PORTLAND, Ore. – Whether on the MAX before the game, in line outside the stadium, or around the streets of Portland, there's a definite buzz around the Portland Timbers’ Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs run.
Sunday's 3-1 first leg victory over FC Dallas in the Western Conference Championship presented yet another incredible environment at Providence Park, and put the Timbers 90 minutes away from MLS Cup.
“Everywhere has been electric,” noted defender Liam Ridgewell. “Anywhere that you’ve been walking or going or whatever you’ve been doing, it’s been loud. You can’t walk down the street without someone shouting something at you. It’s great. It shows how well we’re doing.”
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But it's not just the players who have been responsible for this special electricity.
For the fourth consecutive home match, the Timbers Army created and unveiled a massive tifo. “We're gonna ride this bull all the way!” read Sunday's banner, which spanned the entire breadth of the north end, an homage to the HBO television series Eastbound and Down. The Timbers Army then hoisted an image of that show's protagonist, Kenny Powers, atop a bull with the words “Cup Bound & Down” spelled out beneath.
The sheer size and scope of that tifo seemed to affect the energy in the stands. From the opening whistle, the chants sounded louder, the celebrations looked more raucous, and the cheers of the crowd seemed to reverberate inside the stadium.
Ridgewell’s 23rd minute goal and accompanying Ridgy Roll brought the noise from the North End while Dairon Asprilla’s 53rd minute rocket had the fans behind goal in the south end erupting and releasing a collective roar that nearly shook the bleachers beneath their feet.
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“The fans were expecting us to give them something to talk about today so definitely they're going to go home and talk about the good performance here tonight,” forward Fanendo Adi said after the match. “They speak for us.”
In what was the final Timbers match at Providence Park this season, the fans—from one end of the stadium to another—brought everything they had and more on Sunday night. According to Ridgewell, the players felt that on the field.
“Tonight they were fantastic,” he said. “I think they’re great every week, but tonight they were really electric and might have scared Dallas off a little bit. So we might have to buy a few plane tickets for a few of them to get out to Dallas for sure.”
