COLORADO RAPIDS vs. PORTLAND TIMBERS
Dick's Sporting Goods Park | Commerce City, Colo.
Saturday, Oct. 1 | Week #30 | MLS Game #310
9 pm ET (MLS LIVE, Altitude, KPDX)
A huge match in the Western Conference playoff picture is ahead when the Colorado Rapids meet the Portland Timbers on Saturday evening at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The Rapids can book their place in the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs with a win or a draw, returning home following a 3-3 draw at Vancouver Whitecaps FC last Saturday. The Timbers come into the game sitting in a tie for sixth place in the Western Conference and the final playoff position, still winless on the road for the season following a 3-1 defeat at the Houston Dynamo last Saturday.
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- The Rapids extended their undefeated streak to three games with a second successive draw, reaching a dramatic 3-3 result with Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday afternoon at BC Place. Shkëlzen Gashi netted a pair of goals, his first two-goal game in his MLS career; he has five goals in his last seven games.
- The Timbers saw their two-game winning streak – their first consecutive victories in league play this season – come to an end in a 3-1 loss at the Houston Dynamo on Saturday evening. Diego Valeri scored the lone Timbers goal, his second game in a row with a goal; since Aug. 7, Valeri has four goals and two assists in eight matches.
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. They reached a goalless draw July 4 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
- The Timbers have a five-game undefeated streak alive in the series, with three wins and two draws since the last Rapids victory, March 22, 2014 in Commerce City.
- The visiting team has won just twice in the all-time series, the Rapids winning in Portland on June 11, 2011 before a Timbers win in Commerce City on May 30, 2015. The Timbers have a five-game home winning streak alive vs. Colorado.
REFEREE: Allen Chapman. AR1 (bench): Jeff Muschik; AR2 (opposite): Kyle Atkins; 4th: Edvin Jurisevic
MLS Career: 84 games; FC/gm: 23.6; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 19; pens: 33
SUSPENDED: COL: Micheal Azira (caution accumulation; through Oct. 2)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: COL: Axel Sjoberg … POR: Liam Ridgewell
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: COL: Jared Watts, Jermaine Jones, Shkelzen Gashi, Sam Cronin, Marc Burch, Dominique Badji … POR: Diego Chara, Jack Jewsbury
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (14 meetings): Rapids 5 wins, 19 goals … Timbers 6 wins, 18 goals … Ties 3
AT COLORADO (8 meetings): Rapids 4 wins, 16 goals … Timbers 1 win, 7 goals … Ties 3
FUTURE MATCH: 10/16: Portland Timbers vs. Colorado Rapids, 4 p.m. PT
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. They reached a goalless draw July 4 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
- The Timbers have a five-game undefeated streak alive in the series, with three wins and two draws since the the last Rapids victory, March 22, 2014 in Commerce City.
- The visiting team has won just twice in the all-time series, the Rapids winning in Portland on June 11, 2011 before a Timbers win in Commerce City on May 30, 2015. The Timbers have a five-game home winning streak alive vs. Colorado.
- Coaches record: Caleb Porter vs. COL: P9 W5 L1 D3 … Pablo Mastroeni vs. POR: P6 W1 L3 D2
LAST MEETING (MLS):
7/4: COL 0, POR 0
- Making his Rapids debut more than 13 years since his last MLS appearance, Tim Howard was not asked to make a single save in the opening 45 minutes. But after the break, he came off his line well to close down the angle on a Fanendo Adi breakaway shot, one of two saves he made on the night, while also helped by the woodwork on two separate occasions.
- Timbers goalkeeper Jake Gleeson came up with four saves in keeping the clean sheet.
- COLORADO RAPIDS (4-2-3-1): Tim Howard - Eric Miller, Jared Watts, Axel Sjoberg, Mekeil Williams - Sam Cronin (Dillon Powers 82), Micheal Azira - Marlon Hairston (Dominique Badji 69), Jermaine Jones, Shkelzen Gashi (Marco Pappa 67) - Kevin Doyle.
- PORTLAND TIMBERS (4-2-3-1): Jake Gleeson - Alvas Powell, Nat Borchers, Jermaine Taylor, Zarek Valentin - Ben Zemanski, Diego Chara - Darren Mattocks (Ned Grabavoy 87), Darlington Nagbe, Lucas Melano (Jack Barmby 78) - Fanendo Adi.
