TUCSON, Ariz. – If he appears against the LA Galaxy on March 4 (7pm PT, FS1) at the start of the 2018 MLS regular season, Portland Timbers midfielder Diego Chara’s broken metatarsal will have cost him only one missed competitive game.
But, oh, what a game to miss. With the Timbers already hamstrung by injuries, the team’s midfield linchpin was injured early in Portland’s 0-0, first-leg draw at the Houston Dynamo in last season’s 2017 Audi MLS Cup Western Conference Semifinals. Condemned to the sidelines for leg two, Chara saw Portland’s season came to an end, losing 2-1 to the Dynamo at Providence Park.