It will be a clash of two teams fighting for different playoff aspirations on Saturday when Real Salt Lake hosts the Portland Timbers at Rio Tinto Stadium. While the Timbers sit second in the Western Conference standings at 12-9-8 (44 points), RSL is on the outside of the playoff picture looking in at 10-14-5 (35 points). Both teams are in need of wins – Portland to stay in the chase for the top spot in the Western Conference and Salt Lake to climb above the playoff line – and the meeting on Saturday is sure to be an explosive matchup of two teams vying for results.
“We know how tight the table is. It’s an important game for them and an important game for us,” RSL midfielder Albert Rusnák said. “For us to keep any hopes for the playoffs, we’ve got to get three points. It’s as simple as that.”
A win would jump RSL ahead of the San Jose Earthquakes and FC Dallas, barring results of their matches on Saturday. Although Salt Lake has seen a measure of success in recent months, going 5-2-3 since a July 4 win over the LA Galaxy, the Timbers are hot as well. Since the two teams last met on July 17 in Portland – a match that saw a 4-1 road win for the Claret-and-Cobalt – the Timbers have gone 5-1-2. In that span, Diego Valeri has scored in seven consecutive matches, making up for the loss of key players in the attack and on defense while Fanendo Adi and Liam Ridgewell have both been out with injuries.
With or without Adi, the Timbers are among the best in MLS and RSL Head Coach Mike Petke is preparing his club for a difficult matchup.
“They know exactly how they want to play. They’re cohesive … they’re fast. They’re dynamic,” he said. “It’s a tough opponent and a very different opponent than we faced last time.”
RSL has that July victory under its belt and has seen an explosive attack score 25 goals in the last 10 matches. While the club’s recent success has been slowed by a 3-2 loss in Vancouver last week, that hasn’t hindered the confidence the team has had in its recent run of form.
“When we have our attackers gelling like that, we’re a formidable team to play against,” defender Justen Glad said. “Confidence is high. I think everyone in our locker room believes we’re a top team. We like how we play and when things come off, it’s fun to watch and it’s fun to be on this team.”
