Striker Frank Boli attempts to dribble past midfielder Cristian Paredes during practice on October 17, 2023, at the Timbers Training Facilities in Beaverton, OR (photo: Diego G Diaz).
The 2023 MLS Regular Season is on its last straightaway to the finish line. Past the checkered flag, already are Shield winners FC Cincinnati, and most of the playoff slots already clinched. Just one last direct slot available to the playoffs, and all four spots for the series qualifications are open. This year, MLS new rules, made available the extra four spots (two per conference) that will have their own qualification series, winners will be the eighth team to complete East and West post season line up.
Portland Timbers coach Miles Joseph (Photo by Diego G Diaz)
The last direct spot that is still in play is in the Western Conference. Portland Timbers are battling for it up to the last possible week, something Portland fans have gotten used to year after year. The last rival is Houston Dynamo, the perpetrators of that humiliating 5-0 at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas, that cost former coach Giovanni Savarese his place at the Timbers’ helm. Interim coach Miles Joseph, and captain Diego Chará, tried to break the two-game correlation. “This is a completely different game”, they say, but they can’t hide the fire, you can see squinting eyes, as when in any drama, the subject of vengeance gets brought up.
Coach Joseph assured in his press conference his team is at full strength and completely focused for this Saturday’s season defining match against Houston, a game that feels already feels like is part of the postseason.
The Portland Timbers worked hard in the last full open training of the 2023 MLS Regular Season. Apart for the season ending injuries of young Argentinian David Ayala, the USNMT’s Eric Williamson (both early on the year), and the Polish striker Jaroslaw Niezgoda, and suspended goal keeper Aljaz Ivacic, the core of the team that has been tasked on keeping the boat afloat is intact, and benefiting from a week of rest.
Fans may not want blood, but they’ll demand goals, and the Timbers will hope to draw on that passion to get the win to clinch that last spot and avoid the extra match. On the contrary, Houston, even though they have already clinched their presence in the final series, they still desire very much to get a win to secure a high seed spot, and bring to their own fans as much of the game as possible. Different problems, but sitting at 4th place, within 2 points of the Sounders (3rd), and even LAFC (2nd), makes The Dynamo a very dangerous foe when playing for all the marbles.
Here is the answers and comments from coach Joseph and captain Chará.
