A new chapter to the Seattle v. Portland rivalry begins this Saturday, June 6th as Salmon Bay FC and the Portland Cherry Bombs square off for the first time at Interbay Stadium for Music Night presented by KEXP.
Saturday’s match is the opener in a double header as Ballard FC will host the Portland Bangers later in the evening. Salmon Bay FC will kick off at 3pm while Ballard FC will start at 7pm. Get the double header ticket bundle!
The Northwest Division’s best attack will look to keep the goals flowing and pick up an important win in the first edition of this new rivalry. After a three match road stretch, the Salmon sisters are finally returning home to Interbay Stadium, where they’ve scored 17 goals in their last two matches. With a new Cascadia rivalry set to start this Saturday, it is time to meet the visitors.
Portland Cherry Bombs FC
Portland Cherry Bombs FC are newcomers to the USL W League this year joining Snohomish United to form a pair of debutants in the Northwest Division. The Cherry Bombs are the sister club of Portland Bangers FC, the USL League Two side who started in 2025 and are currently top of the Northwest Division.
The Cherry Bombs are off to a solid start in the debut season, currently sitting perfectly midtable as they are in fourth place with four points from three matches after one win, one draw, and a loss. The Cherry Bombs lone loss came to the West Seattle Rhodies, the only perfect team left in the division.
Despite the mostly positive start to life in the W league, the Cherry Bombs have had a tough time getting their attack going. Contrary to their name the Cherry Bombs have been anything but explosive on offense, having just scored one league goal all season. The lone goal was scored by New Mexico State forward Esme Arenas Ceja who will look to get back on the scoresheet this weekend.
With Lane United no longer in the league, the Cherry Bombs are the only USL W club in the state of Oregon. This comes in stark contrast to Washington which currently has six teams competing in the Northwest Division.
Get tickets to Saturday’s match!
MATCH DETAILS
Saturday will be just the second Salmon Bay FC home match of the season. Fans should read this year’s “Know Before You Go” matchday guidelines and all of the below information to learn everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s match.
Double Header Tailgate: After the match is over, fans will need to leave before the gates reopen at 5:30pm for the Ballard FC match! In between matches, we recommend checking out the tailgate at Pagliacci Pizza which will have music from KEXP as well as drinks from Stoup Brewing.
Music Night: To celebrate Music Night with KEXP, enjoy music from DJ Atticus during the tailgate, a performance from the Ballard High School Band, and more!
Gates: Gates open at 1:30pm! We recommend arriving early to enjoy the food and beer offerings, watch the players warm up, beat the hassle of traffic and parking, and to enjoy all of the prematch festivities. There will be a “happy hour” with all drinks half off from 1:30-2:15pm!
Food Vendors: Beyond the thrilling soccer action, Friday’s match will feature an array of food vendors, including Eva’s Wild, Big Boys Filipino, and Mainstay Provisions. Also, before you head to Pagliacci Pitch, you can take advantage of the Pagliacci Pizza BOGO slice deal on game days. Just show your ticket at any Pagliacci location and get two slices for the price of one. Outside food is not allowed in the venue except for Pagliacci Pizza. Fans can also purchase snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, and hot dogs (including the famous “Ballard Dog”) from the concession stand.
Ballard Food Bank: We also encourage fans to support the community by bringing donations of boxed Mac and Cheese for the Ballard Food Bank.
Beer Garden: The Bridges United Foundation Beer Garden is back and better than ever this season. The Beer Garden proudly serves Stoup Brewing. In addition to beer from Stoup, fans can purchase tequila from Orgullo Ajeno Tequila, cider from Incline Cider, N/A beer from Athletic Brewing, and wine from Vino FC. The Beer Garden is all ages, however there is a 21+ zone in the southeast corner of the stadium, which includes the new bleachers that were installed during phase one of the Interbay Stadium Expansion, which was completed earlier this month. Although alcohol can only be purchase inside the Beer Garden, fans can now take beer, wine, and cider outside of the Beer Garden and back to their seats or standing room area. Check out the Beverage Map below.
Transportation: Parking is extremely limited and will not be available in the parking lot by the time gates open. Street parking can be found to the north, east, or west of the stadium. We highly recommend alternative forms of transportation, including biking as we will have the Wombi Bike Parking area available at every home match this year. Please also consider riding King County Metro on game day, where youth through age 18 always ride free! Check out transit mode in Google Maps, the TripPlanner.kingcounty.gov website, or an app like OneBusAway.
Live Stream: Can’t make it to the match? All Salmon Bay FC home matches will be streamed live and can be found on the Salmon Bay FC homepage.
Written by Max Dresbach
