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The eyes of the soccer world are currently transfixed on the World Cup, which means the Major League Soccer season is currently on hold. But rivalries never take time off, not even in the 28th ranked football league in the world.
In case you hadn't heard, the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders don't like each other very much. It's a feud that spans decades—and now, things have grown so heated between the two clubs that it's drawing towns on the other side of the country into the mix.
Earlier this month, the Sounders launched an impressively passive-aggressive campaign declaring their love for Portland—the one in Maine. The effort included an entire website extolling the virtues of the Forest City, a promotional video and even billboards, which they dared to erect right in our backyard.
@sounders throwing some shade towards @TimbersFC in downtown Portland OR. Maybe they like Portland Maine so much because they have a better chance of beating @GPSMaine than they do at beating us. #RCTID pic.twitter.com/9hvE2KUURg
— Bo Baker (@boltonbaker) June 5, 2018
To be fair, the Timbers sort of started this round, commemorating the teams' 100th game against each other by releasing a short Ken Burns-style mockumentary on the rivalry full of anti-Seattle ribbing.
Regardless, the Other Portland didn't seem to appreciate being used as a pawn in a game of snark—at least as far as the town's paper of record is concerned.
Not impressed. pic.twitter.com/BwxxecEw2z
— Portland Press Herald (@PressHerald) June 6, 2018
Oh, snap.
That cross-country fist-bump didn't go unnoticed, either. As a token of appreciation for rejecting the Sounders' fake flattery, the Timbers sent the Press-Herald a jersey signed by every member of the team, which the paper was proud to show off on its Twitter account today.
Holy cow! We didn’t expect our love for @TimbersFC would result in a jersey signed by all the players! Very cool move, guys. #OnePortland #RCTID pic.twitter.com/96Qi8G9FTf
— Portland Press Herald (@PressHerald) June 18, 2018
Will this latest tete-a-tete make the next Timbers-Sounders game even more intense? Guess we'll find out June 30, when the two teams square off yet again up north at CenturyLink Field.
In the meantime, let us all put our differences aside, and get back to cheering on this country we all share in the biggest sporting event in the w—oh, wait.