Timbers and Cougar fans. I tend to think they have the same ideas.

by lysander on Jan 14, 2011 2:29 PM PST reply actions

Drinking beer is always a good thing. It doesn't matter who it is with :)

by Coug1990 on Jan 14, 2011 2:30 PM PST up reply actions

To be fair

I think it’s about limiting liability for the Sounders. I would expect the supporters to try to play nice.

Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, North American soccer editor SB Nation and of course follow me on Twitter

by Jeremiah Oshan on Jan 14, 2011 2:39 PM PST up reply actions

I don't lke the preseason tournament....this year

After this year fine, but not this year. With Vancouver and Portland joining the league this year, I think the first time that they meet on the pitch should really mean something. I believe this mini tournament takes a little bit away from that.

Even though this is an exhibition, the players will learn what players like to do and how fast they are, etc. I would rather all that happen with something on the line. You can only step on the field against them for the first time only once.

I am sure not everyone will agree, but that is how I feel and as I said, next year would be fine.

by Coug1990 on Jan 14, 2011 2:29 PM PST reply actions 4 recs

agreed

I feel the same way. But oh well…

by lysander on Jan 14, 2011 2:31 PM PST up reply actions

I really don't think you can get that much from a preseason game

Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, North American soccer editor SB Nation and of course follow me on Twitter

by Jeremiah Oshan on Jan 14, 2011 2:41 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Game plan no. What a player like to do, yes.

But, I am talking more psychological. It won’t take away a lot, but I think it will take away something. Like I said, you can only do something once. We can only see Hurtado marking Cooper for the first time once. We can only see the MLS Sounders on the pitch with the Timbers as the opponent for the first time once. As I said, not everyone will agree.

by Coug1990 on Jan 14, 2011 2:54 PM PST up reply actions

It's not like they haven't been playing since the Sounders moved to MLS...

2010 (via soundersfc.com):
Caps vs Sounders in Arizona – 2/11/10
Caps vs Sounders in BC – 3/6/10
Timbers @ Sounders – 3/11/10
Sounders @ Timbers – 6/30/10

2009 (via seattlepitch.tripod.com):
Sounders @ Timbers – 7/1/09
Timbers @ Sounders (Reserves) – 4/13/09
Whitecaps (Residency) @ Sounders (Reserves) – 5/11/09
Whitecaps @ Sounders – 2/22/09

by CMC_Stags on Jan 14, 2011 2:58 PM PST up reply actions

Different teams

The 2008 Sounders and the 2009 Sounders were not the same teams. Same name yes, but different uniforms and mostly different players.

by Coug1990 on Jan 14, 2011 3:20 PM PST up reply actions

Everything listed there was MLS SOunders

Same GM for both

I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart

by Dave Clark on Jan 14, 2011 4:07 PM PST up reply actions

I guess I should have been more complete.

I was using the example of the Sounders to say the 2008 Sounders team and the 2009 Sounders team were totally different. So, even though CMC listed the times that the MLS Sounders played Portland and Vancouver the last two years, they have not played the Timbers and Whitecaps that will take the field this season.

by Coug1990 on Jan 14, 2011 5:19 PM PST up reply actions