Whitecaps kick off road swing in Portland against conference-best Timbers
Posted April 22, 2017 10:06 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
PORTLAND, ORE (NEWS 1130) – Cascadia Cup battles continue Saturday afternoon in Portland as the Vancouver Whitecaps face the Timbers at Providence Park. (1pm)
The road has not been kind to the Whitecaps for some time – Vancouver has collected just one win in its last eleven matches away from BC Place, and Carl Robinson knows Saturday will be a big challenge in a hostile PDX environment.
“I think it’s well known that (Portland) is a fantastic enviornment to play in. The fans are crazy in a good way. They get behind their team, and they’re there an hour before the game, and probably there for an hour after the game. They never stop singing.”
It won’t be easy on the field either. Vancouver will have to contend with the likes of Fanendo Adi, and Diego Valeri – those two have five goals each already this season. Portland sits at the top of the table in the Western Conference (4-2-1, 13 points) while the ‘Caps are 7th. (2-3-1, 7 points)
“I think they’ve (Portland) been the best team in the early part of the season. The goalscoring doesn’t lie.” Robinson said earlier in the week.
“We’ll go (to Portland) full of confidence and it will come down to fine lines.”
While the Whitecaps have started to find some finish – the team has scored eight MLS goals this season – the Timbers blow that out of the water, having scored 16 times already on the year.
Vancouver did start the Cascadia Darby portion of its schedule off on the right foot, knocking off the Seattle Sounders 2-1 on April 14th at BC Place.
Saturday’s action in Portland marks the start of a lengthy stretch away from BC Place – the team’s next four matches come on the road. The Whitecaps will play next in Montreal on April 29th against the Impact.
