SAN JOSE, Calif. -
The Quakes are set to face off against their Western Conference foe Portland Timbers tonight at 8 p.m. PT at Providence Park. With both teams neck and neck in the Western Conference standings, a lot will be at stake in a showdown that may have playoff implications down the road. It'll be the Quakes stout defensive line against the hot offensive streak of the Timbers and it's just one of the three match storylines in tonight's battle in the Rose City.
Similar story lines:
There’s nothing quite like crushing your chief rival. Both the Earthquakes and Timbers are coming off such emotional highs in MLS play – the Quakes beating the LA Galaxy 3-1 in front of 50,422 at Stanford Stadium, and the Timbers thumping the Seattle Sounders FC 4-1 in the Cascadia Cup at Providence Park. But the Quakes and Timbers, who are meeting for the first time this season, followed their sweet wins with sour midweek losses in the U.S. Open Cup. So it’s a mixed bag emotionally overall. The Timbers are keeping the chainsaw active at home -- having not lost at Providence Park since April 12. The Timbers beat New England and Houston both 2-0 at home last month, but then stumbled badly in a 5-0 road loss against the Galaxy. Next was the festive 4-1 blowout win over Seattle, which featured two goals by Portland’s red-hot Nigerian scorer Fanendo Adi. The Quakes, arguably the league’s most improved team over last season, have won two in a row in MLS and are unbeaten in their last seven games in the Western Conference – no small feat. They have proven to be resilient and opportunistic, and they’ve been knocking the ball around pretty well too.
Wondo Mining for Gold:
With Chris Wondolowski, the league’s No. 2 scorer and a great team leader, away at the Gold Cup, the Earthquakes will need others to step forward. Right winger Sanna Nyassi, who scored his second goal of the season against Seattle, is serving a suspension this week. Target forward Mark Sherrod, who had an apparent header goal in the Open Cup loss pulled from the net because of an offside call, appears to be rounding into top form. The Quakes’ depth will be tested in a very hostile environment. In the teams’ previous meeting, the Quakes fell 3-0 at Providence Park last season when they suited up just 16 players.
Strength vs. Strength:
The Quakes have had a knack for closing down some of the league’s top offensive players. They will need more of the same resourcefulness against Adi, who has moved into a tie for third in league scoring with eight goals. Even Darlington Nagbe got into the scoring column in Portland’s win over the Sounders. Consequently, the Quakes' stout back four and very capable goalkeeper David Bingham, fronted by rookie of the year candidate Fatai Alashe, will have a lot on their plate. Goodson, enjoying an outstanding season, was named to the MLS Team of the Week after scoring the game-winning goal on a header against the Galaxy. The Quakes have allowed just seven goals in nine MLS games since the beginning of May.
