Real Salt Lake at Portland
Kickoff: 7 p.m. today at Jeld-Wen Field.
TV: ROOT (cable Ch. 34/734).
Radio: 750 AM (940 AM Spanish broadcast).
Tickets: A sellout is expected. Check Ticketmaster for availability.
Last season: Portland won 1-0 at home and the teams played to a 1-1 draw at Salt Lake in the final game of the regular season.
Storyline: Both teams are coming off disappointing results. RSL (2-1-0) lost at home to Chivas USA last week, and Portland (1-1-1) fell 1-0 at New England.
Injury impact: For Portland, midfielder Kalif Alhassan (groin injury) is out, as is central defender Hanyer Mosquera, who is expected to miss several games with a concussion. Rookie Andrew Jean-Baptiste will get his second start at center back. The options at wide midfield include starting Franck Songo’o on the right side, or droping Darlington Nagbe to that slot and returning forward Jorge Perlaza to the starting lineup. An unlikely alternative is to change formation by switching from the Timbers’ usual 4-4-2 to one forward, or (a more radical move) to a three-forward set.
Real Salt Lake is healthier than Portland, and getting stronger. Several RSL veterans could make their first appearance of the season.
Dance-pop or waltz: Portland is at its best playing a high-tempo game where its speed and athletic ability can shine. Except for the second half of the home opener, the Timbers have not been successful in dictating tempo for more than short stretches. Real Salt Lake is a patient, possession-oriented side that prefers to control the match by making opponents chase the ball and expend energy trying to gain possession.
Home turf advantage? Through an interpreter, midfielder Diego Chara said: “With the rain, the field is going to be a little bit faster. And that’s probably the one advantage we will have because we are used to playing on this field.”
Question of the day: Can the Timbers score first? For that matter, will they play with urgency early? Last season, Portland played well at home against the tougher opponents, so that is an encouraging — though small — reason for optimism.
Follow Paul Danzer all Timbers season on Twitter at www.twitter.com/col_timbers
