Since joining MLS in 2011, the Portland Timbers have never won in a regular-season visit to the Seattle Sounders.
The Timbers might have their best chance to end that drought Sunday against their struggling Cascadia Cup rivals, who again will be without Clint Dempsey.
Portland (11-8-7) is 0-4-2 in regular-season road games against the Sounders, including a 1-0 loss April 26 with Dempsey scoring the lone goal. However, the Timbers did beat Seattle 3-1 in nearby Tukwila, Washington, on June 16 in the U.S. Open Cup, and that began a slump by the Sounders (11-13-2) which has seen them go from the MLS' best record to three points out of playoff position.
Four days after that game, Seattle suffered the first of nine losses in 11 league matches. The latest was a 2-0 defeat at Real Salt Lake last Saturday.
"We're not going to think about it being a great day. It's going to be a great day. We're going to turn the page. We're going to get after them, and we're going to play very well," coach Sigi Schmid said.
His team's woes began after Dempsey drew a three-game suspension for his actions in the Open Cup loss to Portland. The forward left to play for the United States national team in the Gold Cup in July and has appeared in one game since then.
A hamstring injury has kept Dempsey out since a 3-0 loss to Vancouver on Aug. 1, and Schmid doesn't know when he will return. Osvaldo Alonso and Chad Barrett are also dealing with hamstring problems, and their statuses are unclear.
The Sounders also played without Obafemi Martins for two months because of a groin injury. He scored twice in his return, a 4-0 win over Orlando on Aug. 16, and has a team-high nine goals.
"They need points, but to be honest, we need points too," Timbers defender Nat Borchers said. "This is a critical point in the season for us with eight games remaining. This is a huge away game for us."
Portland, which handed the Sounders a 4-1 loss June 28 in the last meeting, seeks to close out an unbeaten month. The Timbers are 2-0-2 in August, moving five points ahead of Seattle.
They snapped a four-game winless streak on the road in MLS play with a 1-0 victory at Real Salt Lake on Aug. 15, and most recently pulled out a 2-all draw against Houston on Aug. 21 after Darlington Nagbe and Lucas Melano scored in the final 14 minutes of regulation.
Portland's Fanendo Adi needs one more goal to tie the club's single-season mark of 11, set by Diego Valeri last year. Adi had two second-half goals, including the tiebreaker in the 74th minute, in the last meeting with Seattle.
Nagbe had one of his two goals in that game and one of his three assists.
The Timbers' Diego Chara is suspended for this matchup after receiving a red card against Houston.
