Portland at Houston Dynamo
Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. today at BBVA Compass Stadium.
TV: ROOT (cable Ch. 34/734).
Radio: AM 750 (AM 940 for Spanish broadcast).
Where they stand: Portland (2-5-2, 8 points) is ninth (last) in the Western Conference; Houston (3-3-2, 11 points) is seventh (of 10) in the Eastern Conference.
Last season: Houston won both meetings, 2-1 in Houston and 2-0 at Portland.
Storyline: This is only Houston’s second home game. The Dynamo opened their new BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday with a 1-0 win over D.C. United. Portland has been idle since a scoreless home match against Columbus on May 5, and is seeking its first road win of the season.
Familiar foes: This is the only meeting this season between Portland and the Houston franchise that was home for Timbers coach John Spencer, and for players Mike Chabala and Lovel Palmer.
Leaders: Timbers — Kris Boyd and Darlington Nagbe 3 goals apiece, Eric Alexander 3 assists; Dynamo — Will Bruin 4 goals, Adam Moffat 2 assists.
Injury impact: Portland is as healthy as it has been all season. Midfielder Kalif Alhassan (knee) might return. Alhassan and defender Eric Brunner are officially listed as probable, as is backup goalkeeper Jake Gleeson.
Question of the day: Will Portland benefit from having nine days between games while Houston has played twice since the Timbers played a scoreless draw against Columbus?
Under 23s at Jeld-Wen today: The Timbers U-23s make their first appearance in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup today, hosting PSA Elite of the U.S. Adult Soccer Association. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $7 and available at the Jeld-Wen Field box office or www.ticketmaster.com. Before the U-23s play, the Timbers match at Houston will be shown on the video screen. Gates open at 5:15 p.m.
The winner between the Timbers U-23s and PSA Elite will travel to face the Carolina RailHawks in the second round on, May 22.
The Timbers U-23s opened their PDL season with a 3-0 win over Fraser Valley Mariners FC on May 11.
Follow Paul Danzer and The Columbian’s Timbers coverage on Twitter at www.twitter.com/col_timbers
