Timbers at FC Dallas
Kickoff: 6 p.m. Wednesday at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
TV/radio: No TV / Live radio on AM 750.
Webstream: Live at www.fcdallas.com.
At stake: The winner will advance to the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament, and will play on Aug. 7 at either Real Salt Lake or at the Carolina Railhawks of the second-division North American Soccer League.
About the Cup: In its 100th year, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup signifies the national championship of club soccer in the United States. It is a single-elimination tournament that in 2013 started with 68 teams, including amateur clubs.
The other quarterfinals: Also on Wednesday, New England visits DC United, Orlando City SC of USL PRO visits the Chicago Fire, and the Carolina Railhawks are at Real Salt Lake.
Head to head: Portland and Dallas have met twice this season in MLS. The teams played to a 1-1 draw at Dallas and the Timbers won 1-0 in Portland 11 days ago.
Timbers’ tale: This is Portland’s sixth match over 18 days. The Timbers have posted three wins and two draws since June 8, including a 2-0 Open Cup win over Tampa Bay. Overall, the Timbers are on a 17-match unbeaten streak, including two home wins in the Open Cup tournament. Portland is tied with Real Salt Lake for the top spot in MLS with 30 points halfway through the league schedule. This is the first time the Timbers have reached the quarterfinals of the Open Cup. Frederic Piquionne scored four goals in Portland’s 5-1 Cup win over the Wilmington Hammerheads. Piquionne scored his first MLS goal in Sunday’s 3-0 MLS victory over Colorado, and has five goals and five assists over his last seven matches in all competitions. Portland hosts the Mexican club Morelia for a July 3 exhibition, and returns to MLS competition on July 7 at Columbus.
FC Dallas story: One point behind Portland and Real Salt Lake atop the MLS Western Conference, Dallas is unbeaten at home this season (7-0-2 in league play). FCD beat the Fort Lauderdale Strikers 2-0 in their first match of this tournament, then Kenny Cooper scored two goals as Dallas beat Houston 3-0 to reach the Cup quarterfinals for the second time in three years. After missing Dallas’ 1-0 loss at Portland on June 15 because his father suffered a heart attack (Kenny Cooper, Sr., is reportedly recovering well), Cooper played all 90 minutes of Saturday’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Sporting Kansas City, a match that saw Dallas score twice after the 87th minute to earn the tie. This is the 13th appearance in the Open Cup quarterfinals for Dallas, which won the tournament in 1997.
Caleb Porter says: “We have a great opportunity to try to win a trophy for this club. The players are ready. They’re hungry.”
