Colorado Rapids-Portland Timbers Preview (2/28/26)
217 days have passed since the Portland Timbers’ last victory on the road. While their 1-0 win at LAFC in July seemed to be a major turning point, the Timbers failed to win any of their 9 remaining road games in 2025 (playoffs included). To avoid stretching that streak to 10, Portland will travel to the site of their biggest 2025 road triumph for their first road game of 2026: Commerce City, Colorado.
The Rapids Report
The Timbers swept the season series with the Colorado Rapids last year. A signature 3-0 victory at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in late March was the second game in a 7-match unbeaten streak that shot the Timbers up the table. In the reverse fixture in late May, Portland reversed a 1-0 halftime deficit with goals from Antony and Kevin Kelsy (aided by a Wayne Frederick horror tackle on David Ayala which resulted in a straight red card for the Trinidad international) to win 2-1 and end a brutal month on a high note.
That loss dropped the Rapids to 8th place in the West. In their 9 remaining games before Leagues Cup, they’d only taste victory in two (home wins against the Galaxy and Vancouver). Because the 2025 edition of the Western Conference was cannibalistic above all else, the Rapids entered Leagues Cup in 9th place.
They defeated Santos Laguna in their first Leagues Cup game before dropping the second at home to Tijuana. Due to the new “home base” rules, their final Phase One match was played at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA (the home of the Galaxy). Cruz Azul came back from a 2-0 deficit and won a penalty kick shootout to eliminate the Rapids from the competition. In 2024, the Rapids embarked on a miraculous Leagues Cup run featuring victories against Mexican giants Toluca and Club America (the latter in a shootout) before LAFC whooped them in the semifinal. However, the plucky ‘Pids beat Philadelphia in penalties in the 3rd-place game, which earned them a spot in the 2025 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup. That 2024 Leagues Cup journey ended up being the most successful part of Chris Armas’ tenure in Colorado.
It was an open secret that Armas’ contract expired at the end of 2025. With the team fully mired in the sludge of the Western Conference’s playoff fight, a season-defining transfer occurred in early August. Djordje Mihailovic, easily Colorado’s best player since arriving in the winter of 2024, was cashferred to Toronto for a fee of $9M ($8M up front with $1M in add-ons). The American international was a one-man force for the Rapids, but his supporting cast continually let him down. At the time of the trade, he led all MLS players in expected assists. But his teammates couldn’t finish those chances. With a DP slot now open at the most important part of the pitch, the Rapids replaced Mihailovic with another American playmaker: Eintracht Frankfurt’s Paxten Aaronson. It was the marquee move of the summer for Colorado, who also added a plethora of other players (Noah Cobb, Alexis Manyoma, Rafael Santos, Miguel Navarro, and Rob Holding).
Those additions did not do enough to power the ‘Pids into the playoffs. They jumped back into league play with consecutive victories in Minnesota and at home against Atlanta, but failed to win 6 of their final 7 games in 2025. This collapse included blowouts at the hands of Western Conference minnows SKC and LA Galaxy, a pitiful 3-1 loss in Dallas, and a brutal 1-0 loss against archrivals RSL (a game where the Rapids dominated) that dropped them out of the playoff spots. That set up a crucial Decision Day clash with LAFC, who were fighting to leapfrog San Diego for second-place in the West. The Rapids needed to beat LAFC and scoreboard-watch to see if they would qualify for the postseason for the second consecutive season under Armas. It appeared that they would take care of business when Darren Yapi’s 88th-minute goal gave Colorado the lead. Unfortunately, loanee Andrew Moran drove the stake into Colorado’s hearts two minutes later, and the game ended in a draw and another playoff-less campaign for the Rapids.
Armas entered the post-game press conference in a sour mood, and lashed out at Burgundy Wave’s Matt Pollard for simply pointing out the fact that the Rapids failed to make the playoffs. Unsurprisingly, Armas did not get a contract extension. He would go on to become the new head coach of the KC Current; a move that makes zero sense. The Rapids, meanwhile, would have to find another head coach.
That search ended on December 23rd with the hire of former Tottenham Hotspur assistant Matt Wells. No, not the former head coach of Utah State’s football team. The Englishman spent a fair amount of time as one of Scott Parker’s assistants at his various stops in England and Belgium before joining Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham and winning the 2025 Europa League as Assistant Manager. At 37 years old, this is his first head coaching job.
The squad also underwent a fair amount of turnover in the offseason. Mainstays like Calvin Harris and Andreas Maxso left the club alongside the newly-arrived Santos. Oliver Larraz, who ascended to a starting role under Armas, joined Vancouver in free agency (ugh). To replace Larraz, Nigerian midfielder Hamzat Ojediran arrived from RC Lens (David Da Costa’s former club) for a fee of approximately $3.5M. Cobb joined on a permanent basis in the winter (he was on loan in 2025). Center back Lucas Herrington was technically purchased in the summer of 2025 from Brisbane Roar, but he was only able to arrive in the winter after turning 18 in September. The young Australian center back is definitely one to watch for the upcoming season. But the biggest moves of the offseason came from within the league.
The first was an acquisition. The Rapids swung a trade for Montreal winger Dante Sealy in exchange for $1.9M GAM. The Trinidad international tallied 9g/2a on a bad Montreal team in 2025, and the Rapids desperately needed a difference-maker out wide. Is Sealy that player? Time will tell, but it seems like an overpay at this point in time.
Colorado went from two Bassetts on the team in 2025 to zero in 2026. Younger brother Sam (a good friend of Ian Smith) had an excellent season with Colorado’s MLS NEXTPRO side Rapids 2, but failed to impress with the senior team. The Rapids declined his option, and now he plays for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the USL Championship. The elder Bassett (Cole, duh) was cashferred to Portland for an initial $2.65M in early February. Despite some flowery language in the press release, Wells believed that the native Coloradoan didn’t have a place in his midfield. The Rapids began the season with only 3 players above the age of 30 on the roster (Keegan Rosenberry, Zack Steffen, and Holding). If the age parameters were extended to 27, only Connor Ronan, Miguel Navarro, and Reggie Cannon join the list of veterans. This is a very young team. And that youth showed in their season opener.
The Rapids (0-0-1, 0 points, 14W/26S) did not have a normal season opener. They lost 2-0 in Seattle in a game marred by refereeing errors and some confusing personnel decisions. Oddly enough, none of the confusion revolved around Wells’ center back pairing of Cobb and Herrington. When hired, Wells gave the normal “front-footed attacking football” speech that most coaches give when they take a new job. But he chose to utilize Josh Atencio as a ball progressor in the base of midfield; a role that doesn’t fit Atencio’s strengths. With exciting wingers such as Teddy Ku-DiPietro, Bryce Jamison, and Manyoma on the team, Wells opted to place Yapi (a traditional striker) out wide. The Rapids looked like a collection of individuals during their season opener, and probably should’ve lost by a bigger margin than the rather respectable 2-0 handed to them by the Sounders. It did not give Rapids fans a sense of hope.
Especially considering the current soccer landscape in Denver. The Denver Summit will join NWSL this year, and have begun to steal momentum away from the Rapids in their locale. The Rapids do not have a player with the same name recognition as Lindsey Heaps or Janine Sonis (neé Horan and Beckie, respectively). Kroenke Sports & Entertainment might be the most unpopular owners in MLS, and the Summit’s ownership group includes beloved locals like Peyton Manning (not a local but Broncos QBs are always loved in the Box State) and recent Olympic gold-medalist Mikaela Shifferin. The Summit are quickly stealing the Rapids’ thunder, especially with a new downtown stadium opening this year. The Rapids play closer to the airport than their home city. Tensions between ownership and supporters are always high in Commerce City, and Cole Bassett’s sale did little to quench the flames. Tomorrow’s game is their home opener, and it will be fascinating to see if the Rapids can get a victory that they desperately need. Not just on the field, but off it as well.
COL Injury Report & Projected Starting XI
Fadal is far down Colorado’s depth chart. This puts the pressure in Wells’ court again. Which team is he gonna pick?
It would be ludicrous if Wells repeated the same lineup from last weekend. Miguel Navarro should earn the start over Jackson Travis at left back, especially with Sam Vines being deemed surplus to requirements and released one day before the season opener. Holding has to start this game. I’m leaning towards Herrington instead of Noah Cobb for the other center back spot. Atencio and Ojediran form the combative base of Colorado’s midfield. Aaronson is the nominal 10, but expect him to drop deep to receive passes in buildup. Harris might seem like a surprise inclusion, but Wells has been hyping him up all week. Rafael Navarro is the club’s best attacker, although some fans might want to see Darren Yapi get the start in the home opener. Wells could turn to Connor Ronan as one of the deep midfielders, or maybe Alexis Manyoma earns a start on the wing. I do have one bold prediction: the Rapids will not start their best possible XI tomorrow.
One final Rapids note: tomorrow they will take the field in their new “Colorful Colorado” kit, which is black. Technically, if you combine every color on the color wheel you’ll get black, so at least an art school graduate (current student, more likely) brought their vision to life. Burgundy on the sleeves only. How the mighty have fallen (well, they aren’t very mighty to begin with).
The Timbers Report
The Portland Timbers (1-0-0, 3 points, 6W/8S) spent the latter half of last season being competitive on the road. In those 9 aforementioned winless away games, they only lost two of them by multiple goals. One was their yearly faceplant in Dallas (compounded by Santiago Moreno’s flight [literally] earlier in the week) and the second was the season-ending humiliation in Game 3 of their First Round playoff series with San Diego. For the most part, they were within reach of getting a road win in the other seven. But some of those dropped points (a late Minnesota equalizer and a late Vancouver equalizer) told the story of a team that couldn’t close out games. However, they reversed that trend last weekend against Columbus. Taking all three points should provide some sort of momentum. Especially as the squad gets stronger.
An Aravena Arrival
The loan signing of Gremio’s Chilean winger Alexander Aravena was completed this week. I held off on giving a full report on the player until the deal was finalized. Now that the player has completed his intake, let’s see exactly what kind of reinforcement Phil Neville will have at his disposal.
Here are the basics. Aravena is a 23-year-old Chilean attacker who can play anywhere across the second line underneath the striker. As a 19 year old with Nublense in 2022, he tallied 12g/3a in 38 games. That allowed him to return to his parent club (Universidad Catolica) where he scored 14 goals and assisted a further 5 in 34 games in 2023. That season earned him a move to one of Brazil’s bigger clubs: Gremio. However, things haven’t quite clicked for the Chilean in Brazil. He couldn’t secure a starting role, and his best season was 2025 where he tallied 5g/1a in 37 games across all competitions. He’s one of several foreign players on Gremio’s squad, and they opted to send him out on loan to keep their roster compliant with Brazil’s squad registration rules. This is a similar reason to Felipe Carballo’s loan to Portland last year. In addition to that, he has 16 caps for the Chilean national team, with 12 of those in World Cup qualifiers.
During his introductory press conference, Aravena described himself as a player: “I consider myself an intelligent player, strong when I have the ball, and I want to score goals.” He also gave credit to Felipe Mora for selling him on joining the Timbers. His idol is Lionel Messi, so he definitely has May 17th circled on the calendar. What does he want to accomplish in Portland? Winning the league, scoring goals, and providing assists.
Will he bring goals, assists, and trophies to the Timbers? Based on some tape (I’m not looking at the data for what is only a 564 minute sample size of league play last year) I drew a few conclusions. First of all, he was primarily deployed on the left wing but would float all over the pitch. He enjoyed picking up the spaces between the lines and making himself available for passes. Gremio wasn’t an amazing team last season (they finished 30 points behind title-winners Flamengo in 9th place) but Aravena was always on the move. The tape painted the picture of a player who was quick but not fast, wanting the ball at his feet, dropping in to link play, and tracking back on defense. I can see him operating as a connector in the final third once he gains chemistry with his teammates.
However, there were some concerns. Since he’s only 23, he doesn’t always make the correct decisions. There were several moments where he got muscled off the ball, but I think he can draw fouls in those scenarios in MLS. He’s more technical than physical, which reminds me of Santiago Moreno before he bulked up.
Aravena arrives with a purchase option (with an unknown price). This is an audition, first and foremost. If the Timbers like what they see, they can trigger the option. That’s one of the reasons why I like this deal so much. He’s young with an impressive pedigree, but he wasn’t able to put it together at Gremio. The Brazilian league is still stronger than MLS, so he could have more success in a different league. There isn’t a lot of risk from the Portland side of the transaction either. I’m very interested to see what he can bring to the team, especially with minutes on the table for him.
Roster Profile: The Basic Breakdown
The first Roster Profile of the season has been released. Let’s take a quick glance at it to see how the team’s squad build looks at this moment in time.
The 2/4 model has been confirmed, and the Timbers currently have an open U22 slot. David Da Costa and Kristoffer Velde are the DPs, while Antony, Cole Bassett, and Kevin Kelsy are on U22 deals. Aravena joins the team as a TAM player, joining Jimer Fory, Felipe Mora, Juan Mosquera, Kamal Miller, and Joao Ortiz on that designation. Ortiz wasn’t a TAM player last year, but I theorized that the Timbers used a fair amount of GAM to buy down his massive raw cap hit. This year they used TAM after the departure of Dario Zuparic freed up significant funds in that area.
Diego Chara is no longer on TAM. I find it a little odd that Omir Fernandez hasn’t been placed on the Injured List, but I think that his lack of an injury designation speaks to Portland’s cap comfortability. Last year Jonathan Rodriguez had to be on the Injured List because the Timbers were up against the limit of their cap.
Now let’s talk about the space that the Timbers currently have to add new players. Only one spot remains on the senior roster (19/20 players) and 4 slots are available on the supplemental roster. They also have two international slots remaining after Finn Surman, Kevin Kelsy, and James Pantemis received their Green Cards in the offseason. One of those slots will either get traded or held until the summer, while the final slot is probably meant for the incoming defensive midfielder (whenever such a player arrives). Portland also has $1M of discretionary GAM (dGAM) available to spend. There is still a lot of flexibility for Ned Grabavoy to work with. Portland’s GAM total won’t be released until next week.
I think that final international slot will be saved to sign a DP in the summer. In order for that to happen, a senior player will have to depart. I do not know which player that will be. But it would be a similar move to what the Timbers did last summer.
Eight senior players have expiring contracts at the end of 2026 (Antony, Mora, Kamal Miller, Fernandez, Lassiter, McGraw, Pantemis, and Surman). Mora and Pantemis are the only ones without an option available to exercise. Two players on the Supplemental Roster (Eric Miller and Trey Muse) fall into that categorization as well.
I think this is a shrewd roster build, but the team has a big hole in the midfield that is evident from this roster profile. Once that hole is filled, this team should be ready to fully compete.
Tree Questions With Ian Smith and Kevin Kelsy
Cole Bassett's homecoming is the central story behind this game, but it's going to be a special day for Ian Smith too. I had the opportunity to catch up with him on Thursday for the 2026's first edition of Tree Questions. Questions have also been edited for clarity because I don't speak very well (probably the primary reason why I write).
Q: How does it feel to come back to Colorado during your second year with the Timbers with a fair amount of your family and friends set to attend this weekend?
Smith: That'll be awesome because last year I got in at the end of the game which was pretty cool, but we also just destroyed them 3-0. So hopefully we can just recreate that moment and dominate them again.
Q: It's your second full preseason with the team. What have been the differences between last preseason and this one?
Smith: For me, confidence in understanding what my role is within the team. I think last year I came in and was just trying to prove myself and this year I'm like, “OK, I know what the level is. I know what to expect.” So it's just growing at what I need to get better at in the attack and defense and just slowly grow and keep getting better and hopefully keep getting time and winning games.
It's at this point where a brief detour is needed. A massive core of this team arrived last winter, and had a (mostly) full preseason. Smith falls into that camp, and so does Kevin Kelsy. I asked him the same question about the differences between last preseason and this preseason on Tuesday. Here's Kelsy's response. Breaking the “Tree Questions” rule with the first one of the year. We're so back.
Kelsy: You know, at the end, I just focus on preparing well. The coaches’ ideas are still the same. Direct play with us and the forwards. Be it me, Gage [Guerra], Kristoffer [Velde] or Felipe [Mora]. We want to look good regardless of what we do. We want to make a good impression.
There will be more from Kelsy later. Let's get back to Smith for one final question.
Q: [Cole Bassett walks by us] Cole Bassett just walked by us. Does it help having another Coloradoan in the team?
Smith: Yeah, we grew up together. So it's awesome. We grew up playing against each other. And I played with his little brother in college, so I've always been close to Cole, so it's awesome to have another guy from Colorado here.
We'll hear more from Smudge later. With the Rapids and Timbers set to share a division after the calendar change in 2027, he's got to be pretty happy that his yearly homecoming will still be on the schedule every season.
PTFC Injury Report & Projected Starting XI
Da Costa was training with the team this week, but he’s still a few weeks away from passing a fitness test. Mosquera’s timeline got increased this week, and now he’s about a month away from a return to action. Fernandez and McGraw will not see the field before the World Cup.
Tomorrow will be the debut of Portland’s new “Civic Stadium Kit.” It will not look like the colors you see on this lineup graphic because “Ice Yellow” and “Halo Green” (?) are not found on basic color selectors. People got paid to name those colors, by the way. Unreal.
Back to reality for a moment. The backline should remain unchanged. So should the second line. Antony has played in 6 games against the Rapids, and he’s scored every time. There’s just something about that burgundy that brings out the demon in the mild-mannered Brazilian. Tomorrow’s game is a big opportunity for Ortiz to start his second season on a high note. Diego Chara will see the field, but I believe he’ll enter as a substitute. Mora gets to reprise his role as a pocket player, which should allow Kelsy to make his first start of the season. The Venezuelan has to start tomorrow, especially after providing the match-winning assist last weekend.
I asked Kelsy about that assist, and his answer surprised me. “No, to be honest, my idea was to score,” he said. He told the truth. That’s what surprised me. He had the opportunity to take credit for a complete accident and he chose not to. Numerous other players would have said that they totally meant to head that ball backwards. But not Kelsy. That honesty must be praised and it speaks to the kind of person that the oft-criticized striker is. I hope his honesty gets rewarded with a goal tomorrow.
Gage Guerra and Ariel Lassiter will also be in contention to start, but I think utilizing them as supersubs could really help the team. Especially when the unspoken beast of the Rocky Mountains comes into play.
Tactical Preview
Getting To The Bottom of The Altitude
When you play in Colorado, you aren’t just matched up against the Rapids. The altitude must be conquered as well. Sitting 5,280 feet above sea level, it’s common for the altitude to wreak havoc on opposing teams. Just look at what happened to Charlotte last season. Head coach Dean Smith didn’t think the altitude was going to be an issue, so poor Souleymane Doumbia had to pay for his coach’s hubris with gasps and sweat. Charlotte lost 2-0 as the Rapids dominated the second half and scored two late goals to successfully defend their home turf.
In theory, that’s the commonly believed way that altitude will affect unaccustomed players. As time keeps ticking, the stronger the effect. However, I had the opportunity to get three different perspectives on this phenomenon. Which one is correct?
Phil Neville provides our first take. I framed my question to the coach about the 60th minute in particular and how that mark is when fitness levels begin to decrease. Neville disagreed with me. “I always think it’s probably the first 15 minutes where you’re probably gasping for breath. The flight of the ball is different, the trajectory of the ball can get more distance when it flies through the air. I think the warm-up’s crucial when you go to altitude. I remember playing a preseason game there, and it wasn’t the last 30 minutes that was my problem. I also don’t think we can use the altitude as an excuse.”
There’s a tangent that I’d really like to go on with this quote, but I’m going to save it for the future. I’m already noticing a different atmosphere around the team this season, and it’s been a positive change. I’d like to see if it continues next week while taking tomorrow’s result into account.
Ian Smith is the next person to provide a take on the altitude. The native Coloradoan has different thoughts than his head coach. “We just gotta hydrate. You’ll feel it. Your lungs will burn a little bit, but it’s kind of like everywhere, like once you get into the game, you kind of forget about the altitude. And scientifically, it hits you at 48 hours. It’s when your body really understands that you’re at altitude. So we fly on Friday, so we should be fine. Unless you’re really thinking about it, it’s all in your head. It only affects you after 48 hours, which is pretty crazy.”
Smudge has taken a vastly different perspective than his head coach. I wonder what his childhood friend (Cole Bassett) will say on the subject. “I mean, to me, it never hit me because I was from there. I would say we normally thought it was the last 60 minutes of a game. We could tell once it hit the 60th minute the team started to drop off, but I do think your mouth is a bit dry. I agree with what Phil said about the first 15 of each half. When you’re coming out, you kind of get that dry mouth, but I think towards the end of the game is where you see who’s fit and who’s not.”
To recap: Phil Neville defies the traditional logic and says that the altitude effect hits immediately, Ian Smith invokes the name of science and points to 48 hours, while Cole Bassett sides with traditional wisdom. All of them are correct. I’m typing this in a Colorado hotel room with a slight headache. Is it the altitude? Or is it the fact that I’ve only had two Sausage McMuffins to eat all day? Probably a little bit of both. I think I should go get a snack.
The altitude could affect Portland’s newfound press. I don’t expect to see the same pressing intensity tomorrow, but this game offers another good opportunity to work on their defensive block. There could be times and places to trigger a press, but I believe that the Timbers will be content to cede some possession and try to create space in behind to attack once they turn the ball over.
The Cutback Cross
The most interesting matchup of this weekend is Portland’s wingers vs. Colorado’s fullbacks. I believe that the Timbers hold the advantage in this area of the pitch, which means that they should be trying to exploit cutback crosses when they get into the final third.
This is the most dangerous type of final ball that can be played in a game of soccer. Simply put, a cutback differs from a regular cross because the cutback occurs at or near the endline. Center backs are forced closer to the goal, which opens space around the top of the six-yard-box and the penalty spot. With Colorado’s emphasis on playing youth in the backline, these types of chances should be open a fair amount during tomorrow’s game. But how will the Timbers create the conditions to play these types of crosses?
Combinations between the wingers and fullbacks will be crucial. As long as the Timbers maintain a strong presence in the center of the box, there will always be receivers for these deliveries. If the Timbers can overload the wings and use quick passing to create cutback opportunities, their attackers should feast.
Matchday Info
Broadcast Bulletin
English: Mark Rogondino and Heath Pearce
Spanish: Nacho Garcia
Home Radio Broadcast from 105.1 The Fan: not available on Apple TV
Broadcast platform: Apple TV
Kickoff time: 1:30 PM PST
I don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet, but MLS and Apple made a significant change over the offseason. MLS Season Pass is no longer a standalone paid subscription, so all MLS games are now accessible with a basic Apple TV subscription. This is a major positive for the league for obvious reasons.
Referee Report
Jair Marrufo’s 2025 stats: 19 games, 21.63 fouls/game, 0.21 penalties/game, 3.26 yellows/game, 0.16 reds/game
Last Timbers game officiated: August 31, 2025 @MIN 1-1 D
Series History
Historical record: 17-7-11, +12 goal differential
Road record: 4-5-9, -11 goal differential
Current streak: 2 wins
Current road streak: 1 win
Table Time
The table doesn’t matter at this point of the season. However, SKC will now be in a permanent battle to escape from the basement. There is one point I’d like to make, but I need to invite the *other* conference to illustrate.
Opening weekend (or “Matchday 1” if you want to be corporate) featured seven East vs. West matchups. All of them were hosted by the Western Conference team. Teams from the Eastern Conference went 0-2-5. It’s at this point where I remind you that the Western Conference spans 3 different time zones while the Eastern Conference only has 1 team outside of Eastern Standard Time (the glorious Chicago Fire, of course). This weekend also features 7 East vs. West matchups, and all of those games will also be hosted by Western Conference teams. Can the Best-ern Conference keep putting the primitive Eastern Conference into the dirt? Probably not. Columbus does travel to SKC, after all.
Final Whistle
In Phil Neville’s first season as Portland’s head coach, the Timbers won their season opener before blowing a 2-goal lead in their second game. Last season they got Vancouver’d with 10 men on the field but took the spoils the next week with a late goal from their new DP. They haven’t won consecutive games to open the season since 2017. I do not want this streak to reach 10 years. It has to end eventually.
The Timbers are also trying to avoid their 10th consecutive winless road trip. This is one of the easier games on their brutal pre-World Cup schedule. In fact, it might be the most winnable (taking home games into account). But the Rapids are trying to use the disappointment of last weekend to try and give their new head coach a big win in his first home game. The Timbers are trying to keep their momentum from last weekend’s intense and encouraging victory. Which team will want it more? Which team will execute better? And which team will be taking a victory lap in the thin Colorado air? Logic points to Portland, but soccer games aren’t won with a gut feeling. They’re won with desire.
Cole Bassett knows exactly what that desire is. He plays with collected fury in the middle of the pitch, something that Timbers fans haven’t seen since Will Johnson. Tomorrow is his Super Bowl, and he has to break the hearts of the fans who raised him in order to summit his own mountain with his new team. The setting of this monumental clash? A stadium plopped in the middle of a brown field, while their counterparts of the opposite gender will take the stage in downtown Denver next month. The Rapids need this win for their own relevancy, both in the national and local eyes. The Timbers are playing for consistency, standards, and three points. The standards are completely different, but both teams share a common goal. The climb continues.
