USL MATCH PREVIEW | Portland Timbers 2 at Rio Grande Valley FC | Oct. 18, 2019 - 5:30 PM PT

T2 travel to face Rio Grande Valley FC at H-E-B Park in the regular-season finale on Friday, Oct. 18. Beginning at 5:30 p.m. (Pacific), the match against Rio Grande Valley will be streamed live on ESPN+.

2019 season at a glance
T2 (10-15-8, 38pts) sit in 13th place in the Western Conference standings and rank fifth in the league in goals scored (64). Portland enters Friday’s regular-season finale following a 4-1 loss on the road to El Paso Locomotive FC on Oct. 15, which eliminated T2 from playoff contention. Zach Kobayashi scored his second goal of the season in the loss to El Paso. Ryan Sierakowski ranks second on the team in goals scored (8), while Timbers Academy product Gio Calixtro ranks fifth with six goals. Sixteen-year-old Timbers Academy defender Mitchell Ferguson made his T2 debut in the loss against El Paso, becoming the second-youngest player to appear in a match for the club. Todd Wharton, who has tallied five goals in 2019, is the only player on the roster to appear in all 33 regular-season matches. Brayan Hurtado and Foster Langsdorf rank tied for third on the team with seven goals. In 15 appearances in 2019, Jake Leeker leads the team with 55 saves.

Portland’s road form
In 16 road matches in 2019, T2 hold a 5-7-4 record. T2’s five road wins ranks tied for fifth in the Western Conference, while their 30 goals scored on the road ranks tied for second in the league behind only Phoenix Rising FC (38). Ryan Sierakowski and Brayan Hurtado are tied for the team-lead with four goals scored on the road in 2019.

T2 against Rio Grande Valley FC
Friday’s match marks the eighth regular-season meeting all-time between T2 and Rio Grande Valley FC, with Portland leading the series 4-2-1. T2 is undefeated (2-0-1) in three regular-season contests against RGVFC. The last time the two teams played at H-E-B Park, T2 earned a 1-0 victory at over Rio Grande Valley behind a goal from Portland defender Josh Phillips on June 9, 2018.

T2 2019 Team Leaders 
Goals: Dairon Asprilla (9)
Assists: Eryk Williamson (9)
Chances Created: Eryk Williamson (40)
Shutouts: Aljaz Ivacic, Jake Leeker (1)
Saves: Jake Leeker (55)

Scouting Rio Grande Valley FC
Rio Grande Valley FC (10-15-8, 38pts) enters Friday’s regular-season finale following a 2-0 win on the road against OKC Energy FC on Oct. 13, which extended a four-game unbeaten run dating back to Sept. 21. In 16 matches played at H-E-B Park, Rio Grande Valley holds a 8-5-4 record. Carlos Small leads the team with 11 goals in 26 appearances, while Isidro Martinez ranks first on the club with eight assists. In 17 appearances in 2019, goalkeeper Nicolas Corti has tallied 43 assists and three shutouts.

Rio Grande Valley FC head coach: Gerson Echeverry

Rio Grande Valley FC Team Leaders
Goals: Carlos Small (11)
Assists: Isidro Martinez (8)
Chances Created: Isidro Martinez (65)
Shutouts: Nicolas Corti (3)
Saves: Nicolas Corti (43)