The first match of this season's Cascadia rivalry will take place on Sunday (UST), in Orlando.
While Portland Timbers vs Seattle Sounders is the main Derby match of the region, Cascadia's northernmost representative will take on the defending MLS Cup champs when Vancouver Whitecaps takes on Seattle in a crucial Group B game of the MLS is Back Tournament.
The three teams hailing from the Pacific Northwest region have made quite a name for themselves in the MLS. Joining as expansion teams between 2009-2011 and making the jump from the second league USL to the top flight MLS, the Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps have brought with them the Cascadian Rivalry, and its passionate supporters.
What is Cascadia?
"Cascadia" is the bio-region loosely consisting of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. Energy-rich and spanning the length of the Columbia River, Cascadia is bound by its sense of "otherness". Often overlooked by its more boisterous counterparts, the region is culturally distant from the hustle and bustle of New York or the glamour of California. With a strong sense of independence and an affinity for environmental activism, Cascadia is known for its laid back progressivism.
In recent years, this sense of distinctiveness has spawned a small yet growing movement which advocates for the formation of an independent "Cascadia" achieved through secession from the United States and Canada. Such a state would be energy self-sufficient, and much of the existing infrastructure related to transportation, tourism and emergency preparedness is already organized on a regional basis.
While the establishment of an independent Cascadia remains firmly in the category of the utopian ideal- and no parties or candidates advocating for independence have found their way into local government, the idea has gained increasing cultural relevance. "Cascadia now" is a common graffiti tag and the Cascadian flag can often be found in local bars. However, nowhere is the symbol and spirit of Cascadia more prevalent than in the stands of its soccer clubs.
The region even officially registered its "national team" in 2018 and competed in the CONIFA World Cup - consisting of independent football associations representing territories and ethnic identities lacking formal recognition by FIFA. The Cascadia team led by former Sounders defender James Riley made it out of the group stage before falling in the quarterfinals to eventual champions Kárpátalja who represent the Hungarian ethnic minority in western Ukraine.
The Cascadia Cup: A Supporters Trophy
The Cascadia Cup belongs to the fans. In addition to competing for the Supporters Shield and the MLS Cup, region's teams compete for the Cascadia Cup. Inaugurated in 2004, by supporters' groups of the Timbers, Sounders and Whitecaps, the cup is won by the club who emerges at the top of a mini-table consisting of the three teams. The winning supporters' group holds the trophy until they hand it to the next year's winner.
However, the Cascadian rivalry long predates the MLS, spanning across four leagues and six decades of football. It began in the emerging days of the North American Soccer League when stars such as Pele, George Best, Johan Cryuff, Carlos Alberto, Franz Beckenbauer and others wowed audiences in the 1970s.
The regional rivalry emerged as football gained a foothold in the public sporting consciousness and has followed the teams' journey through the various leagues of the North American game. The three clubs of Cascadia were ultimately reunited in 2011 when all three of them had joined the MLS as expansion teams.
Despite only having a presence in the MLS in the last decade, Cascadia has stood out for its on the field achievement. The previous five MLS Cup finals have featured a Cascadian club in the form of Seattle of Portland – with the Sounders winning two MLS Cups and the Timbers taking home one.
Such success has only fueled the flames of the rivalry. When Seattle took home its first title in 2015, the team's captain Clint Dempsey, known as a man of few words, displayed in a sentence what it meant when he famously said: "Now that we've won one, Portland can't say sh**".
Cascadian Fan Culture
The supporters' groups of Cascadia have arguably set the standard as the MLS' most passionate and authentic supporters.
Beyond offering some of the most vibrant matchday atmospheres, with the Timbers Army famed "chainsaw celebration" after goals and the Sounders traditional "March to the Match", the supporters have been known for their clashes with the MLS and its corporate impulses. These clashes have been seen by many as a pushback against the league's attempts to sterilize the authentic supporter culture growing around the league, in favour of a more family-friendly and commercialized atmosphere.
When the league submitted a trademark claim on the term "Cascadia Cup" in 2013, the fan groups countered by creating the "Cascadia Cup Council" which also filed a trademark for the naming rights. After making it clear to the MLS that the cup belongs to supporters, the league eventually relented and withdrew its trademark claim.
While the resolution was a shared understanding stating that "The Cascadia Cup Council will own the name, logo and likeness of the trophy . . ." the tension between the supporters and the league has remained.
In 2019 this tension reached a boiling point. The MLS cracked down on supporters displaying political messages that it claimed violated its "fan code of conduct" policy. The league banned and sanctioned supporters for their displays of the anti-fascist "Iron Front" symbol.
This was met with stiff resistance as the Cascadian clubs stood together in protest, issuing joint statements and coordinating actions. Such action was a powerful silent protest that took place during last year's Sounders-Timbers Derby match.
For the first 33 minutes of the game, the supporters were quiet. In the 33rd minute, the two supporters group shared a moment of unity and solidarity singing with the anti-fascist anthem Bella Ciao. The 33 minutes represented the year 1933 when the Nazi government banned the "Iron Front" anti-fascist group in Germany.
The coordinated protests and acts of defiance eventually paid off. After extensive meetings and negotiations between the league and the supporters' groups, it was announced that in 2020 the MLS would revise its fan code of conduct and cease to act against supporters displaying anti-fascist messages.
Cascadia and COVID-19
What is to be done about a cup belonging to the fans when there are no fans to play in front of?
In light of the situation surrounding COVID-19, it was agreed between the supporters' groups that matches played without fans will not be counted towards the Cascadia Cup standings.
A joint statement issued read: "In order to continue the supporter-owned, supporter-driven Cascadia Cup's tradition of competitive balance, each club must complete both home and away matches against each of the other clubs . . ."
The first match between Cascadian teams will kick off on Sunday evening when the Sounders and Whitecaps face off in a pivotal game in group B of the MLS is Back tournament in Orlando.
The Whitecaps will seek to rebound from a 4-3 loss to the Earthquakes which saw them concede the winner deep into stoppage time. Meanwhile, defending champions Seattle, are facing a must-win match to advance to the next round and will hope to find a way to goal through their midfield playmaker Nicolas Lodeiro.
The famous Cascadia Cup will have to wait until the pandemic is gone, but as a spot in the Round of 16 is on the table for both teams, we can expect a fiery and intense match.
Photo by Andy Li.
