Real Salt Lake at Timbers
Kickoff: 7 p.m. today at Providence Park.
TV: NBC Sports Network.
Radio: AM 750.
Tickets: timbers.com; 503-553-5555.
Timbers (11-9-12, 45 points) — The Timbers try to keep their playoff hopes alive against the team that ended their run last season. Portland will try for the third time this season for the first three-game winning streak in the Timbers MLS history. The Timbers are 1-1 against Real Salt Lake this season, both of those matches in Utah. The last meeting, on June 7, was Portland’s first win at RSL. Besides needing to win, the Timbers need Vancouver to lose either at San Jose this weekend or at home to an injury-devastated Colorado team if Portland is to make the playoffs.
Real Salt Lake (14-8-10, 52 points) — This is the first visit to Portland for Real Salt Lake since RSL defeated Portland in the second leg of last season’s Western Conference finals. While the stakes aren’t quite that high, this is pretty much an elimination match for Portland while RSL wants to finish third in the West to avoid the wild-card playoff round.
Indications are that RSL — which has clinched a seventh consecutive playoff berth — will have each of its players who was away on international duty for this game. That includes goalkeeper Nick Rimando, who played for the United States in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Honduras. It also includes RSL’s top scorer, Joao Plata (13 goals), who scored twice for Ecuador on Tuesday in a win over El Salvador. RSL will be without central defender Chris Schuler (nose). Argentine midfilder .
