Seattle Sounders general manager Adrian Hanauer suggests his side's first round playoffs match-up with Portland Timbers is big for Major League Soccer.
The Cascadia rivals will do battle in the two-legged Western Conference semi-finals, beginning at CenturyLink Field this weekend, and Hanauer is expecting it to be a massive hit for the competition.
"I can step back and certainly appreciate that from a neutral standpoint it's a big matchup for the league - great history, great rivalry, derbies with fans traveling from city to city," he said.
"When you look at the national footprint, for sure in the soccer world this is a big matchup, a big rivalry.
"Sometimes I wonder if you're in New York City or Boston, if you barely know where Seattle and Portland are. We'll see how reflective it is in terms of ratings and how much attention it gets nationally, but for sure if you're in the Northwest, this is a pretty massive matchup.
"And so we're looking forward to it. At the same time, it's more step in trying to take steps toward winning an MLS Cup.
"Obviously it's a massive two-game series and it's another hurdle we have to get over to accomplish our goals."
