BEAVERTON, Ore.—Of the many nuances lost amid the sheer drama of the Portland Timbers’ thrilling shootout victory over Sporting Kansas City on Thursday in the Knockout Round of the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs perhaps most significant was the gritty, physical nature of the match.
Each side committed 24 fouls (a combined nine yellow cards were issued) and players came together in a brief shoving match during the second half after a particularly hard Sporting infraction.
It’s the nature of how SKC play, and Portland stood toe-to-toe – significant during the playoffs, when passion runs high and stakes, even higher.
The Timbers advanced to challenge Cascadia rival Vancouver Whitecaps FC in a Western Conference Semifinal series starting Sunday at Providence Park (5 pm ET; ESPN in US, TSN1 in Canada), and they face yet another physical club. In their last meeting, played July 18, the teams combined for 26 fouls; a player on each side was shown a red card.
Even in a February 22nd preseason match, they combined for 43 fouls and eight yellow cards, along with two Timbers ejections.
“I think that Kansas City has definitely prepared us for a physical matchup against a good team, an experienced team and a team that counters very well,” said Timbers center back Nat Borchers, after a rain-soaked Saturday training session at the team facility. “So that’s definitely something we’re ready for.”
A rough-and-tumble matchup could be felt keenly by the Timbers, who had just two off days to prepare for the Sunday afternoon matchup – after many of their players put in 120 minutes against Sporting. But head coach Caleb Porter downplayed any negative impact, noting it's nothing different than what the team experiences over the course of a season.
“I like the fact that we’ve already gotten a win in the playoffs under our belts,” Porter said. “We’ve been in the playoffs now, we’ve tasted it, been in a match that was tense. For me I think that’s a good thing. … We’re in a playing rhythm.”
- Get more PTFC news at Timbers.com
He did say that substitutes could play a crucial role late, good news considering extra-time subs Dairon Asprilla and Maximiliano Urruti combined for Thursdays 118th-minute goal, which sent the game against Kansas City to a shootout. That success prompted Porter to laud his bench players for having “bought in” despite lack of playing time.
“In this game, we might look to sub a little bit sooner depending on what we see,” Porter said.
One player who could provide an energy boost for Portland is sparkplug defensive midfielder Diego Chara, who missed the Kansas City match with an injury suffered in their season finale against the Colorado Rapids. Porter, however, said Chara's status remains up in the air.
“He’s a little sore still, but we’ll wait and see how he feels tomorrow,” Porter said.
Veteran Jack Jewsbury took Chara's place Thursday and would likely step in again Sunday. Porter also said team captain Will Johnson – who has missed the last month of action after having screws removed from his right tibia, following surgery to repair a break last year – is available in a reserve role.
Dan Itel covers the Timbers for MLSsoccer.com.
