The Portland Timbers kick off the 2015 season with a matchup with Western Conference adversary Real Salt Lake on Saturday night at Providence Park (7:30pm PT, ROOT SPORTS). With new arrivals such as goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey, Nat Borchers, and Dairon Asprilla joining an experienced Timbers side, Portland has high hopes for the club's fifth MLS season.
2.75 In the club’s four home openers since joining MLS, the Timbers have averaged 2.75 goals a match with 11 goals in total. The high scoring output in season openers at Providence Park is a full goal higher than the club’s goal per game average in home MLS matches (1.56)
14 In the last two seasons, Portland has lost just 14 times in 68 league matches. That is the fewest amount of defeats in that span and also the fewest losses over two seasons since MLS expanded to 34 games prior to the 2011 season.
288 A former MLS Best XI selection and MLS Cup Champion, Borchers was traded to the Timbers in the offseason. His 288 MLS appearances are the second most among active MLS centerbacks, behind only D.C. United’s Bobby Boswell.
10Borchers and RSL's Kyle Beckerman have been teammates in ten different MLS seasons for two different clubs. The pair has played 249 regular season matches together, but Saturday will mark the first time they have ever competed against each other.
304 Portland closed the 2014 season with three consecutive shutouts and a 304-minute shutout streak. The longest shutout streak in Timbers MLS history is 342 set during the club’s expansion season in 2011.
