MLS: Portland, Seattle meet in superstar Dempsey's home debut

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http://www.komonews.com/sports/Portland-Seattle-meet-in-Dempseys-home-debut-220870321.html

Sunday night will be another one of those memorable events for the Seattle Sounders when the second-largest crowd for an MLS regular-season game - about 67,000 fans - is expected to see the home side face rival Portland in Clint Dempsey's first home match with Seattle.

The Sounders have played twice with Dempsey, both on the road in Toronto and Houston. It's just luck of the schedule that his home debut comes against Seattle's most heated rival with CenturyLink Field having been sold out for a couple of weeks.

While bragging rights and positioning in the Cascadia Cup rivalry between Seattle, Portland and Vancouver will always be at stake anytime the three sides are facing off, Sunday's match brings a new aspect that hasn't been there the last two seasons: a legitimate fight for playoff positioning with two months left in the regular season.

Portland enters the match unbeaten in its last three and in second place in the Western Conference but smarting from a missed opportunity to move on top of the conference standings.