These MLS matches are such a pain, aren't they?
Sandwiched between two CONCACAF Champions League preliminary games, Toronto must travel to the American west coast to take on the expansion Timbers at newly-named Jeld-Wen Field. Given both teams' relative place in the league standings, and the fact that the upcoming match in Nicaragua is so much more important in the grand scheme of salvaging the 2011 season, you'll be excused if you're not overly enthused about this one.
But obligations being what they are, TFC must face Portland in their mini-Lions Den of a home -- a cool little reconstructed stadium that would be the best in the league if not for the artificial turf.
The Timbers used their home stadium to great advantage, pulling off an unprecedented (for an expansion side) five-game winning streak to re-open the place. Eventually, the rest of the league adjusted to the raucous crowd, postage stamp-sized pitch, and fake grass to push the Portlanders back down to their expected place on the ladder, but for that first month or so it was nothing but jubilation for the home team and fans.
The question for TFC is whether they can continue the MLS trend of stealing points in Oregon, or will they continue the franchise trend of following up a solid win with a mind-bendingly awful road performance?
History tells us it will likely be the latter.
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For those like myself who think it's time to throw in the towel and give up the pretense of chasing the playoffs, an awful road performance would be fine if done so with half the TFC Academy masquerading as the first team. But knowing what we do about Aron Winter -- that he will always strive to be as middling as possible during these gruelling multi-competition stretches -- we'll likely see a mix of veterans and young'ns tossed out there in an attempt to play every match as if they are equal in importance.
They're not, of course, and one quick glance at the league table will tell you that winning this game will do little in comparison to a positive result for the Reds three days later (!) in Central America.
If TFC throw out a mixture of veterans and youth against Portland -- and there's absolutely nothing to suggest that they won't -- then hopefully the core vets will be spared from playing the full 90 on the plastic. If new captain Torsten Frings has to start then he shouldn't go the distance. Same with Danny Koevermans, who is clearly getting more and more fit with each passing match, but whose services are far more crucial at Estadio Independencia than the stadium formerly known as PGE Park.
As a supporter, it's never fun to advocate for your team to "throw" a match in favour of another one. There's nothing I wouldn't love more than for TFC to curb stomp the Timbers on Saturday night, en route to an awe-inspiring 25-match winning streak that culminates in the MLS Cup championship and a berth in the CCL semi-finals next year.
But the realist in me has to look at the bigger picture, which shows Toronto with almost no hope for the post-season while still being very much alive in the only other competition left.
It's a no-brainer, really.
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Portland: The Timbers are in the midst of an horrific run at Jeld-Wen Field, having lost three in a row at home in MLS play, and having gone winless in six in Portland in the league. They did win their most recent home match -- a 2-0 friendly victory over Pablo Vitti's old club Independiente on Tuesday night.
Team captain and 2011 MLS All-Star (!) Jack Jewsbury leads the team with six goals from all competitions, but -- like his team -- his form has lessened after a torrid start to the year.
Traditional TFC killer Kenny Cooper is still on the roster, but he hasn't seen much action and has come under criticism from coach John Spencer for his inability to score.
Defensively , Portland are nearly as big a mess as TFC, although they've benefitted from a consistency on the backline that Toronto can only dream of. Spencer has chosen to employ a highly attacking style of play, although the lack of scoring touch has led to some wide-open matches in which Portland are simply outgunned.
Of course, TFC have proven to be the remedy for opposing teams' scoring woes this year (see: Philadelphia & DC), so perhaps Portland looks at this match as a potential kick-start for their stagnant offence.
Portland Timbers v. Toronto FC
Saturday, July 30, 2011. 11:00pm EDT.
Jeld-Wen Field. Portland, OR.
Watch: GolTV Canada, MLS MatchDay Live
Listen: Sportsnet Radio FAN 590, FAN590.com
Rudi Schuller occasionally contributes Toronto FC and Canadian national team content to the 24th Minute. He manages the Euro File here at Canadian Soccer News, and is MLSsoccer.com's beat writer for all things concerning Canada's men's national teams. Follow Rudi on Twitter, @RudiSchuller.