Seattle, July 23 -- Brian Fernandez only arrived in Portland a couple of months ago. He's quickly become a despised figure in Seattle.

Fernandez scored his second goal of the match in the 51st minute, moments after Seattle had pulled even, and the Portland Timbers beat the Sounders 2-1 on Sunday night in the first MLS clash of the season between the Cascadia rivals.

For Fernandez, it was his third and fourth goals against Seattle this season. He scored twice against the Sounders when the sides met in a U.S. Open Cup match last month.

But what he did on Sunday - before a crowd of more than 50,000 - had a bigger impact.

"To come to a stadium, especially in a big rivalry derby like this, and be able to score and be able to quiet people a...