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Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports

With three games remaining in the MLS regular season, the race for the top two seeds in the Western Conference playoffs is wide open β€” with Vancouver, Portland, Kansas City, and Seattle separated at the top of the table by just a single point.

On Saturday night, the Timbers hit the road for the final time this season β€” looking to win back-to-back games for the fifth time this season against a San Jose team fighting for its playoff life (7:30 p.m., TV on KPDX).

The History

This is the Timbers' second trip of the year to the Bay Area. The first trip, which came back at the beginning of May, didn't go at all well. San Jose took the lead in that game after just eight minutes, and went onto win a 3-0 walkover.

Portland pegged the 'Quakes back at Providence Park in June, when Diego Valeri scored a brace in a 2-0 victory that snapped a five-game Timbers winless run.

That performance was one of the final nails in the coffin of San Jose manager Dominic Kinnear, who β€” along with his assistant coach John Spencer β€” was fired three weeks later.

San Jose's technical director Chris Leitch took over for Kinnear, and though the team has made attacking strides under his leadership, they've absolutely fallen apart defensively β€” conceding three or more goals eight times in the last three months. After getting pummeled 4-1 by Chicago on Wednesday night, the 'Quakes now own the worst goal difference in MLS.

The Tactics

At this stage of the season, Caleb Porter's first choice eleven is pretty well established: Jeff Attinella in goal. Roy Miller at left back. And, for the foreseeable future, Darren Mattocks up top.

That's because there is still no timeline for the return of Fanendo Adi, who hasn't played since early August. Porter said Wednesday that Adi is likely out for "another couple more weeks," which means the earliest he could return would be the penultimate game of the season on October 15 against DC United.

The good news for the Timbers is that Mattocks is coming off of his best game of the season, winning a penalty and scoring in an all-action performance on Sunday night against Orlando.

The other piece of the formula that tore Orlando apart was Darlington Nagbe's deployment in a deep-lying, stay-at-home central midfield role β€” which freed Diego Chara to play what might have 45 of the best minutes of his career in the first half.

Whether Nagbe can play that position, with all of its defensive responsibility, against a midfield more functional than Orlando's remains to be seen. If David Guzman is fit to return to the fold this weekend, it might be a moot point. But if Guzman remains out, then we could get another look at Nagbe as a six β€” with the resurgent Dairon Asprilla continuing on the right wing.

San Jose, meanwhile, is on its last legs. The 'Quakes were thrashed on Wednesday night, and are fighting for their playoff lives β€” sitting in eighth place in the West, having played once more than the Houston and Dallas teams a point ahead of them.

San Jose should be a desperate team. The question is whether, after all of the beatdowns they've suffered of late, they have any will left.

The Lineup

1 - Attinella
7 - Miller
24 - Ridgewell (C)
33 - Mabiala
16 - Valentin
6 - Nagbe
21 - Chara
10 - Blanco
8 - Valeri (C)
27 - Asprilla
11 - Mattocks

The Pick

With their season on the line β€” and after getting humiliated at home on Wednesday β€” the 'Quakes should put up a fight. But the Timbers are the better team, and with the way they're playing, they'll get a 2-2 draw.