:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67053029/Training_20on_2007_04_20__20Portland_20Timbers_20__20Wide_20World_20of_20Sports_m2261.0.jpg)
Are you ready for some football?
Tonight Group F kicks off their MLS Is Back tournament.
That means western division foes, the LA Galaxy are on tonight’s menu. Last time we saw the Timbers on the pitch, a Diego Valeri goal was all that was needed to put away league upstarts Nashville SC. Now they return to the pitch, though not in front of the Timbers Army, but in a stadium in Florida with no fans present. Such is the world we live in at the moment.
I’m not going to get into whether or not this match or the tournament itself was a good or bad idea, I don’t think we know the whole impact until after it’s all said and done. But sending two teams home right off the bad was not a good look for the league in my opinion.
Right now the Timbers need to put their heads down and be able to look up only after they’ve secured the bag and bring a chip back to Portland.
The Timbers could be in for a long night, no Jorge Moreira (he’s back at River Plate) so the back line could be a mishmash. They’ll have to be on the lookout for Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez spearheading the LA Galaxy’s attack.
Starting Rosters
Portland Timbers
Our Starting XI vs. @LAGalaxy in our #MLSisBack opener. #RCTID pic.twitter.com/PhU3hdpWts
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) July 14, 2020
LA Galaxy
Your first @ModeloUSA Starting XI of the #MLSisBack tournament ❗️#LAvPOR
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) July 14, 2020