With the benefit of a week off to recharge after their blockbuster 3-0 win over New York City, the Portland Timbers are back on the road on Saturday night in San Jose, CA to face the struggling Earthquakes (7:30 p.m., TV on KPDX).
The Opponent
It's been a difficult start to life in MLS for San Jose's new Swedish manager Mikael Stahre, whose team is mired in a six game winless run stretching back to mid-March and just a point above Seattle at the foot of the Western Conference.
The 'Quakes have been competitive — all of their losses have come by a single goal — but Stahre has clearly yet to figure out the balance of his team and who fits where within it.
Florian Jungwirth, a center back last year, has been deployed in central midfield, where he and Anibal Godoy have struggled. Stahre's reputation in Sweden was that of a defensive guru, but San Jose has been awfully easy to spread out and play through in transition so far.
There are weapons on the other end of the field — Danny Hoesen burned the Timbers in the past, and new DP Magnus Eriksson has been good — but there are still questions about fit. San Jose doesn't play with natural wingers, and things can get congested in the middle of the attack.
The Tactics
Seven games into the season, the Timbers' tactical identity is still very much unclear. Since abandoning the high press two weeks into the season, Giovani Savarese has been, as the New York City game attested, willing to change setups from week to week.
That flexibility has paid dividends. Portland has only lost once in its last five games, and that loss, in Orlando, came at the end of one of the team's best performances of the season.
The question for Saturday is what Savarese makes of the 'Quakes. Considering how vulnerable San Jose has been in transition, and how many inside attackers they play, a reprise of the 4-3-2-1/4-4-1-1ish look seems likely.
Portland was devastating on the counter against both Minnesota and NYC in that formation, and if they can defend with a similar level of focus as they did in the latter game, they should be in business.
The Lineup
1 - Attinella
16 - Valentin
24 - Ridgewell
33 - Mabiala
2 - Powell
21 - Chara
22 - Paredes
11 - Polo
10 - Blanco
8 - Valeri (C)
9 - Adi
— The Timbers have everyone back in training, including Vytas, David Guzman, and Bill Tuiloma, but given Portland's performance against NYCFC, it seems unlikely that Savarese will be rushing the trio back in.
— Jeff Attinella was very good in his first start of the season two weeks ago, and he should continue in goal ahead of Jake Gleeson.
The Memory
The Timbers have had a miserable time at Avaya Stadium since it opened in 2015, where they've been outscored 7-2 in four games and lost three straight. The highlight of those games, still, is Quincy Amerikwa's chip in 2015.
The Pick
San Jose absolutely needs a result in this game, and they'll test a Timbers defense that kept its first clean sheet of the season last time out. It finishes 2-2.
