Tonight marks the beginning of a difficult stretch for the Portland Timbers. Tonight they face off against Club America, a Liga MX side that has been the most successful club in the Concacaf Champion’s League competition with seven titles. This isn’t like the CD Marathon matchup; Portland are coming into this first leg as the clear underdogs, unlikely to cruise into an easy 7-2 aggregate victory like they did in the Round of 16. It’s a daunting challenge, and it’s not one that the Timbers are taking lightly.
“You play to compete in these kinds of matches,” Timbers head coach Giovanni Savarese said about playing Club America.