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. But the Timbers made it count in 2015, lifting MLS Cup in a win over the Columbus Crew.
Championship Coach
Caleb Porter came to the Timbers in 2013 after a storied start to his coaching career at the collegiate level with the Akron Zips. With eventual MLS stars like Steve Zakuani, Darlington Nagbe, DeAndre Yedlin and Teal Bunbury manning the roster at various points during his tenure on campus from 2006-2012, he garnered a reputation for developing pros. The pinnacle came in 2010 when Akron won the NCAA title. After two more seasons that included a stint as U.S. U-23 National Team Head Coach, Porter made the jump to MLS with the Timbers and in his third season, he led Portland to MLS Cup glory.
Adi-Matic
Since coming to the Timbers in 2014, Fanendo Adi has not only been one of the more consistent scorers in the league, but also one of the most lethal. The 25-year-old Nigerian has 38 goals in 84 appearances, including 11 matches in which he scored two goals – twice this season, five times in 2015 and four times in his first campaign in 2014. The six-foot-four forward is a burden on defenders with his size, athleticism and dangerous finishing in front of the net.
