PORTLAND — The Portland Timbers have only three wins at home this Major League Soccer season.
But they enter Saturday’s significant match against the Vancouver Whitecaps feeling good about themselves. Though Portland has a ho-hum 3-3-8 record at Providence Park, the Timbers can draw confidence from a 3-0 win at Vancouver on Aug. 30.
“I think that’s a big edge,” Timbers coach Caleb Porter said. “I think that gives our guys a lot of confidence going into this game.”
More than that one game, the Timbers can take confidence from last season. Portland finished the 2013 regular season with five wins and three draws in its final eight matches to rise from the middle of the Western Conference to the top.
Porter said that experience should help these Timbers navigate the remaining six games.
“These are high-pressure games, and our guys got in the playoffs last year. They got results when it was tight,” Porter said.
Diego Valeri said the winning mentality developed last season will help during this stretch run.
“Every year is different, but now we have that hunger,” Valeri said. “We have hunger to stay there in the playoffs.”
Another reason the Timbers can feel good about their playoff push is that Valeri is feeling good.
Late last season — his first in MLS — injuries including a sports hernia forced Porter to manage minutes for the Argentine.
“I’m feeling good. I’m feeling healthy after the games,” Valeri said. “That was one of my goals for this year because last year I had a lot of injuries and after the games it was hard for me.”
The Timbers have made returning to the playoffs more difficult by failing to win many home matches.
Despite that, a win on Saturday will jump Portland ahead of Vancouver for the final playoff spot.
“Everything that’s happened at this point is irrelevant,” Porter said. “It’s six games to go and were right there, neck and neck.”
