If you’re looking for a point of distinction between the Portland Timbers of last year and the version we’ll see Sunday, consider the depth chart, one should prove one of the deepest in Major League Soccer.
Learning the lessons of last year’s Audi MLS Cup Playoff disappointment (and reaping the rewards of the Darlington Nagbe trade), general manager Gavin Wilkinson has given his new head coach, Giovanni Savarese, at least two viable options at almost every position. If the same injury plague that derailed the team’s 2017 infects this year’s squad, a second set of viable options is ready to step up.