The Timbers square off against Crystal Palace Baltimore today at 1:30 p.m. (Pacific) on the road. With a win, the Timbers can clinch a top-four position in the postseason. Follow the game live on 750 KXL, watch it online or get in-game updates.
Click here for today's match notes.
Today's Starters:
POR: GK Pyzdrowski, D Thompson, D Danso, D Goldthwaite, D Cameron, M Alhassan, M Savage, M McManus, M Pore, F Dike, D DeMartin
BAL: GK Murphy, D Pejic, D Marshall, D Teixeira, D Veeder, M Healey, M Mbuta, M Fusilier, F Sanchez, F Neto, F Brooks
Match Preview:
The Portland Timbers finish their four-game, regular-season series with Crystal Palace Baltimore tonight as they make their second and final visit to Baltimore during the campaign. Portland enters tonight’s match on an eight-game unbeaten streak (5-0-3).
With a playoff berth already in hand, Timbers remain in the hunt for one of the top four seeds in the postseason. Currently ranked fourth in the USSF Division-2 Pro League standings, the Timbers can clinch a spot in the top four with a win tonight. The eight-team playoff field has been established. Joining the Timbers in the postseason are Rochester, Vancouver, Austin, Carolina, Puerto Rico, Minnesota and Montreal.
The Timbers extended their unbeaten run to eight matches with a 1-0 road victory over the Puerto Rico Islanders on Sept. 18. In the win, the Timbers logged their fourth consecutive shutout and have now played the last 424 minutes without conceding a goal. The last goal scored against the Portland backline was in the 26th minute of a 1-1 draw against the Austin Aztex on Aug. 26.
Portland’s defense, which ranks second in the league in fewest goals allowed this season (20), has conceded just three goals and has shut out six of its last seven opponents during the unbeaten streak.
On the road for a third straight weekend, the Timbers are 3-0-1 away from Portland during their unbeaten streak and have not allowed a goal in those four contests.
After losing the first two encounters with Crystal Palace Baltimore, the Timbers captured a 3-0 victory at PGE Park on Aug. 29 in the last meeting between the two sides. Midfielder
Ryan Pore
logged a goal and an assist, while forward
Bright Dike
scored twice in the win. In the last visit to Baltimore on May 22, a 1-0 lead on a goal by Pore was erased by two unanswered goals by Baltimore in the final 16 minutes of the match in an early-season 2-1 road loss. Portland is 1-2-0 against Crystal Palace Baltimore on the campaign, but has out-scored its counterpart, but has out-scored its counterpart 4-3 in the series.
