PORTLAND, Ore. – When their streak was snapped, the 2013 Portland Timbers sat in third place in the Western Conference. They’d established one of the best defensive records in the league, conceding only 17 times in 18 Major League Soccer games, but were still trying to take their attack to another level. Just over a goal-and-a-half per game (1.55) was a fine rate, but it wasn’t enough to keep half their matches from ending in a draw.
Just like this year, when the Timbers’ club-record-tying 15-match unbeaten run was ended by Vancouver Whitecaps FC in a 2-1 loss on Saturday night, 2013’s record-breaking team hadn’t arrived by the end of its run.