Giovanni Savarese keeps calling it “a dream come to reality.” That’s his go-to phrase when describing how it feels to see his Portland Timbers side host the 2021 MLS Cup Final for the first time in the team’s history. He opened with as much during his press conference on Thursday, sharing “as a coach, as a player, when you start the season, there’s no better thing than hosting MLS Cup.”
He was also very quick to follow up with the important line, “of course, winning [it] is more important than anything else.”
That above sentiment has been the prevailing feeling around the Timbers in the week-long run-up to Saturday’s big event.