Over the lifespan of this article – from the moment it goes live on Wednesday morning to shortly before the Portland Timbers leave San Jose, California – the Timbers will have fit two, three or four days into one. And within Major League Soccer, they won't be alone. As a precaution during the COVID-19 pandemic, teams traveling for games will fly, rest, play and fly out on the same day. In pre-COVID times, depending on the length of the trip, those tasks would cover as many as four days.
"It's going to be new," Portland head coach Giovanni Savarese conceded, speaking the day before his team left to face the San Jose Earthquakes (7:30pm PT, FOX 12 PLUS (KPDX)).