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The Portland Timbers kick things off early today as they face off against the Vancouver Whitecaps up in British Columbia. With both sides below the red line so far this season, both the Timbers and the Whitecaps will be looking to move up the standings today.
More than just moving up the table, however, this is a Cascadia Cup match between two rival sides. With the Timbers having raised the MLS Cup at the end of last season, the Whitecaps are the only Cascadian side without any major hardware since making the move to MLS and will be coming out with something to prove against the champs.
Previews
Preview Interview: "The better Laba is, the better the Whitecaps are, simple as that. Unfortunately, he isn't having his best season as a Whitecap, and that's showed with the results that we have been getting. He plays as a defensice midfelder, which is a vital position to the Whitecaps style of play. Our league leading defense last year was largely due to Laba putting in the hours disrupting attacks, and being in the right position to stop whatever other teams would throw at us. On the flip side, going forward we needed someone who could create breaks by playing with Morales in the midfield, and he was more than adept at that."
Check out Rich's FIFA preview here.
Don't forget to weigh in over at lost fervor's prediction thread.
Match Information
Watch it on: KPTV
Kickoff: 2:00 p.m. PT at B.C. Place in Vancouver, B.C.
Portland Timbers: 3-3-3, 7th place in the Western Conference
Vancouver Whitecaps: 3-5-2, 8th place in the Western Conference