Youth served at the Cascadia Cup, but the Portland Timbers need more from the vets to keep playing

Phil Neville would like to start talking about how good his DPs are playing again.

SEATTLE — Finn Surman didn’t know what to wear.

Surman’s Timbers had just clinched the Cascadia Cup with a 1-1 draw against Seattle, with Antony finding the equalizer for Portland in the 67th minute to send the Timbers’ traveling fanbase into jubilation on a stormy Seattle night. In the postgame, manager Phil Neville spoke with media first. Then came the goal scorer, followed by veteran defender Dario Zuparic. Much of the locker room had packed up when a Portland official reached out to Surman, who made his first start with the club that night in the absence of Kamal Miller.

It was his tackle in the 19th minute that saved a certain goal from Seattle’s Pedro de la Vega. And while it was assuredly one of the match’s noteworthy plays, the 21-year-old from New Zealand seemed a bit surprised when requested to be the night’s final interview. He had never done this before.

“Should I wear my jersey?” he asked a Portland official. He ultimately sided on a white long sleeve and a satisfied grin as he took a seat for his inaugural grilling.

“Today was very special to me and I enjoyed every minute of it,” said Surman, who signed with Portland in July, joined the club following the Olympics in August and has, admittedly, been frustrated by his inability to get on the field as Portland battled for key playoff positioning.