Portland Timbers 2 versus Rio Grande Valley FC
6/9, 5:30PM PST, ESPN +
Portland Timbers 2 (7-4-2, 23pts) look to return to their winning ways when they face Rio Grande Valley FC (1-4-7, 10pts) on Saturday.
Both sides lost last time out. T2 fell to San Antonio FC 2-1, conceding twice after the 80th minute. Augustine Williams scored the lone goal for T2 from the penalty spot. RGVFC came up short against league leading Real Monarchs SLC, losing 2-0.
The two sides have already met once this season. Portland beat the Toros 3-2 at Merlo Field in April. RGVFC would score first in the 30th minute from an Omar Ontiveros header. T2 would rally in the second half, putting three goals past the Toros. Forward Jeremy Ebobisse scored the first goal for T2 with a volleyed shot in the box. Midfield Jack Barmby scored the second after earning a penalty and converting it himself. The third was a true poacher’s goal from Foster Langsdorf. Portland conceded a late penalty, which midfielder Todd Wharton scored, narrowing T2’s margin of victory to one.
There will be no love lost between the two sides. Their previous meeting saw two players sent off during stoppage time. Portland’s Lamar Batista and RGVFC’s Matias Zaldivar both saw red.
With only one win on the season, the Toros might not seem like a difficult challenge for T2. However, RGVFC have not lost at home all season, drawing six times and winning once thus making H-E-B Park a fortress of sorts. In their last five matches at home, the Toros have allowed one lonesome, solitary goal. During those five matches, they managed to score a measly three goals.
T2 may struggle to break down RGVFC’s defense with their best attacking players unavailable. All three of Portland’s goal scorers from the previous meeting between the two sides saw action midweek in the first team’s U.S. Open Cup match. Several other T2 players saw action with the Portland Timbers as well, including but not limited to: goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh, defender Modou Jadama, and midfielder Eryk Williamson. Those three players, along with Langsdorf, filled out the Timbers’ bench against the Los Angeles Galaxy, and it would be unsurprising to find them or Ebobisse there again when the Major League Soccer side faces Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.
Head Coach Cameron Knowles dealt with the selection issues last week by sending out a less-than-convincing 3-5-2, before switching to T2’s more familiar four back set. The formation shift saw midfielder Terrell Lowe at fullback, where he struggled. Whether Knowles sees this as growth opportunity for the youngster or returns a natural fullback—either veteran Jimmy Mulligan or 18-year-old Harold Hanson—to the lineup is uncertain. What is certain is Knowles has his hands full filling out Saturday’s team sheet.
Stream online on ESPN+ Saturday, 5:30 p.m. PST.
T2
USL
