Fresh off a huge rivalry win, the Portland Timbers (8-8-12, 36 points) head to Texas to square dance square-off against Western Conference title contenders Austin FC (15-6-6, 51 points).

Storylines So Far

The Timbers gave their season a jolt of adrenaline yet again when they came back to down Seattle at home last Friday. The regular season sweep of the Sounders not only netted Portland the Cascadia Cup, but it also kept them in the hunt for one of the final few playoff places in the Western Conference. For as much as last week lifted the vibes, the mountain the Timbers still have to climb to get into the playoff picture is significant: they’ve played more games than most of the teams around them, and will likely need some help from teams around them slipping— of course coupled with a win tonight to keep pace.