Timbers U-23s visit Crossfire in regular-season finale Wednesday

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers U-23s visit the Washington Crossfire at Redmond High School on Wednesday in their Premier Development League regular-season finale; kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (Pacific). Wednesday’s match will determine the Timbers U-23s’ final positioning in the Northwest Division heading into the postseason.

The Timbers U-23s (9-4-2, 29pts) currently sit in third place in the Northwest Division, and with a win on Wednesday could move into second place as a result of PDL tiebreakers. Portland, who clinched a playoff berth July 6 in a win over Washington, will face the Kitsap Pumas, which currently occupy second place, in the divisional playoff this weekend. The team, either Portland or Kitsap, that finishes in second place will play host to the divisional playoff match.

Portland had a recent four-game unbeaten streak come to an end in a 1-0 loss to Kitsap on July 8. Forward Ben Truax tallied the decisive goal in the 87th minute to give Kitsap a road victory in its regular-season finale.

The Timbers U-23s face Crossfire (8-6-1, 25pts) for the second time in three games Wednesday in the final matchup in the three-game, regular-season series between the two teams. Washington also has secured a playoff berth in the Northwest Division.

In their previous meeting on July 6, the Timbers U-23s defeated Crossfire 1-0 on a second-half goal from forward Mark Sherrod. The Timbers U-23s first visited Crossfire this season on June 6 and suffered a 2-1 loss in a physical match at Redmond High School. Midfielder Andrew Ribeiro notched the go-ahead goal for Portland early in the match, but Washington was able to respond with back-to-back goals from Nik Besagno and Adam Mena Bonifacio.

The Timbers U-23s lead the all-time series with Crossfire with a record of 4-3-1.