Colorado at Timbers
Kickoff: 4 p.m. Sunday at Providence Park.
TV / radio: ROOT Sports/ AM 750, FM 102.9.
Tickets: The match is sold out.
Timbers notes: At 14-11-8 (50 points), Portland enters the final day of the regular season in fourth place in the Western Conference. A win or a draw guarantees the Timbers a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs. Portland could finish as high as second depending upon results from the other four Sunday matches in the Western Conference. The Timbers will be without Diego Valeri because of yellow card accumulation. Valeri is second on the team in assists this season. With Will Johnson and Jack Jewsbury possibly available after missing time, coach Caleb Porter has the option of returning to two holding midfielders instead of the using Diego Chara as a lone defensive midfielder (with help from Darlington Nagbe) as he did in last Sunday’s 5-2 win in Los Angeles. If he chooses to go with a more attacking formation, options to replace Valeri include Michael Nanchoff and Dairon Asprilla. … Portland has won two in a row, both on the road. The Timbers are 7-3-6 at home this season, but have not won at home since Aug. 7 against Chicago and have lost two consecutive home matches. The Timbers won the only meeting this season on a late goal from Jewsbury on May 30 at Colorado. … Fanendo Adi has a MLS-era Timbers’ record 15 goals this season and was named MLS player of the week after scoring twice in last Sunday’s 5-2 win at Los Angeles.
Portland’s playoff path: The Timbers will make the MLS Cup playoffs with a win or a draw on Sunday. They can also qualify if they lose and one of the three teams below them — Seattle, Sporting Kansas City or San Jose — also loses. Portland can finish as high as second (and earn a bye into the conference semifinals) with a win if both Los Angeles and Vancouver do NOT win on Sunday. Places 3-6 play a one-game elimination match on either Wednesday or Thursday, with the team higher in the standings hosting that match.
Rapids notes: Colorado (9-14-10, 37 points) is last in the 10-team Western Conference, and was eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago. The Rapids, though, are coming off a 2-0 Wednesday win at Sporting Kansas City — a result that boosted Portland’s chances at a favorable playoff spot. Irish forward Kevin Doyle, who joined the Rapids as a designated player in May, leads the team with five goals in 19 appearances. … Midfielder Sam Cronin is suspended for a red card in Wednesday’s match. … With only 39 goals allowed, the Rapids have been as solid as any team defensively. But their 32 goals scored are the lowest in MLS – five fewer than Portland and Real Salt Lake, which have scored the next fewest at 37. … Even though Colorado has nothing to lose, expect the Rapids to continue to play defense-first soccer and look for counter-attack chances.
