For two weeks in a row, the Timbers have played matches that have followed the same script: They concede via set piece in the first 15 minutes, falter, but then look to have a resurgence in the middle of the first half. One way or another, they keep the game competitive until around the 60th minute, after which they collapse, giving up two goals and having a key defender sent off in quick succession. In these two games, the Timbers have been outscored by seven to one; their lone goal coming from a set piece.
That the Timbers have now played two matches in a row that played out in basically the same way against two very different opponents speaks volumes more about the boys in green than it does about the quality of those opponents.