Coming off of one of their biggest wins of the season in Los Angeles, the Portland Timbers return to Providence Park on Saturday night looking to continue their climb up the Western Conference standings as they host the last-place Colorado Rapids (8 p.m., TV on KPDX).
The Opponent
The Rapids have been moribund since their one-hit wonder Western Conference Final run in 2016, and what limited amount of optimism they generated ahead of this season by bringing in a number of established MLS players during the offseason expired early.
Colorado started the year 0-7-2, second year manager Anthony Hudson was fired, and former Rapids forward Conor Casey was handed the coaching job on an interim basis.
Remarkably, Casey has overseen something of a turnaround. Since his appointment, Colorado has won five times — including against the LA Galaxy, LAFC, and Minnesota — and while they are no threat to make the playoffs this year, they are at last playing with some vigor and direction.
The Rapids have a decent young core to build around, comprised of a number of fringe national team players like Jonathan Lewis, Kellyn Acosta, and Keegan Rosenberry, plus a few veterans worth watching. Kei Kamara, who scored at Providence Park last year for Vancouver, is chief among them.
The Tactics
There was talk of the Rapids becoming a possession team under Hudson, but that never came close to happening — and now, under Casey, what they do tactically is straightforward. They sit in, cede possession, absorb pressure, and break with pace when they have the chance.
It’s a formula that the Timbers know a thing or two about, though Colorado doesn’t have the weapons that Portland does in attack. They’ll also be without a key piece on Saturday as Acosta, who was sent off late in the Rapids’ 2-1 loss to New England on July 4th, serves a suspension.
What the Rapids do have going for them is the fact that they haven’t played in over a week. The Timbers have played on both coasts since then, and exerted a tremendous amount of effort in their 1-0 Wednesday night U.S. Open Cup win over LAFC.
The team chartered a flight back to Portland, but fatigue, mental and physical, is one thing to watch for in the early going on Saturday night. If the Timbers bring the energy they usually do at home, they will eventually overwhelm Colorado’s defense. Tim Howard, playing out his final season, is often a liability.
Timbers manager Giovani Savarese was away from the team in LA while attending to a medical issue concerning his father in Italy; the Timbers were hopeful that he’d be back in the Rose City in time to coach this game, if he’s not, his assistant Carlos Llamosa will again lead the team.
The Lineup
12 – Clark
2 – Moreira
18 – Cascante
33 – Mabiala
32 – Farfan
21 – Chara
22 – Paredes
10 – Blanco
8 – Valeri (C)
17 – Ebobisse
7 – Fernandez
— The only field players in this lineup who started both the New York and LA games are Mabiala, Blanco, and Fernandez. Of the trio, Mabiala would be the most likely to be rotated out.
— Zarek Valentin is another player who started both games, and, in light of that, and with two more games coming up next week, it might be a good moment to get Marco Farfan another start after his strong showing in the Bronx.
— Andy Polo is back with the club, and might make the bench. Bill Tuiloma and Jorge Villafaña are both listed as questionable and seem unlikely to play.
The Memory
The Timbers are 8-1 all time at home against the Rapids, with that loss coming all the way back in 2011. The highlight of those wins is still this chip from two years ago.
The Pick
The Rapids have a pulse, but this isn’t the team that’s going to break their eight-year losing streak in Portland. Timbers win 3-1.
