Timbers at Whitecaps
When/where: 7 p.m. Sunday at B.C. Place, Vancouver, B.C.
TV/radio: FS1 (cable Ch. 408) / AM 750 (6:30 p.m. pregame).
At stake: A berth in the MLS Cup playoff Western Conference finals against Seattle or FC Dallas. Portland can advance with a win, or a draw if any goals are scored.
Format: The teams played to a 0-0 draw last Sunday in Portland. The away-goals tiebreaker means that Vancouver must score one more goal than Portland over 90 minutes to advance. The exception is a 0-0 draw. In that case, 30 minutes of overtime will be played — with the away-goals rule no longer in play. If the teams are still tied, a penalty-kick shootout will decide the winner.
Timbers notes: Diego Chara, who missed the first two Timbers playoff matches with a foot injury, trained this week. Coach Caleb Porter would not talk about his lineup, but figure Chara is a good bet to return to his defensive midfield position. … The same goes for goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey, who was back in training after he missed last Sunday’s match because of stomach illness. … The Timbers are 3-1-2 in MLS play at B.C. Place, with the only loss coming by a 2-1 score early this season on a late goal by 87th-minute substitute Robert Earnshaw. … The Timbers are a league-best 14-0-2 this season when scoring the first goal.
Whitecaps notes: This is the first home MLS playoff game for Vancouver. The Whitecaps, who like the Timbers entered MLS in 2011, lost knockout-round matches on the road in 2012 at Los Angeles and 2014 at Dallas. … Playmaker and team captain Pedro Morales could start after entering the first leg last Sunday in the 77th minute, his first action in a month because of a hamstring injury. Morales has started only three games in the last five months because of injuries. If he does play, the Chilean designated player will give Vancouver a boost on the attack. “Last game they kind of had three holding guys in there,” Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe said. “But with Morales in there, he’s dangerous in the attack, not just with the final ball, but shots from distance and creating overall for them.” … Vancouver was 9-6-2 at home in the regular season, the six home losses are the most among teams in the MLS Cup playoffs. A strong team on the counter-attack and on set pieces, it will be interesting to see how coach Carl Robinson approaches the match knowing that if Portland scores his Caps will need at least two goals.
The other series: Seattle visits FC Dallas (4:30 p.m., FS1) with a 2-1 lead. FC Dallas has the one away goal. The winner faces Portland or Vancouver next. … DC United at New York Red Bulls (noon, ESPN). New York leads 1-0 with an away goal. … Montreal at Columbus (2 p.m., ESPN) Montreal leads 2-1. Columbus has one away goal.
