TUCSON, Ariz. -- The second game of the Portland Timbers’ Mobile Mini Sun Cup will kickoff against FC Dallas on Saturday at Kino Sports Complex (Webstream, 11:00am PT), and while it's unlikely to see a drastically different team from the one that drew 1-1 with Houston on Wednesday, there should be some notable if minor changes from head coach Giovanni Savarese:
Just as Portland’s first team took a step forward against the Dynamo, going 60 minutes instead of the 45 it did on Feb. 3 against Seattle, expect the starters to spend even more time on the field. The target is 75 minutes, according to Savarese, though some Timbers could be on different timetables.
Quietly, the Timbers held a 60-minute scrimmage with Dallas Thursday evening, hoping to get minutes for those who didn’t get an hour’s work against Houston. Though Jeremy Ebobisse’s goal gave the Timbers a 1-0 victory, the scrimmage’s real value came in the form Savarese saw from his team's depth. Portland’s boss came away impressed with both the effort and execution from the players who faced FCD, adding further fuel to the team’s handful of positional battles.
Among those positional battles is in goal, where Jeff Attinella and Jake Gleeson continue to compete for the No. 1’s gloves. Both players, however, have been hampered over the last week. Attinella was held out of Wednesday’s match with a minor quad strain, while Gleeson, having recovered from a leg injury of his own, has been battling a cold, albeit one that couldn’t prevent him from going 90 minutes against Houston. Both players were able to complete full training on Friday.
Another positional spot of note is at left back, where
Vytas
and
Marco Farfan
have both shown well.
Vytas, however, will miss Saturday’s Mobile Mini Sun Cup game, having picked up a red card against Houston.
[Ed. Note: Teams agreed Thursday night to allow red carded players to not have additional suspension in tournament] Farfan played all 60 minutes against Dallas but may also get the starting nod on Saturday, with
Zarek Valentin
, normally a right back, another possibility at the opposing fullback spot.
Saturday’s match could also see the Timbers debut of Samuel Armenteros, Portland’s latest Targeted Allocation Money signing who joined the club last week. Fitness concerns held the Swedish international out of Wednesday’s game, but having taken full training with the team on Friday, the Timbers’ new attacker appears in line for his preseason bow.
Midfielder Diego Chara won’t play against Dallas, but his recovery from the broken metatarsal that ended his 2017 campaign is progressing. The Timbers’ midfield mainstay has joined the rest of his team’s non-contact drills. With Lawrence Olum and Cristhian Paredes in the squad, though, Savarese can afford to be cautious. Regardless, Chara’s return doesn’t seem far off.
