Timbers’ Borchers: Salt Lake match to be like playoffs

The Timbers cannot be eliminated from contention for the MLS Cup playoffs if they lose Wednesday’s match at Real Salt Lake. But Portland’s chances of being among the six playoff teams in the Western Conference will be significantly slimmer should they lose.
Coach Caleb Porter noted that seven points — two wins and a draw — from the Timbers’ final three matches should guarantee a playoff spot. But given that the Timbers visit the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, anything less than a win at Real Salt Lake could mean missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
“It’s going to be just like a playoff game,” Timbers defender Nat Borchers said. “The atmosphere will be just like a playoff game. … It’s going to be a special game.”
The last visit to Sandy, Utah, was special for Borchers, who spent seven seasons playing for Real Salt Lake before his trade to Portland prior to this season. On Aug. 15, Borchers’ third goal of the season, from a corner kick in the dying seconds of the match, produced an unlikely 1-0 win for the Timbers.
Borchers said the Timbers were very fortunate in that game, both because of his late strike and because RSL had more possession and more scoring chances than did Portland.
“We know if we come in with the same mentality we’re going to get beat,” Borchers said. “So we have to make sure that we take care of the ball and we’re better defensively.”
Since that Aug. 15 twist, the Timbers have won only once. They have lost three times and tied twice to put their playoff fate in jeopardy. RSL, on the other hand, has won four of six to climb back within striking distance.
It is not surprising that the playoff race is so tight in the Western Conference. When Sporting Kansas City and Houston shifted into the West for this season it added two franchises with plenty of recent success to an already ultra-competitive conference. Still, the Timbers wouldn’t be in such a precarious spot were they not winless in their last four home games.
With only 10 points between first place and ninth place in the Western Conference, it looks like the playoff picture won’t be clear until the final MLS matches are played on Oct. 25. Entering Wednesday, only the Colorado Rapids have been eliminated from playoff contention. If Portland wins at RSL, the odds will become very long for both Houston and RSL which would each need to win its final two matches and get a lot of help.
San Jose is tied with the Timbers with 44 points but listed above Portland in the MLS standings because the Quakes (like every team except Colorado) have scored more goals than the Timbers. But the Timbers have three games to play counting Wednesday’s, while the Quakes have only two. San Jose hosts Sporting Kansas City (fourth place, 48 points) on Saturday in a match that will factor into Portland’s place in the standings. It would appear that San Jose has the tougher final game than Portland, visiting FC Dallas while Portland hosts last-place Colorado.
But if Real Salt Lake wins on Wednesday, RSL will pull even with the Timbers and Quakes. Salt Lake closes the season with a Saturday home match against FC Dallas and a visit to Seattle on Oct. 25. Houston, with games remaining at Seattle on Sunday and at Vancouver on Oct. 5, has the longest odds of the teams in the playoff scramble.
Last season the Timbers did not control their playoff fate on the final day of the season, so they were done despite a closing win at FC Dallas. It’s not a situation Porter wants repeated, which means Wednesday’s match is playoff critical.