Timbers MatchDay: vs. Fire

Chicago at Portland

Kickoff: 4 p.m. today at Jeld-Wen Field.

TV: Root Sports (cable Ch. 34/734).

Radio: 750 AM (940 AM Spanish broadcast).

Tickets: A sellout of 20,438 is expected. Check Ticketmaster for availability of extra and obstructed-view seats.

Where they stand: Portland (2-5-3, 9 points) is ninth (last) in the Western Conference; Chicago (4-2-3, 15 points) is fourth (of 10 teams) in the Eastern Conference.

Last season: Portland won 4-2 in its home debut, and won 1-0 at Chicago.

Storyline: Defensively, the Timbers have posted three shutouts in their last four games, the exception being after goalkeeper Troy Perkins was knocked out of the game at Montreal. Of course, to win a team must score at least one goal, something Portland hasn’t done for itself in 427 minutes. Coach John Spencer says quality on the final pass is the missing link.

Leaders: Goals — Kris Boyd and Darlington Nagbe (3) lead Portland; Dominic Oduro (4) leads Chicago. Assists — Eric Alexander (3) leads Portland; Sebastian Grazzini (3) leads Chicago.

Injury/suspension impact: Timbers defender Futty Danso is suspended by MLS for one game because of a foul at Houston on Tuesday. Expect Eric Brunner to return to the lineup after missing two games with injury. … Timbers captain Jack Jewsbury, who has played at right back in the last two matches, is day to day with hip injury suffered during Tuesday’s scoreless draw in Houston.

Question of the day: What happens more often — a solar eclipse or a goal from the Timbers?

Follow Paul Danzer all Timbers season on Twitter at www.twitter.com/col_timbers