MATCH INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, March 28, 2015
Kickoff: 5 p.m. (Pacific)
Location: BC Place (Vancouver, B.C., Canada) Forecast: Mostly Cloudy, 53 degrees
Referee: Allen Chapman
AssistantReferees: Michael Kampmeinert, Jeremy Hanson Fourth Official: Alejandro Mariscal
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
Unbeaten in three straight games to start the 2015 season presented by Simple, the Timbers enter Saturday’s match against Vancouver Whitecaps FC with an 11-match undefeated streak against Western Conference opposition dating back to August 2014. Portland, which is 3-0-2 in matches played at BC Place in Vancouver during the team’s MLS era, is coming off a scoreless draw against Sporting KC on March 21 at Sporting Park. Vancouver has earned consecutive 1-0 wins on the road after falling in a 3-1 loss against Toronto FC in the season opener at BC Place. Whitecaps FC and the Timbers have met 11 previous times in MLS regular-season action since 2011, while Saturday’s match will mark the 80th all-time meeting between the two Cascadia clubs since 1975.
LAST MATCH RECAP
For the second time in three games to open the 2015 season presented by Simple, the Timbers conceded just two shots on goal and registered a clean sheet, playing Western Conference foe Sporting Kansas City to a scoreless draw in front of 20,848 fans March 21 at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. The shutout on the road marked Portland’s second clean sheet in its first three matches of the 2015 season and the team’s fifth in its last six regular-season games dating back to Oct. 8, 2014. The result helped the Timbers extend their unbeaten streak against Western Conference sides to 11 consecutive games (5-0-6) since the 2014 season.
LAST TIME VS. VANCOUVER
Forward Fanendo Adi registered a second-half brace, midfielder Diego Valeri netted a goal and an assist and the Timbers put together a comprehensive team performance to move into fifth place in the Western Conference standings with a 3-0 shutout win against Cascadia-rivals Vancouver Whitecaps FC in front of a sold-out crowd of 20,814 at Providence Park on Sept. 20, 2014. Adi netted a pair of goals in a span of three minutes, 20 seconds in the second half, logging his Timbers MLS-club record fourth brace of the 2014 season. Valeri provided the Timbers with the first-half lead in the 28th minute.
ALL-TIME SERIES NOTES
Dating back to the first matchup between the Timbers and Whitecaps on May 16, 1975 – a 2-0 win for Portland in Vancouver – the Timbers are a combined 30-34-15 against their Canadian rivals. The Cascadia rivalry between Portland and Vancouver continues Saturday with the 12th MLS meeting between the sides and the 80th overall meeting since 1975. Portland leads the MLS series 6-1-4, including an undefeated 3-0-2 record at BC Place in Vancouver. In 2012, the Timbers hoisted their first Cascadia Cup as an MLS club following a 1-0 win against Whitecaps FC at BC Place in Vancouver. Midfielder Jack Jewsbury tallied the game-winning goal for the Timbers.
Drawing each of their three regular-season matches in 2013, the two Pacific Northwest clubs met three times in 2014 with the Timbers earning two, 3-0 wins (one at home and one on the road) and falling in a hard-fought, 4-3 loss that saw Whitecaps FC earn two penalty kicks in the first half at Providence Park. The Timbers have outscored Vancouver 21-12 overall in the all-time MLS series.
SCOUTING WHITECAPS FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC enter Saturday’s match following a last-gasp, 1-0 win over expansion side Orlando City SC on March 21 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. First-year striker Octavio Rivero tallied the game-winning goal in stoppage time as Vancouver won its second match of the season. Rivero, who joined Vancouver from Chilean side O’Higgins FC, has scored a goal in each of his first three matches for Whitecaps FC. The 23-year-old Uruguayan forward is tied for the league lead with three goals and leads all players with eight shots on goal. After a season-opening, 3-1 loss against Toronto FC at BC Place, Whitecaps FC have earned consecutive, 1-0 shutouts on the road against Chicago (March 14) and Orlando City SC (March 21). Saturday’s match is the first of three straight home games for Vancouver at BC Place from March 28-April 8. Head coach Carl Robinson’s club reached the postseason last year, edging out Portland by one point for the fifth, and final, MLS Cup Playoffs berth from the Western Conference.
KICK OFF THE CASCADIA CUP
Saturday’s match between Portland and Vancouver marks the start of the 2015 Cascadia Cup. The annual competition between Portland, Vancouver and Seattle Sounders FC formally started in 2004 when all three clubs were part of the second division. Vancouver has lifted the cup twice, winning in 2013 and 2014, while Portland captured its first Cascadia Cup of the MLS era in 2012.
Awarded to the team with the most points against the other two during regular- season play, here’s a look at Portland’s 2015 Cascadia Cup schedule: March 28 at Vancouver, April 26 at Seattle, May 2 vs. Vancouver, June 28 vs. Seattle, July 18 vs. Vancouver, Aug. 30 at Seattle.
EARLIEST MATCH
When Portland and Vancouver match up on Saturday, they will be playing just 87 days into the calendar year. That is the earliest the two clubs have ever played a league match against each other. Prior to Saturday, the earliest in a year the Northwest rivals have played was April 8 in the 1977 NASL season opener.
ROAD SUCCESS
Since the start of the 2013 MLS season, Portland has recorded the highest road goal differential of any club (plus-6), including a plus-3 road goal differential in 2014, which tied for the best mark in the league. The Timbers also have registered the fewest losses away from home with a 10-10-15 (.500) road record since 2013. Portland’s seven road wins in 2014 ranked third overall in MLS last year. Scoring away from home has posed no problem either, as the Timbers have finished with the second-most away goals in MLS in both 2013 (25) and 2014 (27).
FEWEST LOSSES
In the last two-plus seasons, Portland has lost just 14 times in 70 league matches (26-14-30 overall). That is the fewest amount of defeats in that span and also ranks as the fewest losses over two seasons since MLS expanded to 34 games prior to the 2011 season. The Timbers lost just five matches in 2013, which tied for the fewest losses in a 34-game schedule in MLS history.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
Saturday’s match against Vancouver Whitecaps FC marks Portland’s 140th MLS regular-season game since 2011.
Should midfielder Diego Chara and midfielder/forward Darlington Nagbe each register a start on Saturday against Vancouver Whitecaps FC, the pair would each tally their 120th career MLS start for the Timbers. The duo are tied for the MLS career lead in starts, while Nagbe leads in career appearances (130) and Chara leads in career minutes played (10,536).
Nagbe will make his 131st career MLS appearance for the Timbers should he see action on Saturday. The Timbers MLS career-leader in games played, Nagbe is quickly moving closer to a spot in the top five all-time across all eras in ap- pearances for Portland. USL Timbers midfielder Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar (2002-06) is currently occupying fifth place with 132 career appearances.
Midfielder/forward Rodney Wallace is moving closer to the 10,000 minutes played milestone for his MLS career. The 26-year-old enters Saturday’s match with 9,677 minutes played, including 6,488 of those minutes with the Timbers since 2011. Wallace needs just 323 more minutes - or about three-and-a-half more games - to reach the milestone.
TWO FOR ADI
Forward Fanendo Adi registered a brace on March 15 in a 2-2 draw against the LA Galaxy. Since 2014, 10 of Adi’s 11 career MLS goals have come via two-goal performances and one of those braces was against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Adi netted two goals in a 3-0 win at Providence Park on Sept. 20, 2014, scor- ing in the 66th and 69th minute. Adi needs just one goal to tie midfielder Will Johnson for the Timbers MLS club lead for goals scored against Vancouver (3) since 2011.
UNBEATEN STREAK AGAINST THE WEST
The Timbers enter Saturday’s match undefeated in their last 11 consecutive games (5-0-6) against Western Conference opponents since Aug. 30, 2014. Portland has scored 20 goals in those 11 matches. Against Vancouver, the Timbers are unbeaten in back-to-back matches - earning consecutive 3-0 wins on Aug. 30, 2014, and Sept. 20, 2014 at BC Place in Vancouver and Providence Park, respectively.
SHOTS ON GOAL
After finishing the 2014 season with the third-most shots on goal in MLS, Portland has picked up where it left off last season. Through three weeks, the Timbers once again have the third-most shots on target with 13 in the league, trailing only FC Dallas and Saturday’s opponent, Vancouver.
AT BC PLACE
In the MLS era, the Timbers are unbeaten at BC Place in Vancouver with a record of 3-0-2 in five matches. Saturday’s game marks Portland’s sixth trip north of the border since becoming an MLS club in 2011. In the five previous matches at BC Place, Portland has outscored Vancouver 9-4, including a 3-0 win in the team’s last trip to Vancouver on Aug. 30, 2014. Dating back to their final USL season in 2010, the Timbers are currently on a seven-match unbeaten streak in games played at Vancouver, with a record of 4-0-3.
SEASON-OPENING POINTS
Portland’s three points in three games marks the most points the team has registered in the opening three games of a season since 2012 (1-1-1, 4pts) and the first time the team hasn’t conceded defeat in one of its first three games of a season since moving to MLS in 2011.
