Portland Timbers vs. Colorado Rapids | 2016 MLS Match Preview

PORTLAND TIMBERS vs. COLORADO RAPIDS
Providence Park | Portland, Oregon
Sunday, Oct. 16 | Week #33 | MLS Game #330
5 pm ET (ESPN in the US, MLS LIVE in Canada)

The biggest match of the season in the Western Conference playoff chase highlights the Final Push to the Playoffs when the Portland Timbers play host to the Colorado Rapids on Sunday afternoon at Providence Park before an ESPN audience. The Timbers come into the match knowing they must get a result to keep alive defense of their MLS Cup title, returning home after seeing their away winless record continue last time out in a 1-0 loss at Colorado. The Rapids have won twice since that win against the Timbers, last a 2-1 win against the San Jose Earthquakes at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Thursday, having now taken over pole position in the chase for the Supporters' Shield.

• The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Sebastien Le Toux scored the game’s lone goal after 63 minutes for the Rapids victory Oct. 1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park; they reached a goalless draw July 4, also in Commerce City.
• The Rapids win in the last meeting ended a five-game Timbers undefeated streak alive in the series, Portland claiming three wins and two draws since the last Rapids victory, March 22, 2014 in Commerce City.
• The visiting team has won just twice in the all-time series, the Rapids winning in Portland on June 11, 2011 before a Timbers win in Commerce City on May 30, 2015. The Timbers have a five-game home winning streak alive vs. Colorado.
• The Timbers remained the only team in MLS winless on their travels following the loss at Colorado, now 0-10-6 on the road for the season. It was their sixth consecutive away defeat, a club record for their MLS history.
• The Rapids entered the week as the only team still undefeated on their home ground for the season, 10-0-5 in Commerce City with two games remaining. Four teams in MLS history have gone through the entire season without a home loss.

REFEREE: Silviu Petrescu. AR1 (bench): Gianni Facchini; AR2 (opposite): Jason White; 4th: David Gantar
MLS Career: 121 games; FC/gm: 27.7; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 18; pens: 27

SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: POR: Diego Chara, Liam Ridgewell -- COL: Axel Sjoberg, Marc Burch, Dominique Badji
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: POR: Fanendo Adi, Jack Jewsbury -- COL: Jermaine Jones, Mekeil Williams
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (15 meetings): Timbers 6 wins, 18 goals -- Rapids 6 wins, 20 goals -- Ties 3
AT PORTLAND (6 meetings): Timbers 5 wins, 11 goals -- Rapids 1 win, 3 goals -- Ties 0

2016 (MLS):
7/4: COL 0, POR 0
10/1: COL 1, POR 0 (Le Toux 63)

• Coaches record: Caleb Porter vs. COL: P10 W5 L2 D3 -- Pablo Mastroeni vs. POR: P7 W2 L3 D2

LAST MEETING (MLS):

• The game's lone goal came on 63 minutes. Some tricky dribbling from Marlon Hairston somehow found a way past two Timbers defenders, before sending a ball across the penalty area which was helped on by Dominique Badji into the path of Sebastien Le Toux, and his first-time, well-placed shot curled low into the bottom right-hand corner.
• Rapids goalkeeper Tim Howard was called upon to make two saves in keeping the clean sheet.
• COLORADO RAPIDS (4-2-3-1): Tim Howard - Eric Miller, Jared Watts, Axel Sjoberg, Marc Burch - Sam Cronin, Dillon Powers - Marlon Hairston (Caleb Calvert 82), Shkelzen Gashi, Sebastien Le Toux (Mekeil Williams 85) - Dominique Badji.
• PORTLAND TIMBERS (4-2-3-1): Jake Gleeson - Alvas Powell, Steven Taylor, Liam Ridgewell, Vytas Andriuskevicius (Jack Barmby 86) - Diego Chara, Jack Jewsbury (Jack McInerney 75) - Darlington Nagbe, Diego Valeri, Ned Grabavoy (Lucas Melano 68) - Fanendo Adi.