Portland Timbers vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2020 MLS Match Preview

2020 MLS Regular Season – Week 22
Portland Timbers vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Providence Park – Portland
November 1 – 10:00 PM ET

TV: TSN

STREAMING: MLS LIVE on ESPN in US

LOCAL TV: FOX 12 Plus (KPDX)

The Portland Timbers host the Vancouver Whitecaps in a late-season Cascadia clash with massive playoff implications Sunday night at Providence Park.

The Timbers (10W-5L-5D) are coming off a stunning playoff-clinching 5-2 thrashing of the LA Galaxy Wednesday night to extend an unbeaten streak to three matches, while the Whitecaps (8W-13L-0D) suffered a 2-0 defeat to Seattle at Providence Park and sit just below the playoff line in the West.

This is the second meeting this season, with the Timbers beating the "host" Whitecaps 1-0 at Providence Park Sept. 27 on Felipe Mora's goal five minutes after kickoff.

Portland Timbers

Jaroslaw Niezgoda struck for a brace and Diego Valeri added a penalty kick to give the Timbers a three-goal lead inside the opening half hour as Portland cruised to a lopsided win over the Galaxy Wednesday night at Providence Park.

"I think we achieved something important today, but I think especially in the fashion, the way the guys did it today because I felt it was a very strong performance and we played against a good team," Giovanni Savarese said after the match. "A team that started the second half in the belief that they could come back. A team that has individual good players that we knew were going to be dangerous today, but I thought today we had a very mature and strong performance.”

Updated team roster
Injury Report:
- OUT: Dairon Asprilla (M) - left knee injury
- OUT: Sebastian Blanco (M) - right ACL injury
- OUT: Julio Cascante (D) - left ankle injury
- QUESTIONABLE: Blake Bodily (M) - right thigh injury
- QUESTIONABLE: Jeremy Ebobisse (F) - concussion
- QUESTIONABLE: Marvin Loría (M) - abdomen injury
Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: Diego Chara (M), Eryk Williamson (M)
International duty: None

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

With a quick turnaround between games, Marc dos Santos had to rotate his roster against the Sounders and the Whitecaps managed to keep Seattle off the scoreboard until Raul Ruidiaz's opening goal in the 54th minute. Nico Lodeiro tacked on an insurance goal six minutes later and now the Whitecaps, following the league's announcement points per game were going to be used to determine the final standings, find themselves back below the playoff line in the West with two games remaining.

"We have to move on, we'll look at some things of this game but right now our ambition our work, what we want to put in effort, recovery, everything is for the Portland game," Dos Santos said after the match. "That is a crucial game for us as a club."

Updated team roster
Injury Report:
- OUT: Maxime Crépeau (GK) - fractured left thumb
- OUT: Thomas Hasal (GK) - undisclosed injury
Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: Michael Baldisimo (M), Lucas Cavallini (F)
International duty: None