PORTLAND, Ore. – It’s a pattern that began in Chicago, just a Diego Valeri counterattack goal had put the Fire down, and 96 minutes after the Portland Timbers had adopted their new, 4-3-2-1 formation, the week before. Bastian Schweinsteiger, originally deployed as the Chicago’s deepest midfielder, took a step back in the formation, setting up between Vlejko Paunovic’s starting center backs, and making the Fire’s pair into a three-man group.
Schweinsteiger would still roam, alternating between deep-lying orchestrator and midfield opportunist. It bit the Timbers in the end, when the German legend popped up on the right flank to find Brandon Vincent with a far-post cross, but the impact on Portland’s season went beyond that late, equalizing goal.