PORTLAND, Ore. – In the wake of their 3-2 win over the Houston Dynamo on Sunday afternoon, the Portland Timbers find themselves halfway through the season and above the red line in the Western Conference.
The three points earned off of Diego Valeri's stoppage-time penalty kick were enough for the Timbers to leapfrog the San Jose Earthquakes, Sporting Kansas City, and the LA Galaxy as they shot up the densely-packed West standings.
Working one's way up the ladder is never easy in Major League Soccer, though the Timbers have been building character through their challenging start to 2016.
"We have been through a lot this year," coach Caleb Porter said after the Timbers' win on Sunday. "We have had a lot of injuries and adversity. I told the guys before the game, that is going to help us in the second half of the year because we have grown stronger and we have become better.
"When you keep fighting and you go through that adversity, you get stronger, you get better, you get tougher," Porter continued. "And this is a tough league."
Injuries are a fact of life in soccer, and the Timbers have had plenty to deal with this season but for Porter, that struggle is just another element of the Timbers' preparation for the second half of the season.
"There are ups and downs," said Porter. "Every game is difficult. So, the fact that we can draw on those experiences and use them to our advantage in days like today is going to be huge in that second half of the year."
Still, Portland will have their work cut out for them. Even with three points in hand from Sunday, the Timbers can not afford to rest on their laurels.
"We are above the red line and hopefully we can stay there. And not just stay there, but to keep moving up," said Porter.
