Timbers at San Jose
Kickoff: 8 p.m. Saturday at Buck Shaw Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
TV: NBC Sports Network.
Radio: AM 750.
Timbers (9-9-12, 39 points) — The loss of captain Will Johnson for an estimated six months after he suffered a broken leg in the opening seconds at Toronto figures to impact the Timbers playoff push. Ben Zemanski, who came on when Johnson as hurt in the opening seconds last Saturday, figures to start alongside Diego Chara in as a defensive midfielder. The absence of Diego Valeri, the team’s most dangerous player, might be the more significant issue today. Valeri misses this match because of caution accumulation. In his place, look for Gaston Fernandez to start as an attacking midfielder.
Earthquakes (6-12-11, 29 points) — Eleven points back of fifth-place Vancouver with five matches left, San Jose’s playoff hopes are all but gone. But the Earthquakes will have a say in whether Portland or Vancouver are the final playoff team in the Western Conference, as they play the Timbers twice in the next five days and also have a home match left against the Whitecaps.
