The Blues and Timbers clash for the only time this regular season tonight. New York City comes to Portland fresh off a tidy 2-0 victory over DC United; meanwhile, the Timbers are licking their wounds after losing back-to-back games to Vancouver and Dallas, both by 2-1 scores. They find themselves struggling in the West, sitting in ninth place with a 3-5-3 record and 12 points, one less than New York City.
The Blues will have a daunting task on their hands as they visit Providence Park. They've lost cornerstone defending midfielder Federico Bravo to yellow card accumulation, and midfielder Mikey Lopez is on the brink of suspension as well; if he gets a yellow card in Sunday's game, he'll be suspended for Wednesday's tilt against Toronto FC.