FC DALLAS vs. PORTLAND TIMBERS
Toyota Stadium | Frisco, Texas
Saturday, September 3 | Week #26 | MLS Game #269
9 pm ET (MLS LIVE)
It's a meeting of teams chasing honors in the Western Conference when FC Dallas and the Portland Timbers meet for a third time this season, facing off Saturday evening at Toyota Stadium. FC Dallas come into the match holding the top spot in the conference and the best overall record in MLS, returning home off of a 3-1 win against the Houston Dynamo in the Texas Derby last Saturday. The Timbers are sitting right on the red line, tied for sixth place in the division, after rebounding for a 4-2 win against arch-rivals Seattle Sounders FC last Sunday afternoon at Providence Park.
- Michael Barrios netted a pair of goals for a second time this season as FC Dallas put an end to their brief two-game winless run, coming back for a 3-1 win against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium.
- The Timbers rebounded for a loss to their arch-rivals just a week earlier, scoring four first-half goals on their way to a 4-2 win against Seattle Sounders FC on Sunday afternoon at Providence Park, snapping their two-game losing slide overall. Fanendo Adi scored for a second consecutive match, his 13th goal of the season and his fourth goal in the last seven matches.
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, and FC Dallas have won the first two. Tesho Akindele and Fabian Castillo each scored a goal and added an assist as FC Dallas took a 3-1 win April 13 at Providence Park; Ryan Hollingshead and Walker Zimmerman scored two minutes apart in the second half as FC Dallas took a 2-1 win May 11 at Toyota Stadium.
- The win in the first meeting was the first ever for FC Dallas at Providence Park; the Timbers had won four of the six league meetings there with two draws. The Timbers have won once in seven visits all-time to Frisco, on Oct. 25, 2014.
- The teams also met in the Western Conference Championship last year. The Timbers claimed a 3-1 win at Providence Park in the first leg, before the teams reached a 2-2 draw in the return match at Toyota Stadium as the Timbers advanced to MLS Cup for the first time.
REFEREE: Ted Unkel. AR1 (bench): Apolinar Mariscal; AR2 (opposite): Cameron Blanchard; 4th: Fotis Bazakos
MLS Career: 42 games; FC/gm: 25.5; Y/gm: 4.2; R: 16; pens: 28
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: POR: Diego Chara
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: DAL: Matt Hedges, Maynor Figueroa -- POR: Fanendo Adi, Alvas Powell
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: DAL: Kellyn Acosta (USA; 9/2 at St. Vincent and the Grenadines; 9/6 vs. Trinidad & Tobago); Tesho Akindele (Canada; 9/2 at Honduras; 9/6 vs. El Salvador); Aubrey David (Trinidad & Tobago; 9/2 vs. Guatemala; 9/6 at USA); Carlos Gruezo (Ecuador; 9/1 vs. Brazil; 9/6 at Peru); Maynor Figueroa (Honduras; 9/2 vs. Canada; 9/6 at Mexico) -- POR: Darlington Nagbe (USA; 9/2 at St. Vincent and the Grenadines; 9/6 vs. Trinidad & Tobago); Alvas Powell, Jermaine Taylor (Jamaica; 9/2 at Panama; 9/6 vs. Haiti)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (15 meetings): FC Dallas 6 wins, 29 goals -- Timbers 5 wins, 20 goals -- Ties 4
AT DALLAS (8 meetings): FC Dallas 5 wins, 19 goals -- Timbers 1 win, 7 goals -- Ties 2
2016 (MLS):
4/13: POR 1, DAL 3 (Mattocks 67 - Barrios 4; Castillo 26; Akindele 29)
5/11: DAL 2, POR 1 (Hollingshead 55; Zimmerman 57 - Valeri 3)
- Coaches record: Caleb Porter vs. DAL: P10 W4 L4 D2 Ö Oscar Pareja vs. SJ: P13 W6 L5 D2
LAST MEETING (MLS):
- The Timbers opened the scoring in the third minute. A cross from Darren Mattocks wasn't cleared, and Timbers striker Lucas Melano pounced, collecting the ball and sending it in front of goal for an easy tap-in for Diego Valeri.
- But FC Dallas found the leveler in the 55th minute. Defender Ryan Hollingshead tried to slip a pass in the box that was blocked back to his feet, and he broke through a pair of Timbers defenders before striking a shot goalkeeper Jake Gleeson.
- Then just two minutes later, center back Walker Zimmerman sprinted into the box unmarked knocked in a towering header from a Mauro Diaz corner kick.
- FC DALLAS (4-2-3-1): Chris Seitz - Ryan Hollingshead, Walker Zimmerman, Zach Loyd, Maynor Figueroa - Kellyn Acosta, Carlos Gruezo - Michael Barrios (Mauro Rosales 63), Mauro Diaz, Fabian Castillo (Atiba Harris 83) - Maximiliano Urruti (Tesho Akindele 46).
- PORTLAND TIMBERS (4-1-2-3): Jake Gleeson - Zarek Valentin, Jermaine Taylor, Liam Ridgewell, Chris Klute (Jack McInerney 82) - Diego Chara - Diego Valeri, Darlington Nagbe - Lucas Melano, Fanendo Adi, Darren Mattocks (Jack Barmby 59).
