Timbers at D.C. United
Kickoff: 4 p.m. Saturday at RFK Stadium.
TV/radio: ROOT Sports (Cable Ch. 34/734) / AM 750
Where they stand: Portland has 4 wins, 1 loss and 7 ties and sits third in the West; DC United (1-8-2) has the worst record in MLS.
Head to head: D.C. United has the only win in the series, with two matches ending in draws, including last season’s 1-1 draw in September at Jeld-Wen Field. This is the only game this season between the teams.
Timbers’ tale: On a franchise-record 10-game unbeaten string, the Timbers are looking to add to their string of solid road performances. After being the worst road team in MLS in 2012, Portland is the only team that hasn’t lost away from home in 2013. With Futty Danso suspended for this game as a result of his red card at Vancouver last week, new central defender Pa Modou Kah figures to start alongside Andrew Jean-Baptiste. Portland’s opponent has scored first in six of the Timbers 11 games, but Portland has a win and four draws in those games.
D.C. story: A 1-1 home draw against Sporting Kansas City last weekend ended a seven-game losing streak. Injuries have impacted D.C. United this season, and could be an explanation for why it has scored only six goals in 11 matches. Captain Dwayne De Rosario has one goal and one assist, and has publicly expressed frustration that he is not getting enough touches on the ball as United plays the ball long out of the back a fair amount of the time.
