The Portland Timbers' Bye Week Could Have Been Worse

Bye weeks are never fun. We, as fans, don't get to go to a game (or at least watch one on TV) so there's that whole aspect of it. As a writer, I'm also left without much to write about, giving my life a distinct lack of meaning (kidding). The worst part of it all, however, is the inevitable slide in the standings your team will face should they not be at least 3 points ahead of the competition. Luckily, as far as bye weeks go, the Timbers' this time around wasn't all that bad.

Heading into the weekend, the Timbers had Real Salt Lake and the LA Galaxy nipping at their heels in terms of point standings. A win from both would see the Timbers drop from 2nd in the standings to 4th. While Real Salt Lake did end up beating the San Jose Earthquakes 3-nil and thus jumped into 2nd place in the Western Conference, LA actually fell 5-nil to the New England Revolution.

Such a result puts Real Salt Lake with 24 points, but it also leaves the Timbers with two games in hand over RSL. LA's drubbing brings them even with the Timbers for games played, but with two fewer points giving the boys in green a solid lead on the Southern Californian champions.

Finally, the Colorado Rapids had the chance to level with the Timbers in their game against FC Dallas. They ended up drawing the league leaders 2-2. This was actually a great thing for the Timbers as it kept the Rapids a few points lower on the standings as well keeping FC Dallas from running even farther away in the standings.

The Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps both ended up with three points after beating Chivas USA and the New York Red Bulls, respectively.

What did you think of the Timbers' bye week?