The similarities are almost too numerous, something Portland Timbers fans will want to ignore, given what happened three days ago. In the wake of a Sunday’s deflating loss to the Seattle Sounders, supporters won’t want to see another talented team that stumbled through the season’s opening months only to awake now, as they approached the Timbers on the calendar. They won’t want to see another club who, spending the summer chasing their preseason hype, has begun to ascend to their expected level.
That’s the path Toronto FC is on. The 2017 MLS champions, Toronto began the season striving for Major League Soccer’s first CONCACAF Champions League title, taking Chivas Guadalajara to penalty kicks in April before falling just short.