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The Portland Timbers (11-7-8, 41pts) will finish their final four games of the regular season on the road as they head south to take on the Carolina Railhawks (10-8-7, 37pts) this Saturday at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Timber's have experienced a few ups and downs this season, but have rallied in recent weeks and are now riding a 6 game unbeaten streak, including only 2 losses in their last 12 matches. Portland is tied for 3rd overall in the USSF standings, clinching a playoff spot earlier this week, but remains in 3rd place in the USL conference, trailing 2nd place Rochester by 7 points. The Railhawks have made a small push in standing as well. Currently, 5th place in the overall league table and 2nd in the NASL conference, Carolina has crept within 4 points of Portland, placing added importance on the outcome of their match this weekend in terms of playoff positioning.
Coming off an emotional 1-0 victory over Puerto Rico this past Thursday, the last match to be played at PGE Park before renovations begin, the Timbers must maintain their focus if they hope to keep building positive momentum before the postseason. The Timbers will look to improve on their 4-4-3 record on the road as they continue to evolve and grow together as a team. Portland has added three new players in the last month as well as experimenting with changes to their system of play on the field. Defender Kevin Goldthwaite should see his first action sometime before the regular season ends and it wouldn't be surprising to see Coach Gavin Wilkinson find more playing time for midfielder Kalif Alhassan as well. Also, in an attempt to improve offensively, the Timbers have used a 4-3-3 formation in their last 3 matches, scoring 5 goals with a record of 2-0-1 in those games.
So how are the changes going overall? So far, so good it appears. Defensively, the Timbers continue to be stingy, keeper Steve Cronin and the rest of the team have held 4 of their last 5 opponents scoreless. However, Portland's resolve will be given a stern test in the final month of the season. Three out of the four teams Portland will face on the road trip are playoff teams and the one exception, Baltimore, has beaten them twice already this year. Certainly, the intensity and competitive spirit of these remaining matches will be extremely high as teams continue to jockey for playoff positioning down the stretch run.
About Carolina
In their first meeting back in June, Portland let 2 points slip from their hands in a disappointing draw to Carolina at PGE Park, allowing midfielder Daniel Paladini to score a late-game equalizer in stoppage time. The Railhawks are a dangerous team and are 2nd in the league in total goals scored with 35. Striker Etienne Barbara leads a balanced scoring attack with 7 goals and 2 assists on the year. Carolina is coming off a 3-0 win over Baltimore and is 3-2-0 in their last 5 matches. However, at home the Railhawks have struggled slightly, with a record of only 4-5-3 at WakeMed Park.
Also, Carolina has recently signed Mexican legend Claudio Suarez, who leads the Mexican national team in caps with 178, playing in the 1994, 1998, and 2006 World Cups. The veteran defender, who has been given the nickname El Emperador (The Emperor) by his fans, made his first appearance with Carolina last Saturday in a friendly against Pumas Morelos and will likely see some action against the Timbers as well.
Big game for both teams, Carolina is still very much in the running for 1st in the NASL.
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