Portland Timbers vs. Philadelphia Union | 2016 MLS Match Preview

PORTLAND TIMBERS vs. PHILADELPHIA UNION
Providence Park | Portland, Oregon
Saturday, September 17 | Week #28 | MLS Game #285
6 pm ET (MLS LIVE, The Comcast Network, ROOT Sports NW)

Two clubs holding down places in the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs meet for the only time this season when the Portland Timbers take on Philadelphia Union in an interconference match Saturday evening at Providence Park. The Timbers are sitting right on the red line in the Western Conference, following their 1-0 home win against Real Salt Lake last weekend. Union hold down fourth place in the Eastern Conference, hitting the road following a 1-1 draw with the Montréal Impact at Talen Energy Stadium last weekend.

• Fanendo Adi scored his third goal in the last four games as the Timbers won their third game in a row at their Providence Park home, defeating Real Salt Lake by the game’s only goal on Saturday evening. Adi sits in a tie for fourth in the MLS Golden Boot standings with 14 goals.
• Tranquillo Barnetta scored his third goal in the last seven matches, but Union saw the Montréal Impact hit for a late equalizer as the teams played to a 1-1 draw Saturday evening at Talen Energy Stadium. Barnetta also has two assists in that span.
• Union won the lone meeting between the teams, a 3-0 victory July 11 in Chester – their first victory ever against the Timbers. In the first five meetings all-time, Portland won three, with two draws.
• The Timbers won the first two meetings between the teams in Portland before they reached a 1-1 draw in their last encounter at Providence Park, in 2014.

REFEREE: Chris Penso. AR1 (bench): Mike Rottersman; AR2 (opposite): Adam Garner; 4th: Daniel Radford
MLS Career: 94 games; FC/gm: 24.0; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 30; pens: 32

SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS: 
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: POR: Liam Ridgewell, Diego Chara … PHI: Raymon Gaddis
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: POR: Alvas Powell, Jack Jewsbury … PHI: Brian Carroll, Ken Tribbett, Tranquillo Barnetta
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none 

HEAD-TO-HEAD 
ALL-TIME (6 meetings): Timbers 2 wins, 5 goals … Union 1 wins, 5 goals … Ties 3
AT PORTLAND (3 meetings): Timbers 2 wins, 5 goals … Union 0 win, 2 goals … Ties 1

LAST YEAR (MLS) 
7/11: PHI 3, POR 0 (Wenger 69; Nogueira 71, 82)

• This is the only league meeting between the teams this season. 
• Union won the lone meeting between the teams, a 3-0 victory July 11 in Chester – their first victory ever against the Timbers. In the first five meetings all-time, Portland won three, with two draws.
• The Timbers won the first two meetings between the teams in Portland before they reached a 1-1 draw in their last encounter at Providence Park, in 2014.
• Coaches record: Jim Curtin vs. POR: P1 W1 L0 D0 … Caleb Porter vs. RSL: P3 W0 L1 D2