Real Salt Lake vs. Portland Timbers | 2020 MLS Match Preview

2020 MLS Regular Season – Week 18
Real Salt Lake vs. Portland Timbers
Rio Tinto Stadium – Sandy
October 14 – 9:30 PM ET

STREAMING: MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; on DAZN in Canada

LOCAL TV: ROOT Sports NW, KMYU

Two teams streaking in the opposite direction collide at Rio Tinto Stadium Wednesday night when slumping Real Salt Lake host the surging Portland Timbers.

Real Salt Lake (4W-7L-6D) have lost three in a row following a 2-1 defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps at Providence Park Saturday, while the Timbers (9W-4L-3D) moved level on points with first-place Seattle after beating San Jose 3-0 Sunday for their fifth consecutive victory.

This is the second meeting this season, with the teams sharing the points following a wild 4-4 draw at Providence Park on August 29. Real Salt Lake looked dead and buried when Felipe Mora put the Timbers in front 4-2 in the 85th minute, but Giuseppe Rossi gave the visitors late life in the 90th minute with his first MLS goal followed by Sam Johnson’s dramatic equalizer in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.

Real Salt Lake

Damir Kreilach opened the scoring in the first half with his seventh goal of the season, but the Whitecaps rallied for two goals in a four-minute span late in the second half to pull out a 2-1 victory that extended RSL's winless streak to four matches following a third consecutive defeat.

“You’ve got to be men and you’ve got to not put your hands down. That’s life," Freddy Juarez said after the match. "There are situations that aren’t necessarily going your way and you can’t put your hands down and stop doing what you need to do to move forward. We need everybody to respond and a little bit of luck here and there."

Updated team roster
Injury Report:
- OUT: Giuseppe Rossi (F) - undisclosed injury
- OUT: Chris Garcia (F) - undisclosed injury
Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: Kyle Beckerman (M), Corey Baird (F), Pablo Ruiz (M)
International duty: Albert Rusnak (M)

Portland Timbers

Jaroslaw Niezgoda scored twice in a six-minute span early in the second half and Mora tacked on a late insurance goal to lead the Timbers to a 3-0 win over the Earthquakes Sunday at Providence Park.

"I have to tell you that the way the guys have been working, how united they are, how much they put in, I cannot ask more because they're giving me everything, they're giving the team everything. What we can improve is definitely many different little things," Gio Saverese said after Sunday's match. "That's the exciting part about our team, I still think we can become a better team. Today we showed in the second half, our possession was very, very good. We just have to continue we don't feel that we've arrived, that we continue to get better in every area — individually, collectively, offensively, in the middle, in the back, to defend better.

"But I'm extremely proud of the effort that every player continues to put in. Doesn't matter who comes in, they put in work for the team, which is very important and now with these three points, we enjoy tonight, and tomorrow we have to come into work and prepare and get better for the next match."

Updated team roster
Injury Report:
- OUT: Dairon Asprilla (M) - left knee injury
- OUT: Blake Bodily (M) - right thigh injury
- OUT: Sebastian Blanco (M) - right ACL injury
- OUT: Julio Cascante (D) - left ankle injury
Suspended: Eryk Williamson (M)
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: Andy Polo (M)