The Portland Timbers responded with a goal six minutes after falling behind in the first half and played to a 1-1 draw with the Seattle Sounders in the 123rd edition of American soccer's most rancorous rivalry Saturday night at Providence Park.
Santiago Moreno tallied his fourth goal of the season in the 36th minute, and the Timbers earned at least a point for the ninth time in their last 10 against their Cascadia neighbors.
In 41 MLS meetings, the teams are dead even with 15 wins each and 11 draws.
Portland (6-3-5, 23 points) held firm in fourth place in the Western Conference, three points clear of Seattle (5-4-5), which sits in sixth. More than a third of the way through the season, the Timbers are well positioned to qualify directly to the eight-team playoff bracket for the first time since reaching the league's championship game in 2021.
Just prior to kickoff, the Timbers Army hoisted a banner that read, "We are here to bring you misery," with imagery nodding to the film adaptation of Stephen King's "Misery."
Juan Mosquera tried to put the visitors in desperate straits early, clubbing a shot inches wide of the far post in the eighth minute. Instead, it was the Sounders who struck the first blow, taking the lead at the half-hour mark through Albert Rusnak. Rusnak sent a well-placed if not firmly struck shot from 20 yards out through the legs of Portland's Finn Surman and beyond the fingertips of diving keeper Maxime Crepeau. The goal ended a shutout streak of 212 minutes for the Timbers.
Moreno's answer finished off a slick end-to-end buildup by the Timbers. David Da Costa and Juan Mosquera executed a give-and-go down the right wing that gave Da Costa enough room near the goal line extended to cut a pass back to the front of the net, where Moreno smashed it on his first touch past Sounders keeper Stefan Frei from near the penalty spot.
The Sounders had the better of the chances from there. Cristian Roldan rocketed a shot from 25 yards in the 65th minute, then eight minutes later Surman had to slide to block a clear shot from close range by Paul Rothrock, who had slipped past Mosquera. Surman made another sliding block in the penalty area in second-half stoppage time as the Timbers scrambled to hang on to for a point. Seattle put six of its 14 shot attempts on goal, forcing five saves by Crepeau.
The Timbers' Felipe Mora got his head to two dangerous crosses in the second half, but couldn't control either enough to threaten Frei. Portland's only shot on target was Mosquera's goal.
The Timbers will travel cross-country to take on Orlando City on May 24 before returning to Portland for a three-game homestand that starts May 28 against Colorado.