Sounders
Capsule preview: Seattle at Portland

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What: A-League soccer opener

When: 7 today, at PGE Park

Last season's records: Sounders 16-7-5 A-League, reached Western Conference finals; Timbers 15-11-2 A-League, missed playoffs.

Notes: Pacific Northwest rivals meet in the A-League season opener for the third consecutive year in Portland's PGE Park. ... Seattle captured the season series 4-2 in 2003, winning the first four matches, and owns a 9-4-1 all-time series lead since the Timbers joined the league in 2001. Seattle also won the two previous season openers. ... Sounders retain 17 players from the 2003 club that won the Pacific Division with 53 points. ... Portland, which returns 11 players from 2003, finished third in the Pacific with 47 points. ... The A-League has done away with the divisional formats, leaving two conferences. The Western Conference has seven teams, the East nine. ... F Kyle Smith tied MF Andrew Gregor for Sounders' scoring lead with 23 points in 2003. Smith returns after tallying 10 goals and three assists last season, but Gregor signed a free-agent deal with rival Vancouver. ... Portland retains Fs McKinley Tennyson and Byron Alvarez, who led the Timbers with 25 points each in 2003. Alvarez scored 12 goals and Tennyson 11 to rank 4-5 in A-League goals a year ago.

— Matt Massey

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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