Only Diego Chara, Diego Valeri and Jake Gleeson from the Portland Timbers’ current active roster, were with the club when they made their first MLS Cup Playoffs Conference Championship appearance in 2013, but the lessons the organization has learned through three conference final appearances in six years continue to inform this year’s run.
On a day-to-day basis, those lessons inform travel plans, training schedules, and player routines as they prepare for their most important games of the season. In the broader picture, they provide for a learned perspective on Major League Soccer’s two-legged, 180-minute conference finals.