MATCH INFORMATION
Date: Oct. 18, 2020
Kickoff: 7 p.m. (Pacific)
Location: Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Forecast: Showers, 59 degrees
Referee: Allen Chapman
Assistant Referees: Jeff Hosking, Chris Elliott
Fourth Official: Armando Villarreal
VAR: Younes Marrakchi
Local TV: ROOT SPORTS
Talent: Jake Zivin (play-by-play), Ross Smith (analyst), Nat Borchers (analyst)
English Radio: 750 The Game
Talent: Keith Bleyer (play-by-play), Joe Sleven (analyst), Fletcher Johnson (host)
Spanish Radio: La GranD (KGGD 93.5 FM, 1150 AM)
LAST TIME OUT
The Portland Timbers tallied a late goal, but were unable to rally from an early deficit, falling 2-1 on the road to Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium on Oct. 14. Bill Tuiloma tallied his first goal of the season, while Diego Valeri recorded his sixth assist of the campaign.
SCOUTING LOS ANGELES FC
Entering Sunday’s regular-season match against Portland, Los Angeles FC (7- 7-3, 24pts) are coming off a 2-1 loss on the road to Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Providence Park on Oct. 14. Both Diego Rossi, who leads MLS in goals scored (12), and Brian RodrÃguez, who leads the team with seven assists, will not be available for Sunday’s match due to international duty with Uruguay. Bradley Wright-Phillips ranks second on the team with eight goals, while goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega leads the team with 29 saves in 12 appearances.
ALL-TIME SERIES NOTES
Sunday’s match marks the ninth meeting across all competitions between Portland and LAFC. The last time the two teams played one another, Portland fell 4-2 on the road to LAFC at Banc of California Stadium on Sept. 13. The first meeting between the Timbers and LAFC in 2020 occurred at the MLS is Back Tournament, as the two sides played to a 2-2 draw on July 23 during the group stage. Notably, in five matches played against LAFC across all competitions, Jeremy Ebobisse has tallied four goals and an assist.
TIMBERS’ POTENT OFFENSE
In 17 regular-season matches during the 2020 campaign, the Portland Timbers rank second in MLS in goals scored (37), behind only LAFC (39). As a team, Portland ranks first in the league in headed goals (10), and second in assists (36) behind only Seattle Sounders FC (37). The Timbers are the only team in MLS with four players with five or more goals (Jaroslaw Niezgoda, Felipe Mora, Jeremy Ebobisse, Diego Valeri) and the only team in MLS with three players with seven or more goals (Mora, Ebobisse, Valeri).
VALERI INCHING TOWARDS 100 GOALS AND 100 ASSISTS
Diego Valeri tallied his sixth assist in league play this season in a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium on Oct. 14. With his performance against RSL, Valeri now sits at 83 goals and 87 assists in 227 appearances (215 starts) in league play since joining the Timbers in 2013. The Argentine midfielder ranks tied for 13th in MLS regular-season history in game-winning goals (25) with Clint Dempsey and Carlos Ruiz. Notably, Valeri has tallied 95 goals and 98 assists in 266 appearances (245 starts) across all competitions for the Timbers.
DEPTH ON DISPLAY
Across all competitions in 2020, 27 players have appeared in at least one match for Portland, while 14 different players have scored at least one goal and 14 different players have recorded at least one assist. Three different goalkeepers have played for the Timbers, with Aljaz Ivacic notably making his debut for the club and tallying three saves in a 6-1 win against the San Jose Earthquakes on Sept. 19. In total 19 players featured across seven games in the MLS is Back Tournament for the Timbers, and 15 of those 19 players appeared in at least three games during the tournament.
TIMBERS RUN OF FORM
In their last eight matches played dating back to a 2-1 win on the road over Seattle Sounders FC on Sept. 6, Portland holds a record of 6-2-1. During that stretch, the Timbers lead MLS in goals scored (23), are tied with Toronto FC and the Philadelphia Union in games won (6) and rank second behind only Philadelphia (+13) in goal differential (+11). Notably, the Timbers have had five different players score three or more goals (Yimmi Chara, Jeremy Ebobisse, Felipe Mora, Jaroslaw Niezgoda, Diego Valeri) dating back to Sept. 6; the only team in MLS with that figure. Additionally, Mora is tied for the league-lead in goals scored (5) dating back to Sept. 6.
