Two clubs in the Western Conference of MLS will do battle today in a league match between the Portland Timbers and Colorado Rapids. The first-division clash scheduled for 11 p.m. ET will be held at Providence Park in Portland and can be live streamed here free.
After falling to the Seattle Sounders last weekend, the Timbers enter today's match in dire straits. With 19 matches played, the club has a meager 21 points and sit five points below the dreaded red line in the Western Conference. Head coach Caleb Porter understands the critical significance of today's match.
"This is a game [against Seattle] where if we would've gotten three points, it would've helped, but there are more important games ahead, [against] the swing playoff teams," he said (via MLS's official website). "Those potential six-point swings against teams around us are more important than this game, although it would've been nice to get a point or more, but we've got to move on."
"Right now recovery is key," he added. "We had a very long week and gave a lot physically and emotionally, but have to recover and get back to work and get ready for Colorado. That game is going to be very critical."
Will Portland be able to secure a critical victory at home tonight? Tell us @SportsWN
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Offsetting the attacking prowess of the Timbers will be the responsibility of Colorado's Drew Moor. The center-back enters today averaging 5.3 clearances and 1.2 tackles per match.
Portland's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Ricketts; Harrington, Kah, Paparatto, Jewsbury; Johnson, Chara, Valeri; Zakuani, Adi, Nagbe
Colorado Rapids' Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Irwin; Klute, Moor, O'Neill, Wynne; LaBrocca, Watts; Torres, Powers, Serna; Brown
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
Standings
|
Rnk |
Team |
MP |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
+/- |
Pts |
|||
|
1 |
Sporting Kansas City |
19 |
9 |
5 |
5 |
27 |
17 |
10 |
32 |
|||
|
2 |
DC United |
18 |
9 |
4 |
5 |
26 |
19 |
7 |
31 |
|||
|
3 |
Toronto FC |
16 |
7 |
4 |
5 |
24 |
21 |
3 |
25 |
|||
|
4 |
New York Red Bulls |
19 |
5 |
8 |
6 |
31 |
30 |
1 |
23 |
|||
|
5 |
New England Revolution |
18 |
7 |
2 |
9 |
24 |
29 |
-5 |
23 |
|||
|
6 |
Philadelphia Union |
20 |
5 |
7 |
8 |
32 |
34 |
-2 |
22 |
|||
|
7 |
Columbus Crew |
19 |
4 |
8 |
7 |
21 |
25 |
-4 |
20 |
|||
|
8 |
Chicago Fire |
17 |
3 |
10 |
4 |
25 |
27 |
-2 |
19 |
|||
|
9 |
Houston Dynamo |
19 |
5 |
3 |
11 |
20 |
38 |
-18 |
18 |
|||
|
10 |
Impact Montreal |
17 |
3 |
5 |
9 |
17 |
29 |
-12 |
14 |
|
Rnk |
Team |
MP |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
+/- |
Pts |
|||
|
1 |
Seattle Sounders |
18 |
12 |
2 |
4 |
35 |
24 |
11 |
38 |
|||
|
2 |
Real Salt Lake |
18 |
7 |
7 |
4 |
27 |
24 |
3 |
28 |
|||
|
3 |
Colorado Rapids |
18 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
27 |
22 |
5 |
27 |
|||
|
4 |
LA Galaxy |
16 |
7 |
6 |
3 |
25 |
14 |
11 |
27 |
|||
|
5 |
FC Dallas |
19 |
7 |
5 |
7 |
30 |
29 |
1 |
26 |
|||
|
6 |
Vancouver Whitecaps |
18 |
6 |
8 |
4 |
28 |
26 |
2 |
26 |
|||
|
7 |
Chivas USA |
18 |
6 |
5 |
7 |
20 |
27 |
-7 |
23 |
|||
|
8 |
Portland Timbers |
19 |
4 |
9 |
6 |
30 |
32 |
-2 |
21 |
|||
|
9 |
San Jose Earthquakes |
16 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
16 |
18 |
-2 |
16 |
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