BEAVERTON, Ore. — Major League Soccer royalty comes to Providence Park on Sunday for a match that Timbers coach Caleb Porter sees as both a real challenge and a real opportunity.
“Certainly we’re the underdog” Porter said of Sunday’s 4:15 p.m. match against the Los Angeles Galaxy.
“They’re the super club of MLS, and they’ve proven that with their trophies. We’re five years into (MLS) and we haven’t won anything yet, so we have a lot of respect to earn,” Porter said. “But this is a great opportunity for us to maybe earn a little bit of respect.”
Even without Landon Donovan, who retired in December after helping the Galaxy win their fifth MLS Cup title, Los Angeles has one of the league’s most dynamic attacks. That, Porter said, is because of Robbie Keane.
“He’s ruthless. He needs one chance, one moment,” Porter said. “That’s what makes him so good is he’s a killer in the box.”
The native of Dublin, Ireland, comes to Portland on St. Patrick’s Day weekend as the reigning MLS Most Valuable Player. He scored 19 goals in 28 regular-season games last season. He scored in last week’s opener, and has 54 goals and 35 assists in 85 MLS regular-season appearances.
Against Portland, Keane has five goals and three assists in eight appearances. The Timbers held Keane scoreless in three 2013 matches, but last season he scored three times against the Timbers.
Porter said the retirement of Donovan takes one significant weapon away from the Galaxy attack, but that Los Angeles still can be especially dangerous on counter attacks.
The development of 23-year-old forward Gyasi Zardes makes it more challenging for defenses to focus on Keane. The 6-foot-2 Zardes scored 16 goals in 32 regular-season games last season. Porter compared the Keane-Zardes partnership to Seattle’s Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins, who combined for 32 goals last season and accounted for three goals in the Sounders’ opening win.
“That’s why L.A. and Seattle are probably the best two teams in the league,” Porter said. “They have two strikers that play well off each other and both those teams have two strikers that score goals consistently.”
No Timbers’ opponent has scored at all in the last four MLS matches at Providence Park dating to last season. That streak of 365 minutes will be tested on Sunday, but success in this match could bode well as the season unfolds.
“It’s real measuring stick for us early in the year,” Porter said. “And if we can pull off the upset on these guys then it makes a huge statement for our club and I think it gives us a lot of momentum.
Injuries/updates — Defensive midfielder Diego Chara is healthy and will play after missing the season opener. Midfielder Michael Nanchoff, who came on as a substitute against Real Salt Lake, is still hampered by a hip flexor injury and will be checked for a sports hernia. … Porter said there is still no timetable for Diego Valeri or Will Johnson to return. Neither has yet been cleared by medical staff to return to full training.
