On July 5, the Portland Timbers play host to visitors San Jose Earthquakes at Providence Park (8pm PT, ESPN2). It is the first match between the two Western Conference foes this season. While the Earthquakes currently sit just outside the playoff picture, they are only three points behind the Timbers with two games in hand. A result on Sunday would give the Timbers a little bit of breathing room in a tightening Western Conference playoff race. Ahead of Sunday's match, take a look at these five numbers to know in the latest Quick Strikes by Simple.
1 The Timbers have conceded just one goal in the last 455 minutes played at Providence Park, a span of over five matches. In all nine of their home matches this season, the Timbers have only conceded a total of six goals, a number good for a GAA of 0.67.
4 Since returning to the starting lineup from injury, Timbers midfielder Will Johnson has captained the team to a 4-0-0 record. In those four games, the Timbers have compiled a goal differential of +8.
14 In the final 30 minutes of games this season, the Timbers have netted an impressive 14 goals, which is tied with D.C. United for the most in the league.
39 Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe leads the league in chances created from open play with 39 through 18 matches this season. MLSsoccer.com's Armchair Analyst, Matt Doyle, wrote this after Sunday's victory over the Sounders: "To put it into perspective: Two years ago, [Nagbe] only created 44 chances from open play, while last year it was 56."
290Alvas Powell and Darlington Nagbe have combined to win 290 duels this season (Opta defines a duel as "an 50-50 contest between two players of opposing sides in the match"). The duo rank first and third respectively in MLS this season.
