Timbers U-23s host Whitecaps FC U-23 in divisional playoff match Tuesday

U-23s Eric Miller Vancouver May 23 2013

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Timbers U-23s play host to Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 in a Premier Development League divisional playoff game Tuesday at Doc Harris Stadium in Camas, Wash.; kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (Pacific).

Tickets, priced at $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and younger, will be available for purchase at the gate.

The Timbers U-23s (7-3-4, 25pts) earned the right to host after finishing second in the Northwest Division during the regular season. The Timbers U-23s clinched second place in the division outright with a 1-1 tie against Sounders FC U-23 on July 16 in the team’s regular-season finale.

Whitecaps FC U-23 (7-4-3, 24pts) placed third in the Northwest Division after finishing the regular season on a five-game unbeaten streak. The winner of Tuesday’s match will advance to the Western Conference championships, featuring the top four teams in the conference.

Tuesday’s game will pit one of the Northwest Division’s highest scoring offenses against one of its stingiest defenses. Whitecaps FC U-23 ranked one goal off the division lead with 30 goals scored during the regular season, while the Timbers U-23s allowed the fewest goals in the division (12). Timbers U-23s goalkeeper David Meves ranks third in the PDL with six shutouts and fifth with a 0.85 goals-against average.

Whitecaps FC U-23’s five-game unbeaten streak includes a 1-1 tie with the Timbers U-23s at UBC Thunderbird Stadium on July 12. That game was the second of two meetings between the teams this season, with the Timbers U-23s winning the first, 2-0, at JELD-WEN Field on May 23. Overall, the Timbers U-23s are 7-1-2 all-time against Whitecaps FC U-23.

The Timbers U-23s have reached the PDL postseason for the fourth time in five seasons. The team won the PDL championship in 2010, becoming the first undefeated champion in league history after going 20-0-0 during the campaign and playoffs.