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Know Your Opponent | "Second leg" against RSL brings Timbers' basics back into focus

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Timbers head coach Giovanni Savarese’s philosophy on training sessions was evident from his first practices in Arizona, during the team’s preseason, as players and those around the squad remarked on the days’ uptick in intensity and structure.

“It’s tiring … I can feel it now,” midfielder Diego Valeri said, then, while also acknowledging the change was, “good. It’s part of the season.”

This week, Savarese’s philosophy on training was reiterated in an unexpected way: in his weekly press conference; when asked about the importance of momentum at the end of a Major League Soccer season.