For the second time this year, the Portland Timbers lost to their Western Conference foe, FC Dallas, on Wednesday night. Over the past couple years, the two teams have emerged as some of the best in the MLS, capping with an exciting tie last year in the playoffs. The Timbers have not had nearly as much luck against FC Dallas this year, with the Texans winning both matches, and frankly, doing so pretty easily. Some pieces have been missing from this Timbers team comparing last year to this year: the departures of Rodney Wallace and Jorge Villafana, injuries to mainstays like Alvas Powell and Adam Kwarasey, but the most notable difference has to be the disappearing of a speedy and ruthless counterattack that Portland excelled with last year.
Stumptown Breakdown: The Fading of the Timbers' Counterattack
