Real Salt Lake at Portland Timbers
March 19, 2016; 8:30 p.m. MT
Providence Park
TV: KMYU (2.2 air / 12 satellite / 643 Comcast HD)
English Radio: 105.1 FM (7:30 p.m. MT)
Spanish Radio: 102.3 La Gran D FM / 1600 AM
Stream: MLS Live
There are a lot of words to describe the growing rivalry between Real Salt Lake and the Portland Timbers. The teams may not have the long term history that Portland has with its regional rivals in Vancouver and Seattle, but no team has faced the Timbers more times across all competitions since the club moved to MLS in 2011 than the 18 matches they have played against Real Salt Lake. That has bred an often contentious relationship between the two clubs and fans and players alike in Portland can point to one man who fuels much of that fire.
It’s not because of dirty play or some long-seeded ill will, though, but rather out of respect, as RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando has come up big in RSL’s last four matches at Providence Park in Portland, earning four consecutive shutouts.
There are many factors that play into that defensive success, and the Wall of the Wasatch is quick to share in the accolades for four straight standout performances.
“Maybe the team is always collectively good there. It’s not just me getting the shutout. The games are always good and close and it becomes a good rivalry between us,” said Rimando, who holds the MLS record with 123 career clean sheets. “I love it. They have great fans up there. The environment is great. I just come to play I guess. It’s nothing against them or a switch I turn on. It just always seems to happen. I don’t want to jinx anything. I’m not thinking about my shutouts. I’m just thinking about getting a result there.”
RSL Head Coach Jeff Cassar pointed out an all-out defensive effort, but didn’t want to downplay the individual performances of the all-time MLS shutout king.
“Bigtime players step up in big games,” Cassar said. “The whole entire team steps up. You talk about the goalkeeper, but it’s the entire team getting that shutout and usually you need your goalkeeper to come up with one or two big saves. The game’s quick. The intensity and focus has to be there. So I think all those things play into it.”
Shutting out the Timbers on this particular night will be a difficult task. Coming off of an MLS Cup victory in December, Portland rides the attacking tandem of Fanendo Adi and Lucas Melano while Diego Valeri pulls the strings in the midfield. A strong team on the counter-attack, the Timbers have a propensity for quick-strike goals that can seemingly come against the run of play.
However, RSL remains confident after strong showings in both legs of the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal series against Tigres and a 1-0-1 start in league play.
“I like a lot of the things that we’re doing. Obviously you have some breakdowns and hopefully you don’t pay for them like we did against Orlando, but I really like our team defending right now,” Cassar said. “I think our guys are on the same page. And we’re pretty healthy, so that’s good.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. MT on KMYU.
