MATCH INFORMATION
Date: Oct. 11, 2020
Kickoff: 7 p.m. (Pacific)
Location: Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Forecast: Showers, 56 degrees
Referee: Guido Gonzalez Jr.
Assistant Referees: Logan Brown, Jeremy Hanson
Fourth Official: Farhad Dadkho
VAR: Joe Dickerson
Local TV: FOX 12 PLUS
Talent: Jake Zivin (play-by-play), Ross Smith (analyst), Nat Borchers (analyst)
English Radio: 750 The Game
Talent: Keith Bleyer (play-by-play), Joe Sleven (analyst), Fletcher Johnson (host)
Spanish Radio: La GranD (KGGD 93.5 FM, 1150 AM)
LAST TIME OUT
Receiving goals from four different players, the Portland Timbers extended their unbeaten streak to five games with a 6-3 win against the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park on Oct. 7. Jeremy Ebobisse and Felipe Mora each recorded a brace, while Larrys Mabiala and Diego Valeri both added goals as Portland recorded its fourth straight win.
SCOUTING THE EARTHQUAKES
Entering Sunday’s regular-season match against Portland, the San Jose Earthquakes (5-6-5, 20pts) are coming off a 3-0 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Earthquakes Stadium on Oct. 7, which extended a three-match winning streak. Chris Wondolowski and Andy Rios are tied for a team-high four goals, while Vako ranks third (3). Cristian Espinoza has recorded a team-best seven assists for San Jose this season, while goalkeeper Daniel Vega has registered three shutouts in 12 appearances.
ALL-TIME SERIES NOTES
Sunday’s match marks the 26th regular-season meeting between the Timbers and the San Jose Earthquakes since the 2011 season, with Portland leading the series against the Earthquakes with a record of 12-5-8. In seven matches managed against the Earthquakes since joining Portland in 2018, Timbers head coach Giovanni Savarese holds a 5-1-1 record. In the last meeting between the two sides this season, the Timbers set a club record for goals scored in a single match with a 6-1 victory over the Earthquakes on Sept. 19.
TIMBERS’ POTENT OFFENSE
In 15 regular-season matches during the 2020 campaign, the Portland Timbers rank third in MLS in goals scored (33), behind LAFC (35) and Seattle Sounders FC (34). As a team, Portland ranks tied for first in the league with the Philadelphia Union in headed goals (7), and tied for first in assists with Seattle (24). Portland has six different players with three or more assists this season, which is tied for the most players with three or more assists of any MLS team.
CHILEAN STRIKER IN FORM
Felipe Mora has continued to make an impact, tallying his first brace for the Timbers in a 6-3 win over the Galaxy on Oct. 7. Dating back to a 4-4 draw against Real Salt Lake on Aug. 29, Felipe Mora has tallied six goals and an assist in eight appearances (5 starts) for the Timbers. He is also the second Portland player (Jeremy Ebobisse) this season to score a goal in three consecutive matches.
VALERI INCHING TOWARDS 100 GOALS AND 100 ASSISTS
Diego Valeri tallied his seventh goal in league play this season in a 6-3 win over the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park on Oct. 7. With his performance against the Galaxy, Valeri now sits at 83 goals and 86 assists in 225 appearances (213 starts) in league play since joining the Timbers in 2013. The Argentine midfielder ranks tied for 13th in MLS regular-season history in game-winning goals (25) with Clint Dempsey and Carlos Ruiz. Notably, Valeri has tallied 95 goals and 97 assists in 264 appearances (243 starts) across all competitions for the Timbers. Notably, in 15 regular-season matches against San Jose, Valeri has tallied eight goals and nine assists.
ERYK WILLIAMSON’S BREAKOUT CAMPAIGN
In his second season as a professional, Eryk Williamson, 23, has tallied a career- high two goals and five assists in 18 appearances (14 starts) across all competitions for the Timbers in 2020. Williamson tallied an assist in the Timbers’ 6-3 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Oct. 7. In the Timbers’ 2-1 win at Seattle on Sept. 6, Williamson notched his first career MLS goal and also tallied an assist, earning him a spot on the MLS Team of the Week for Week 10. He is the 21st different player to have a goal and assist in the same MLS match for the Timbers. Williamson tallied the game-winning assist on Dario Zuparic’s goal in a 2-1 win over Orlando City SC in the MLS is Back Tournament Final on Aug. 11. Williamson made seven appearances (6 starts) in the competition, ranking third on the team in assists (2) and fouls suffered (11). Notably, Williamson finished tied for first amongst all players with LAFC’s Brian Rodriguez for game-winning assists (2) during the MLS is Back Tournament.
TIMBERS RUN OF FORM
In their last seven matches played dating back to a 2-1 win on the road over Seattle Sounders FC on Sept. 6, the Timbers hold a record of 5-1-1. During that stretch, Portland ranks tied for first in the league with Seattle in goals scored (19) and has a goal differential of +9. Notably, the Timbers have had four different players score three or more goals (Jeremy Ebobisse, Felipe Mora, Diego Valeri, and Yimmi Chara) dating back to Sept. 6; the only team in MLS with that figure.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Six different Timbers players have three or more goals this season across all com- petitions. Diego Valeri and Jeremy Ebobisse rank tied for first on the team with eight goals, while Felipe Mora (6) ranks third on the club. Sebastián Blanco and Jaroslaw Niezgoda (4) rank tied for fourth on the team in goals. In addition, seven different players have tallied three or more assists. Valeri leads the team in assists (8), while Eryk Williamson ranks third with five assists. Additionally, Diego Chara ranks fourth in assists (4).
