The Portland Timbers kick off their ninth MLS season when they square off with the Colorado Rapids on Saturday (3pm PT, ROOT SPORTS) at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Here are five numbers to know for #COLvPOR in a season-opening edition of Quick Strikes.
10 In 20 all-time matches against the Rapids, the Portland Timbers have won on 10 occasions. The 10 wins are the second-most by Portland against any single MLS club, behind only Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
9 Midfielder Diego Chara is heading into his ninth consecutive season with the Timbers. The Colombian midfielder is the first Timbers player in the history of the club across all eras to play more than eight seasons with Portland.
5 Entering his third season with Portland, Sebastián Blanco looks to continue his success against the Rapids. Blanco's five assists (in four matches) against Colorado are three more than Blanco's assist output against any other MLS club.
20 Since the beginning of the 2014 season, the Timbers have scored 20 goals in their matches at MLS's two high-altitude venues, Dick's Sporting Goods Park and Real Salt Lake's Rio Tinto Stadium. Both the 20 goals and six wins by Portland in that span are the most of any visiting club at those two venues.
3/2 The season opener will be the earliest date on the calendar that the Timbers have ever played a regular-season match. The previous earliest match in club history (all eras) was March 3, which the Timbers played on in both 2013 and 2017.
