BEAVERTON, Ore. – What once was a lingering question about the 2018 Portland Timbers has, over the course of a month, become a strength. At least, to hear Portland players talk about it after Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Sporting Kansas City in the first leg of the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference Championship, the idea of playing on short rest no longer feels like a challenge unfulfilled. What was a burden in the regular season has become a cause for pride in the playoffs.
“We went and won in Dallas,” central defender Liam Ridgewell explained, after the team’s draw with Sporting, “and we went and won in Seattle … We just keep rolling and playing as a team, and we can win anywhere.