It’s been a choppy past few weeks for the Portland Timbers. With just four games remaining and still below the playoff line (although just barely) the gravity of the situation at hand is beginning to sink in. The Timbers won’t be able to ride a home-heavy schedule comfortably into the playoffs — and from here on out they will need to fight for every point if they don’t want to finish on the outside looking in.
The Timbers are now into the ninth game of a ten-game homestand that has had many ups and downs. Portland has lost four of its past six home games, with the most recent being a 2-0 midweek defeat to the New York Red Bulls, a game where the Timbers had their chances, but just couldn’t finish in front of goal.