The MLS Playoffs are back this weekend after a long break and the Portland Timbers will try and stay alive in the western conference finals against Real Salt Lake after falling in the first leg and the second leg will be on TV on ESPN live at 9:00 pm and streaming online from WatchESPN and the Timbers will try to make up a two goal deficit at home on Sunday night at JELD-WEN Field.
The Timbers came into the playoffs as the best team in the conference and now they will have to show why their home field advantage is the best in the league to stay alive and move on in the playoffs. The Timbers only lost one match in regulation at home this season and went 14-1-5 through various competitions and now they will have that on the line as they host Real Salt Lake for the second leg on Sunday night. The team will have to fight some history as it goes along, as no team has been able to make up two goals on the second leg in nearly a decade in the MLS and now Portland must try to do that and they likely will start the match playing aggressive to try and make up that aggregate. The team has plenty of players that can step up for the team and after Will Johnson and Frederic Piquionne scored the goals in the first leg, they will be looked at again as options on Sunday night.
Check here for the live coverage of Portland and RSL from ESPN.
Salt Lake has been a team that always seems to give Portland fits, as they have remained unbeaten against the team in nine contests and now the team is looking to extend that to 10 since losing the first time the two teams met back in 2011 and now the Timbers must rebound after going on an unbeaten streak that stretched back to the summer and funny enough, it was RSL that snapped the streak then as well. Robbie Findley has the winner for Real Salt Lake in the game and RSL was able to dominate with a stretch of three goals and now that might be too much for Portland to overcome and there has been a long break since the last game. Will Johnson is going to have to play well for the Timbers to win and he had a goal already and along with Piquionne he will be the main options for Portland and the team will have to watch out for the front line of RSL and it will also be tough to get past goalie Nick Rimando, who pitched a shutout back in October in a 0-0 draw.
This matchup is for the MLS Cup from the Western side and Sporting Kansas City already made it an either way there will be a new champion with the Los Angeles Galaxy getting defeated already. The team with the best record will get the MLS Cup as the home team for the first time and that should make things interesting and now Portland has this match at home after continuing to stay winless while playing Real in Salt Lake and now they have the chance to turn things around with a two goal deficit and it could have been even worse if the late goal didn't come in when the score was 4-1 at one point and now they will have to play aggressive to get ahead. The western conference game will be on ESPN starting up at 9 pm and streaming on the Watch ESPN website.