MATCH INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, May 9, 2015
Kickoff: 1 p.m. (Pacific)
Location: Stade Saputo (Montreal, Quebec)
Forecast: 88 degrees, scattered thunderstorms
Referee: Mark Geiger
Assistant Referees: Eric Boria, Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho Fourth Official: Mathieu Bourdeau
Local TV: ROOT SPORTS
Talent: Keith Bleyer (play-by-play), Ross Smith (analyst), Samantha Yarock (reporter)
English Radio: 750 The Game (KXTG 750AM, 102.9FM)
Talent: Jake Zivin (play-by-play), Adin Brown (analyst)
Spanish Radio: La GranD (KGGD 93.5FM, 1150 AM)
Talent: Josue del Castillo (play-by-play), Ozkar Ramos (analyst)
MATCH PREVIEW
Saturday’s match marks the start of a three-game road swing for the Timbers that will see the club make trips to face Montreal, Houston and Toronto FC in the next three games. Portland enters Saturday’s match coming off a hard-fought, scoreless draw against Cascadia-rival Vancouver Whitecaps FC on May 2 at Providence Park. The match was Portland’s only home game between April 19 and May 23. Montreal enters Saturday’s match following a trip to the finals of the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League tournament. Playing just four regular-season MLS matches so far in 2015, the Impact played six games during the knockout rounds of Champions League between Feb. 24 and April 29. Head coach Frank Klopas’ side contested the first leg of the semifinals of the 2015 Amway Canadian Championship against Toronto FC on Wednesday.
LAST MATCH RECAP
The Timbers dictated the flow of the match, maintaining the majority of possession and holding Cascadia-rival Vancouver Whitecaps FC to no shots on goal in the second half, while recording their fourth shutout of the season in a scoreless draw in front of a sellout crowd of 21,144 fans May 2 at Providence Park. Portland registered 65 percent of the possession throughout the match, finishing with a 13-7 advantage in shots in the Cascadia derby.
ALL-TIME SERIES NOTES
During the USL second-division era from 2001 to 2010, the Timbers and Impact squared off against each other 15 times with Portland earning an 8-4-3 overall record against their Canadian opponents. In seven road meetings, the Timbers registered a 4-1-2 record. Overall, Portland outscored Montreal 16-8 before making the jump to Major League Soccer in 2011.
After Montreal joined MLS in 2012, the Timbers squared off against the Impact for the first time on April 28, 2012, at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. The Timbers earned their first MLS win over Montreal last season, as Portland registered a 3-2 win, scoring the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute at Stade Saputo. Saturday’s match marks the second straight game for the Timbers on the road in Montreal.
Portland is 1-2-0 against Montreal since 2012. Saturday’s match marks the fourth all-time regular-season meeting between the two clubs in MLS.
LAST TIME VS. MONTREAL
Controlling the run of play for the majority of the match, the Portland Timbers registered 20 shots – including nine on goal – while earning a 3-2 win against the Montreal Impact before 14,715 fans at Stade Saputo in Montreal on July 27, 2014. Midfielder Diego Valeri tallied the game-winning goal for a second straight match, collecting a deflected cross from Rodney Wallace and depositing a strong right-footed effort into the back of the net in the 82nd minute. Forward Maximiliano Urruti tallied his team-leading eighth goal of the season and midfielder Will Johnson delivered from the penalty spot as Portland registered back-to-back wins. With the win, the Timbers earned at least one point in six of their last seven regular-season road games in 2014 and 11 of their last 14 regular-season matches overall.
SCOUTING THE IMPACT
Montreal enters Saturday’s match against the Timbers after playing just four regular-season MLS games in 2015. Montreal, which is still looking for its first league win of the season, spent the majority of the first part of the season involved with the knockout stages of the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League competition. The Impact have not played a league match in nearly one month, last facing the Houston Dynamo on April 11. Beginning on Feb. 24, Montreal started the quarterfinals of CONCACAF Champions League with a two-game series against Mexican side Pachuca. The Impact advanced to the semifinals on the away goals rule (3-3 aggregate) to face Alajuelense of Costa Rica. Against Alajuelense, Montreal again advanced on away goals (4-4 aggregate) setting up a meeting with Club América. After recording a 1-1 draw on the road in Mexico, the Impact lost the home leg 4-2, falling 5-3 on aggregate. In all competitions in 2015, Montreal has played 11 games (4 MLS, 6 CONCACAF Champions League and 1 in the Canadian Championship). Montreal squared off against Toronto FC on Wednesday in the first leg of the 2015 Amway Canadian Championship.
CONSISTENCY
The Timbers have had five players play every minute of the club’s matches so far this season. No other team in MLS has had as many players play every minute of their team’s matches in 2015. Liam Ridgewell, Adam Kwarasey, Nat Borchers, Alvas Powell and Darlington Nagbe have each gone the full 90 in Portland’s nine matches (810 minutes).
TACKLES
Entering the week, Timbers defender Alvas Powell ranks first among all players in MLS with 50 tackles, including nine against Vancouver on May 2. A Jamaican international, Powell has played all 90 minutes in each of Portland’s first nine matches.
HITTING THE ROAD
The Timbers will look to continue their past success on the road as they will play their next three matches away from home, including two matches at Eastern Conference opponents (Montreal and Toronto FC). Last year, Portland compiled a 7-6-4 mark on the road. Starting with a 1-0 win at New York City FC on April 19, Portland will travel a minimum of 17,776 miles (calculated using direct air distance) in 35 days for MLS regular-season matches.
CREATING CHANCES
Midfielder Darlington Nagbe, who is Portland’s MLS-career leader in appearances (136), enters the week ranked fifth in the league in chances created (including assists) with 22. Nagbe is just four shy of league-leader Felipe of the New York Red Bulls (26).
ROAD SUCCESS
Since 2013, Portland’s 12 road losses (11-12-15) rank as the fewest in MLS during the last two-plus seasons. Additionally, Portland is 6-2-5 overall when scoring first on the road since 2013.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
With his next appearance, midfielder Diego Chara will register his 127th match for Portland and move into a tie for seventh place on the Timbers all-time ap- pearances list with USL Timbers midfielder/defender Brian Winters (2001-05).
Midfielder Rodney Wallace needs just 39 minutes to reach the 10,000-minutes played milestone for his MLS career. Wallace has made 95 appearances for Portland since 2011, following two seasons with D.C. United (2009-10). Wallace’s next appearance will mark his 135th career MLS match.
Defender Nat Borchers is three games away from reaching the 300 career games played milestone. Borchers enters Saturday’s match with 297 career MLS appearances.
With his next assist, midfielder Jack Jewsbury will move into a tie for 10th place overall on the Timbers all-time career assists chart with Timbers Ring of Honor member Jimmy Conway (1978-80). Jewsbury currently sits in 11th place with 15 assists for Portland since 2011.
With his next assist, midfielder Diego Valeri will move into sole possession of fourth place on the team’s all-time career leaders list for assists. Valeri is tied for fourth with NASL Timbers forward Clyde Best (1977-81) with 27 career assists.
With his next start, defender Jorge Villafaña will mark his 90th career MLS start since MLS career debut in 2007 just a week before his 18th birthday (then with now-defunct Chivas USA). Villafaña joined the Timbers prior to the 2014 season and has made 28 appearances (26 starts) for Portland.
PUSHING THROUGH THE FOULS
Portland ranks first overall in the league in dribbles completed (93), according to Opta. The stat tracks moments when an individual player successfully dribbles around an opponent while retaining possession. Midfielder Darlington Nagbe (31) and defender Alvas Powell (26) rank second and third, respectively, in the league behind FC Dallas’ Fabian Castillo (34). Highlighting the stat is the fact that the Timbers are the most fouled team in MLS (138). Nagbe has been fouled 29 times, which ranks second in MLS.
PASSING ACCURACY
Entering the week, the Timbers rank second in MLS in successful passes (3,122) and tied for third in passing accuracy (80 percent) with Saturday’s opponent Montreal. The Timbers have registered four consecutive games with a passing accuracy rate above 80 percent and rank fourth in the league in total touches (5,844) through nine games. Individually, the Timbers are the only team in MLS with two players ranked among the top six in successful passes at the start of the week as midfielder Diego Chara (393) ranks third and midfielder Darlington Nagbe is sixth (380).
VALERI, JOHNSON BACK IN THE MIX
Midfielder Diego Valeri made his 2015 season debut for the Timbers on May 2 against Vancouver, playing 38 minutes as a second-half substitute and attempting two shots while also delivering four corner kicks and several free kicks in the scoreless draw. It marked Valeri’s first appearance since sustaining a torn ACL in his left knee on Oct. 25, 2014, in the final match of the 2014 regular season at FC Dallas. Midfielder Will Johnson, who suffered a fractured tibia and fibula in his right leg on Sept. 27, 2014, at Toronto FC started and played 90 minutes for T2 on May 3 in a 2-0 loss against Orange County Blues FC. Previously, Johnson logged 63 minutes in a 2-0 win at Arizona United SC on April 25 in his first competitive appearance of 2015.
STAUNCH DEFENSE
Through nine games, the Timbers have had up one of the strongest defenses in the league. Portland has a goals-against average of 0.89, which is tied for the fourth-lowest in MLS.
