What We'll Remember | Progress provides hope, no points, as road trip continues

The Portland Timbers third loss in a row comes with a very different feel from the defeats to Los Angeles FC and FC Cincinnati. Whereas those were deflating, lopsided performances that forced head coach Giovanni Savarese to go back to his drawing board, tonight’s 2-1 loss to LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Center in Carson, California, felt much more like a typical MLS game on the road. The game was close. Both teams had positive moments. The home team ultimately won out.

Expecting to build on last year’s Western Conference title, the Timbers’ standards need to be higher than that, but in terms of progress, Sunday an undeniable step forward. Beyond reversing the course of 4-1 (LAFC) and 3-0…