For the third and final time this season, Real Salt Lake will meet the Portland Timbers on Saturday at Providence Park in Portland. Here are three things to know about the defending MLS Cup champions.
History Made in Anniversary Season
The Timbers first formed in 1975 in the North American Soccer League and reached the championship match – Soccer Bowl – only to lose to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. While that first season bred so much promise, Portland wouldn’t reach the final again until 2015. While the Timbers had the leagues best regular season record three times through iterations in the NASL, A-League/USL and MLS, 40 years separated championship game appearances.