Portland, OR (Sports Network) - Chivas USA and the Portland Timbers will
attempt to get back in the win column on Saturday as the two sides get set to
meet at Jeld-Wen Field.
Both teams are coming off of key losses to Western Conference foes as Portland
was thrashed 5-0 at FC Dallas while Chivas fell 3-1 to the Los Angeles Galaxy
in the Super Clasico.
Separated by just four points in the West, Portland and Chivas are quite
familiar adversaries having faced one another on July 18. The Goats were
victorious in that affair, grabbing a 1-0 win thanks to Miller Bolanos.
That match marked a third straight shutout for the Chivas defense, but the
Goats were dismantled by the Galaxy last time out, conceding multiple goals in
a match for just the fourth time this season.
"We have to really take a look at these last two games," defender Danny Califf
said, "really in-depth take a look at what we did well against Portland and
how we came out, how we played, how we were sharp, how we put them under
pressure, how we didn't come out like that against the Galaxy and what changes
we need to make going forward."
Paolo Cardozo may have earned himself a place in the starting lineup for
Saturday's tilt with the Timbers. After a string of four consecutive league
starts, Cardozo began the match against the Galaxy on the bench only score the
club's lone goal of the match when he came on as a substitute at halftime.
"Paolo brought us some life in the middle part of the field, in the attacking
part of the field, and as a result obviously he scored a goal," Chivas head
coach Robin Fraser said. "He was involved in a number of good attacks."
Cardozo could have a field day against a Portland defense that has proven to
be quite porous in recent weeks.
Over Portland's current four-game losing streak, the Timbers have conceded 14
goals. They have scored just three.
"Defending as a group, we've changed nothing that we've done as a group in how
we defend, yet we're breaking down. Time and time again, we're breaking down,"
said Timbers interim head coach Gavin Wilkinson. "We included a few new
players with fresh legs with the potential to play extremely well and they
failed."
Wilkinson has had a rough go of it since taking over for John Spencer, going
0-3-0 and losing by a combined score of 11-3.
"I feel humiliated," Wilkinson said after the loss at FC Dallas. "I feel
terrible for the organization. We talk about how great our fan support is. We
had a group of fans that traveled tonight, and I apologize to them. And that's
me and the organization apologizing. It's important that we readdress the
situation."
The Sports Network