The Portland Timbers earned their second straight road victory against Chivas USA on Wednesday night. It was a quick turnaround for them after having won against the New York Red Bulls last Saturday.
Winning any road game in Major League Soccer is a challenge. Winning two consecutive road games, on shorter than normal rest, is incredibly good.
Since the end of the 1st half in the draw against Columbus two weeks ago, the Timbers have been playing the best soccer of the season. The Columbus game was simply a game the Timbers refused to lose. Down a man and down a goal at halftime it wasn’t looking good. I was fortunate enough to be sitting (by that I mean standing) in the Timbers Army for that match. Portland’s attack was relentless, at one point the Columbus goalkeeper was yellow carded for delaying the game. They very nearly pulled off another last minute extra time goal they’re famous for, but pulling a draw from that situation is always a good result.
They have been showcasing their depth, and the ability to plug in new players in Coach Caleb Porter’s system. Defender Danny O’ Rourke who was signed on Tuesday to add depth to the defense started against Chivas on Wednesday and played well. Fanedo Adi, another recent addition to the Timbers from Copenhagen, has played extremely well. He had a key assist against Columbus and scored both goals in the Chivas win.
Depth is vital in this stretch of the season. They need to carry this momentum into the next match against Cascadia rival Vancouver, and seeing as how this will be their 3rd game in 11 days, that could be difficult. With Diego Chara back in the lineup and the amount of depth the Timbers have showcased, I am confident they will pick up their third win a row. Coming home after two big wins and playing against a rival should give them all the motivation they need to win. The Timbers Army will be in full force.
A win could vault Portland all the way to 3rd place in the Western Conference depending on what happens to Colorado and FC Dallas over the weekend.
This is the perfect time to make a move up the standings with the World Cup approaching. The Western Conference’s top two teams, the Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake, are losing a few key players to the United States World Cup roster. Guys like Seattle forward Clint Dempsey and Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando, a guy the Timbers cannot seem to score against, won’t be around the next time Portland plays them. They need to take advantage of this to make up even more ground in the standings.
This looks like a team figuring things out at the right time. Portland still has MLS Cup aspirations and the next few weeks on the season will be very telling of how far they can go. Part of being a great team is riding waves of momentum and taking advantage of situations when they arise. Right now they definitely have momentum.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
