The Portland Timbers remain in the chase for the Western Conference playoffs just two points behind Saturday's opponent: the Vancouver Whitecaps (7:30pm PT, KPDX). Portland has pulled 10 points out of a possible 18 in their last six matches so Saturday's game should make for another great rivalry showdown. Here's five numbers to know for Saturday's match at BC Place.
Two Striker Fanendo Adi made his impact felt against Seattle last week, coming in during the 71st minute and scoring two goals in less than 20 minutes. Adi has proven to be an incredible rhythm player, scoring all six of his goals for the Timbers in the form of braces.
34 Portland currently stands at 31 points, just below Vancouver for the fifth and final spot in the Western Conference. If the Timbers can notch a win on Saturday. not only will they stunt the Whitecaps' point total at 33, they will jump over them into fifth place and above the red line.
Five Vancouver has scored just 20 goals at home, giving them a home goal differential of five. That's the lowest total for any current projected Western Conference playoff team. In fact, the Whitecaps have scored just six goals at BC Place since June 25.
206Diego Valeri has been the catalyst for the Timbers on offense, completing 206 passes into the final third, best on the team and good enough for 13th in MLS. Valeri has also been incredibly accurate passing the ball, completing 74 percent of his total passes.
1-1-5 Vancouver has been on a bit of a struggle the last two months, going just 1-1-5 since July 12. Moreover, the Timbers are 2-0-2 during MLS play in BC Place.
