The Sounders played to a disappointing scoreless draw against the Timbers to end a busy home stand.

The Seattle Sounders hosted the Portland Timbers on Saturday afternoon, and for the eighth time in six years they failed to claim all three points. This time the two sides played to a 0-0 draw in which very little energy was expended in either 18-yard box, as both teams played a particularly physical match in the middle of the field.

The first half was largely what we’ve come to expect from these games. Some shots were taken, but very little genuine danger creative. The bulk of the action came between the 18-yard boxes where, despite an early yellow for Diego Chara, Allen Chapman allowed a typically physical game to unfold. Plenty of trailing legs and late challenges went unpunished, to say nothing of the 17 fouls called between the two teams. The Sounders had a couple of penalty shouts, most substantially when Reed Baker-Whiting was run into from behind when cheating a ball, but no call was ever coming. The two sides went into half with the score tied, Seattle dominating possession, Portland leading in shots, and neither team looking all that likely to score.

The second half was a bit better for the Sounders, most notably after the introduction of Cristian Roldan and Raúl Ruidíaz. Roldan made his first appearance since April 8 against St. Louis — perhaps notably the first game he missed while in concussion protocol was the reverse fixture down in Portland — when he and Ruidiaz entered in the 57th minute. Roldan in particular provided an incisiveness and touch of speed that was lacking even as Reed Baker-Whiting put in a decent performance on the right wing including some dangerous runs, but still no goals were to be found.

The defense looked sturdy, having sharpened up to avoid the sloppy mistakes that have resulted in allowing goals recently. The Sounders attack struggled to create real chances, only taking a total of 5 shots after piling on the pressure without reward against the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday. While Léo Chú caused problems down the left, the absence of Jordan Morris was clearly felt in a game with especially fine margins.

For the first time in a while, the Sounders have a week before their next game on the road against Charlotte. It’s an opportunity to get some rest, but also to work on some tactics and sharpen things up in training.

Key moment

9’ — The Sounders win a few second balls to keep possession and pressure around Portland’s area. Some penalty shouts as Reed Baker-Whiting goes down, but no call.

14’ — Cody Baker breaks up a dangerous-looking Portland attack, stepping in to poke the ball away at the very last moment for Stefan Frei to clean up.

27’ — Dairon Asprilla flicks a leg out at the ball and makes contact, but his effort just dribbles through the box to Frei.

52’ — Baker-Whiting nutmegs a defender as he glides into the box, but his cutback pass is broken up with a slight touch at the last second.

63’ — Cristian Roldan crosses a dude up in the Portland area and chips a ball towards the back post where Léo Chú gets up for it, but his header misses the mark.

76’ — Chú backs Eric Miller into the Timbers penalty area and gets room to play a ball across the box, but Aljaž Ivačič catches it at the near post.

Quick thoughts

Getting healthier: Brian Schmetzer noted that the upcoming international break is arriving at a bit of a bad time for the Sounders, as ideally they’d be able to get guys coming back from injury the rhythm of regular game play. That said, looking forward to Charlotte and beyond, the lineup prospects look a bit brighter. Cristian Roldan and Raúl Ruidíaz both got a little over half an hour against the Timbers, and Nouhou played a full 90 minutes as he returns to full fitness after recovering from malaria. Jordan Morris could be back for the LAFC game after the international break, and Kelyn Rowe returned to play against San Jose. A healthy team is no guarantee of a change in results, but it certainly helps change the odds.

Baker-Baker-Whiting: With Alex Roldan suspended due to yellow card accumulation, Jordan Morris injured, Cristian Roldan’s minutes limited as he returns from his concussion and Dylan Teves having already played significant minutes during the home stand, Schmetzer and his staff ran out the pairing of Cody Baker and Reed Baker-Whiting at right back and right wing. While Schmetzer noted that the two weren’t quite at the level of the Roldan Brothers going forward, he thought the young homegrown duo did well. They combined to create a defensive presence that kept the Timbers from creating much danger on their side. Only one completed ball into the Sounders area came from that side, a cross from Marvin Loria to Asprilla at the penalty spot. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely a strong position for the two to build from.

Six incredibly long years: The last time the Sounders won at home in MLS play against the Portland Timbers was on May 27, 2017. They’ve had eight regular season attempts since then, and have gone 0-3-5, -8. They’ve been to three MLS Cup Finals, hosted and won one of them, and lifted the CCL trophy in this stadium since then, but for whatever reason Portland have found Lumen Field a joyous place to play. I don’t have any insight or solutions to offer, I just think it stinks. I’m glad they didn’t lose and it’s cool that Stefan Frei hit the 100 clean sheet mark in a derby match, but not being able to beat the Timbers at home leaves a decidedly bad taste in my mouth.

Did you see that?!?

There’s not a lot from an actual play perspective to highlight after that one, so let’s just celebrate having these two back.

He said what?!?

Cristian Roldan with his best attempt to explain Seattle’s recent struggles in front of net.

One stat to tell the tale

0 — The Sounders were credited with 0 Big Chances created as they generated only 0.34 xG on five total shots.