Fresh off a huge rivalry win, the Portland Timbers (8-8-12, 36 points) head to Texas to square dance square-off against Western Conference title contenders Austin FC (15-6-6, 51 points).

Storylines So Far

The Timbers gave their season a jolt of adrenaline yet again when they came back to down Seattle at home last Friday. The regular season sweep of the Sounders not only netted Portland the Cascadia Cup, but it also kept them in the hunt for one of the final few playoff places in the Western Conference. For as much as last week lifted the vibes, the mountain the Timbers still have to climb to get into the playoff picture is significant: they’ve played more games than most of the teams around them, and will likely need some help from teams around them slipping— of course coupled with a win tonight to keep pace.

Their opponents are pretty much one of the hottest teams in the league at the moment. Austin’s last home game saw them lay an absolute smackdown on the Supporter’s Shield leaders LAFC. The win was emblematic of the sheer remarkable nature what Josh Wolff’s side has been able to accomplish in just their second year of existence. Mounting onto the concerns for Portland, Austin won their two home fixtures against Portland by a combined 7-2 margin.

Pregame Reading

The Timbers players and coach shared their thoughts on a signature win last Friday— and Sam wrote about it.

Several Timbers players performed well and several players performed so-so in their last win— and Naveen wrote about it.

Austin, as mentioned, is pretty darned good, which make tonight a tough matchup for Portland— and Alex wrote about it.

How to Watch

Location: Q2 Stadium | Austin, TX

Time: 6:00 p.m. PST (DELAYED: NEW KICKOFF TBA)

Watch: Fox 12 Plus

Radio: 750 The Game & LA GranD 93.5 FM

Lineups

Portland Timbers

Austin FC