Good evening and welcome to the second (league) game of the Portland Timbers season. The match down in Sandy, Utah didn’t go as planned and the Timbers have returned with zero points heading into tonight's matchup against the Houston Dynamo.

Coach Giovanni Savarese has his work cut out for him. Not only does he have to keep one eye on the Dynamo, but he also has to have an eye his midweek matchup. Wednesday, the Timbers welcome Club America to Providence Park. But all he can do is coach the game in front of him right now, as much as I’m sure he’s got Wednesday in the back of his mind.

I’m not sure if you noticed, but the Timbers are the walking wounded. It wasn’t until the injury report came out that I realized how bad it actually is. A couple of players on this list are out for the season, but not all of them. So Gio’s going to have to put out the strongest side he can against Houston, as they always play the Timbers tough.

Injuries

• OUT: Jeremy Ebobisse (left thigh strain)
• OUT: Aljaz Ivacic (athletic pubalgia surgery)
• OUT: Jaroslaw Niezgoda (left ACL surgery)
• OUT: Steve Clark (left thigh strain)
• OUT: Ismaila Jome (left Achilles tendon surgery)
• QUESTIONABLE: Sebastian Blanco (right ACL surgery)

That’s quite the list. So what can we take away here? It looks as though Jeff Attinella will start in goal tonight. Could we have a Sebastian Blanco sighting? I wouldn't hold my breath though. I’m all in favor of him slowly ramping up before getting some substitution appearances in the future.

Starting Lineups

Portland Timbers

Houston Dynamo

Location: Providence Park, Portland Oregon
Kick-Off: 7:30 pm pst
Rival Blog: Dynamo Theory
TV: FOX 12 +, KEVU Eugene & KFBI Medford
Radio: 750 The Game & LA GranD 93.5 FM-1150 AM