The Portland Timbers won their first MLS Cup less than three months ago, and just might be a stronger team in 2016.
What do you do for an encore after you have delivered the championship your fans were yearning for?
If you are the Portland Timbers, you bring back most of the same team and look to win in even more impression fashion.
That is the lofty bar being set by Caleb Porter's Timbers, who enter 2016 as reigning champions and brimming with confidence after ending last season on a lengthy hot streak that showcased the team's considerable potential.