After a brutal stretch from August 11th through the 18th that saw the Portland drop three games in eight days, the Timbers came home with a week’s rest to regroup and prepare to run it back again, with another three games in seven days against the Seattle Sounders, Toronto FC, and New England Revolution.
Despite stumbling out of the gate against Seattle in a 1-0 defeat, Portland rallied and beat defending champions Toronto 2-0 at home before making the cross-country trip to take on New England just three days later.
Giovanni Savarese, after playing his preferred starters the large majority of minutes in the previous three game stretch, recognized that sometimes putting your best foot forward for the stretch run means leaving your best feet at home.