Timbers Matchday: at Toronto FC

Timbers at Toronto FC

Kickoff: 2 p.m. Saturday at BMO Field.

TV / radio: ROOT Sports / AM 750.

Timbers match notes: The Timbers (3-4-4, 13 points) sit eighth among the nine teams in the Western Conference. This is the third consecutive road match for Portland, which won at Montreal two weeks ago and lost at Houston last week. It will be intriguing to see if team captain Will Johnson gets his first action with the Timbers this season on the same field where he broke his leg on Sept. 27. Johnson has played in three matches with Timbers 2 to build fitness. Coach Caleb Porter this week would not commit to playing Johnson at Toronto — but did not rule it out. Johnson made the trip to Toronto and told the Canadian Press on Friday that he would be thrilled to make his return at the place where he was injured. … Saturday’s game is the first of three in eight days, so some players who play in this match are likely to be rested for Wednesday’s home match against D.C. United. … Fanendo Adi scored his team-leading fourth goal last week off an assist from Diego Valeri. In his two starts this season, Valeri has figured in two of the three goals scored by the Timbers.

Toronto match notes: Toronto (3-5-1, 10 points) is sixth in the East. United States national team forward Jozy Altidore (hamstring) is out. Altidore (5 goals) and Italian Sebastian Giovinco (4 goals) have scored nine of Toronto’s 13 goals this season. Perhaps midfielder Michael Bradley will move into a more attack-minded role instead of playing in a holding role. Former Timbers backup goalkeeper Joe Bendik was the Toronto starter before a foot injury that has sidelined him the past five games. … This is only the second league home match this season for Toronto because of a renovation project that increased BMO Field by 8,400 seats to almost 30,000.

Viewing parties: The Timbers official viewing party will be at Thirsty Lion, 71 SW 2nd Ave., in downtown Portland. The Timbers Army Northern Alliance viewing party is at Brewed Cafe and Pub, 603 Main St. in downtown Vancouver.

Thorns host Houston

The Portland Thorns host the Houston Dash at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Providence Park. At 2-1-2, the Thorns are fourth in the National Women’s Soccer League after their first loss of the season last weekend at Boston. Houston (1-2-2) is seventh in the nine-team league. Portland’s next home match is not until June 19. The Thorns play two road matches before the league takes a break during the group-play stage of the Women’s World Cup. Portland’s Allie Long is tied for the league lead in goals with four, and Mana Shim is tied for the league lead in assists with three. Shim also has three goals. Jessica McDonald, who played for the Thorns last season, leads Houston with three goals. A live webstream of all Thorns matches can be found at www.portlandthornsfc.com.