You’re never supposed to enjoy playing away from home, but such is the history and atmosphere in Portland, that even the LA Galaxy players are excited to step onto the field at Providence Park on Saturday to face the defending champs (3:30 ET on ESPN; MLS LIVE in Canada).
“It’s kind of almost like European in terms of the atmosphere,” Galaxy star striker Robbie Keane said after practice on Thursday. “I always enjoy going there and getting a bit of shtick from the crowd.”
Defender Jelle Van Damme also spoke about the electricity in Portland and how it fuels him to play in front of crowds like the Timbers': “I like those kinds of games,” chimed the former Anderlecht center back. “The crazier, the better the crowd, the more I like it.”
“Portland’s always had a good tradition in the sport. Going back to my years of playing in the 70s,” said Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena. “Over the years, Portland and Seattle have really supported the sport and then the renovation to their [Portland’s] facilities made it an amazing venue.”
But the Galaxy are looking to play the role of rude guests on Saturday as they seek their second victory at Providence Park of the year. They came away with a 1-0 US Open Cup Round of 16 triumph back on June 29, a result which kicked off their current five-match winning streak in all competitions.
After last year's road struggles (2-9-6 record), the Galaxy have already matched their 2015 win total away from home with a 2-3-4 road record in 2016. It helps that they've played solid team defense of late – a sign of what they say is a stronger mentality that's been cultivated as the season has progressed.
“Just understanding that when you’re on the road, you play a little differently,” Arena said. “That when you get a goal, a goal is enough to win. You can defend first as a priority and sneak a goal. You have a good chance to succeed.”
“We have the players in the team that can beat anybody,” Keane explained. “I think that mentality hasn’t changed on the road. We’re quite capable of playing anybody away and winning the game. There’s no question about that.
“Against Seattle [a 1-0 win on July 9] the mentality was great and if we carry that on against Portland, I don’t see any reason why we can’t win.”
