Real Salt Lake returns to MLS play on Saturday against the Portland Timbers at Rio Tinto Stadium in the second meeting of the year between the two clubs. The 2015 MLS Cup champions have quite a history with RSL and here are three things to know about the Timbers.
Familiar Faces
By now, Real Salt Lake fans have grown to look forward to the matchup with Portland not just for the intensity that the matches bring, home and away, but also for an opportunity to say hello to old friends. Nat Borchers – he of the stoppage-time game-winner in his first trip to Rio Tinto Stadium as a visitor in MLS play last August – and Ned Grabavoy were both integral members of Real Salt Lake’s 2009 MLS Cup-winning squad and regulars in the Salt Lake community in their years in the Claret-and-Cobalt. They will undoubtedly receive a warm welcome on Saturday – even if the tone changes when the whistle blows.
Unbeaten
Back in 2013, Real Salt Lake eliminated the Timbers in the Western Conference Finals by a 5-2 aggregate score. In the match immediately following that, RSL scored a 1-0 victory over Portland at Rio Tinto Stadium. Since then, the Timbers have had Salt Lake’s number, going unbeaten in six matches in league play, including a 2-2 draw at Providence Park this year. RSL is 0-3-3 against Portland in that stretch, although Real did manage a 2-0 win over the Timbers in the Fifth Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup last year.
Jekyll and Hyde
The Timbers have been a different team home and away this season. In eight matches at Providence Park, Portland has gone 5-2-1 while outscoring opponents 16-10. On the road, the Timbers are 0-4-3 and have been outscored 13-7. In each of their seven road matches, the Timbers have scored exactly one goal, but a defense that was among the three best in MLS in 2015 has let goals in at a rate of 1.9 per match away from home.
