Match Preview: T2 Play Final Home Game at Providence Park

Saturday night will be the last home match for T2 this season. They get to end it at Providence Park while hosting Sacramento Republic FC. T2 have been eliminated from the playoffs while Sacramento have secured their trip to the post season.

Portland Timbers 2

T2 (10-14-2, 32 pts) couldn't find the net at Merlo in their last match their against Colorado Springs. The loss had officially eliminated them from the post season. But there are still two games left to play so T2 need to pick themselves up and end their season on a high note.

First up, Sacramento Republic FC at home. And for the last home match of the season, T2 get a second visit to Providence Park. The first visit did not work out well. T2 hosted Orange County Blues and was made almost entirely of first team loans. "T 1.5" then proceeded to get played right off the pitch by the OC Blues in one of the more bad performances for T2 this season. T2 has a 1-1-0 record with Sacramento so far. T2 defeated them at Merlo Field 2-1 and then were shutout for the first time in their history with a 3-0 loss at Bonney Field.

A big question will be who plays Saturday night. Last time T2 were at Providence Park the game was used for a lot of first team players that needed minutes. T2 should have a full compliment of players available to them. No one should be suspended for T2 this match and the only injury that we know about is still the season ending Rennico Clarke injury. But that won't stop any first team loans from coming in if they determine that is who they want to play over any T2 regulars. So we could see an all T2 lineup or a more mixed bag than usual.

In addition to the potential for more than the usual amount of first team loans, T2 have a short turnaround in their final two games this season. After Saturday night at Providence Park, T2 will make their way down to Carson, CA and Stubhub Center to face LA Galaxy II on Wednesday night, September 16th. That will be T2's final match of their first season. Saturday night here at Providence will be the last chance for most of us to catch T2 in person before the 2016 season rolls around.

Sacramento Republic FC

Sacramento Republic (12-8-5, 41 pts) clinched their playoff spot in a 2-1 road victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps 2 on Sept 6th. Justin Braun scored a brace for the visitors and secured his team's place in the post season. The brace earned Braun USL Team of the Week honors.

Sitting in 5th place with 41 points, 2nd place in the Western conference is held with only 43 points. So if Sacramento get a victory in Portland they can rocket themselves up to 2nd place and try to position themselves for better post season seeding. This match in Portland is the first of their last 3 games where Sacramento will be pushing hard to earn all 9 possible points. Sacramento want all 9 points to try to guarantee themselves a top 2 finish and a home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Sacramento have playoff positions to play for and will be playing with post season form in mind too. So they will come to Portland and aim to be a very tough challenge for T2 to face.

And after Saturday night, T2 will play their final match of the 2015 season in Carson, CA against LA Galaxy II. That match will be available on live stream, Wednesday, September 16th. Kickoff will be at 7:30pm Pacific time.

Match Information

Watch it: Streamed live on Timbers2.com

Kickoff: Saturday, September 12th, 7:00pm pacific, at Providence Park in Portland, OR

Portland Timbers 2: 10-14-2, 32pts, 8th place in the USL Western Conference

Sacramento Republic FC: 12-8-5, 41pts, 5th place in the USL Western Conference