Classical Essay The definition of rivalry has now reached the range of sports. To beat your rival is the most important thing in sports. Because it gives the victor this type of swagger that carries into the postseason. The thrill of beating your rival is extraordinary and will allow the team/city to have bragging rights. But it doesn’t just matter about the players and results. It can reach a new level, with the adding of the fans, the stadium and the environment of the city on game day. The Portland Timbers are a better soccer club than the Seattle Sounders because the players, the “keep it weird” portland environment, and of course the fans. In soccer when you think about the bitter rivalries, the names of the Manchester Derby come up, …show more content…
This is put together by the coach, and in this instance the coach of the Portland Timbers Caleb Porter. Once a coach for the Akron boys soccer team, he upgraded to the newly created MLS team the Portland Timbers. Porter recruited former Akron alumni Darlington Nagbe who is a star and will be the future star of the club. Nagbe who has been consistently the most fouled player in the MLS in the past few years is because of the craft fulness with the ball and the tight spaces that he performs well in. Porter also picked up numerous international players that fit his system perfectly. One of those that has standed out is Diego Valeri who led the Timbers to the MLS Cup in 2015 scoring in just the first minute! Valeri who's nickname is the maestro, creates magic from nothing seen by a normal being, except for Valeri who is anything but normal. That is just the offense though, but to be a good team you have to have a good defense. “Offense wins games, but Defense wins Championships!” This very quote describes the one and only Diego Chara, a scrappy pesty little midfielder that has never backed down from a fight no matter the height or weight of the opposition. His willingness to fight no matter the situation, was one of reasons why Portland has been so successful the last few years. All these players gelled together at the right time beating Kansas City, Vancouver, Dallas, …show more content…
Portland which has always been historically wet, is right to its word when in spring rain pours constantly. Now a little under half the teams in the league get little to no rain, so a rainy day can seriously affect the opposing team. Another reason is the “keep it weird” Portland is amazing. Since Providence Park is right downtown on the west side of Portland, the heart of Portland culture surrounds the park. While Seattle has nothing of this atmosphere. What surrounds Centurylink field is industrial parks and highways which isn’t fun at all. Portland outways Seattle in every single category except population of stadium, which doesn’t even get filled. Unlike Portland that has over 100 consecutive games sold