MATCH INFORMATION
Date: Nov. 1, 2020
Kickoff: 7 p.m. (Pacific)
Location: Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Forecast: Clear, 51 degrees
Referee: Armando Villarreal
Assistant Referees: Ian Anderson, Ryan Graves
Fourth Official: Farhad Dadkho
VAR: Alejandro Mariscal
Local TV: FOX 12 PLUS
Talent: Jake Zivin (play-by-play), Nat Borchers (analyst), Ross Smith (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 received goals from four different players, including a first-half brace from Jaroslaw Niezgoda, to secure a berth in the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs and a 5-2 win against the LA Galaxy at Providence Park on Oct. 28. Andy Polo, Diego Valeri and Eryk Williamson all tallied goals in the victory, while Yimmi Chara tied an MLS record with four assists.
SCOUTING VANCOUVER
Entering Sunday’s match, Vancouver Whitecaps FC (8-13-0, 24pts) are coming off a 2-0 loss to Seattle Sounders FC at Providence Park on Oct. 27. Lucas Cavallini leads the team with five goals in 16 appearances, while Cristian Dájome and Fredy Montero are tied with three goals. Montero leads the team in assists (5), while Ali Adnan and David Milinkovic have each registered four assists. Goalkeeper Evan Bush tallied 14 saves in six regular-season appearances in 2020 for Vancouver.
ALL-TIME SERIES NOTES
Sunday’s match marks the 26th regular-season meeting between Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Portland in MLS play, with the Timbers leading the all-time series with a record of 12-7-6. At Providence Park, the Timbers are 8-2-4 all-time against Whitecaps FC and have won five of the last six matches against Vancouver in Portland, outscoring them 13-7 in those matches. In 11 career league appearances against Vancouver at Providence Park, Diego Valeri has tallied four goals and eight assists. The last time the two teams played, Portland defeated Vancouver 1-0 at Providence Park as the visiting team on Sept. 27.
MLS’ NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR MAKING HISTORY
Against the LA Galaxy on Oct. 28, Yimmi Chara tallied four assists and earned a penalty, becoming the first player in MLS history to achieve that feat in a single match. Notably, Chara’s four assists are tied for the most assists in a single game in MLS history, joining Carlos Valderrama, Chris Henderson, Dwayne De Rosario, Landon Donovan, and Lee Nguyen as the only players to achieve the feat. In 20 appearances for the Timbers across all competitions in 2020, Chara has tallied three goals and eight assists. Notably, Chara’s eight assists ranks fourth in the league in 2020.
FROM POLAND WITH GOALS
Against the LA Galaxy on Oct. 28, Jaroslaw Niezgoda tallied two headed goals an assist, his second brace across all competitions in 2020, against the LA Galaxy at Providence Park on Oct. 28. Niezgoda’s four headed goals in league play ranks first in MLS this season. Niezgoda made seven appearances (one start), logging two goals and an assist in 210 minutes of action in the during the MLS is Back Tournament. Niezgoda has eight goals and two assists in 713 minutes played across all competitions in 2020. Notably, Niezgoda is averaging 1.26 combined goals and assists per 90 minutes played across competitions for Portland.
TIMBERS RUN OF FORM
In their last 12 matches played dating back to a 2-1 win on the road over Seattle Sounders FC on Sept. 6, Portland holds a record of 7-2-3. During that stretch, the Timbers rank first in MLS in goals scored (30), rank tied for second in the league in games won (7) and rank second behind only Philadelphia (+20) in goal differential (+14). Notably, the Timbers have had three different players score five or more goals (Jeremy Ebobisse, Felipe Mora, Jaroslaw Niezgoda) dating back to Sept. 6; the only team in MLS with that figure. Additionally, Yimmi Chara and Eryk Williamson have both tallied three goals, while Diego Valeri has tallied four goals dating back to Sept. 6.
DEPTH ON DISPLAY
Across all competitions in 2020, 28 players have appeared in at least one match for Portland, while 14 different players have scored at least one goal and 15 different players have recorded at least one assist. Andy Polo tallied his first goal in league play in 2020, while Pablo Bonilla tallied his first career assist for the Timbers in the 5-2 win over the LA Galaxy on Oct. 28 at Providence Park. 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’ POTENT OFFENSE
In 20 regular-season matches during the 2020 campaign, the Portland Timbers rank tied first in MLS in goals scored with Los Angeles FC (44) and lead the league in assists (45). As a team, Portland ranks first in the league in headed goals (12). The Timbers are one of two teams in MLS with two players with eight or more goals scored (Jeremy Ebobisse, Diego Valeri), and the only team in MLS with four players that have scored seven or more goals scored (Ebobisse, Felipe Mora, Jaroslaw Niezgoda, Valeri).
