The Portland Timbers will be in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday to take on a New England Revolution side who is equally desperate for points in the race for the playoffs. The Timbers are coming into the game off of a 2-0 victory over Chivas USA. Diego Valeri scored in his fourth consecutive game to put the Timbers ahead, and Rodney Wallace sealed the deal just six minutes before the half. The Revolution return home after letting a first half lead slip away against New York Red Bulls in their last match to continue their recent losing ways.
The Portland Timbers will be looking for their second straight victory this weekend and to continue their impressive mark of three wins, four draws and one loss against the Eastern Conference in 2014. The last time these two played was in May of 2013 when the Rose City played host to a 0-0 draw. The Timbers are 1-1-2 against the Revolution all-time, with their only victory against the Revs coming back in 2011.
The Timbers have been the hotter team recently while claiming victories over Chivas, Montreal Impact, and Colorado Rapids in their last four games. Their recent run of good form has been credited to the addition of Liam Ridgewell, and the outstanding play from Diego Valeri. Check out the stunning game-winner from Valeri against Chivas below.
Timbers fans are praying for some consistency in the defensive lineup Porter will be putting out Saturday, after the pairing of Ridgewell and Paparatto produced just the second shutout of the regular season; their other shutout came against Chivas in May. After the game on Saturday, one group of players will travel to Guyana to face Alpha United in CONCACAF Champions League action, and the others will head back to Portland to prepare for a Cascadia Cup clash against the Seattle Sounders.
New England fans have had little to cheer about, if not for their 3-0 victory over Colorado weeks ago. The three points they gained against Colorado have been the only points the Revolution have seen since May 24th when they beat D.C. United 2-1. However, despite the complete absence of points, New England remain well in the playoff hunt. The Revolution sit one point below the notorious red line, with a game in hand on the current fifth-place club, the Philadelphia Union.
One of the Revs' strong points during the drought has been Lee Nguyen. Nguyen has started every game for the Revolution so far this year, and boasts eight goals to his name, double his total for all of last year. It's unsure at this time if we'll see New England's newest addition, forward Andre Akpan, who was traded from the New York Red Bulls in exchange for Saer Sene and an international roster spot. The Revolution will need a strong supporting cast around Nguyen if they want to take any points from Portland.
The Portland Timbers currently sit in 7th place in the Western Conference on 30 points. The Timbers are currently even on points with Colorado, and two behind the current holders of the 5th spot, the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Whitecaps have one game in hand on Portland.