3 KEY MATCHUPS
FANENDO ADI vs. KENDALL WASTON
Fanendo Adi the Timbers’ 6-4 Nigerian-born striker, was not very effective on Thursday — zero shots, two offsides and little impact on Portland’s attack. But he did finish the regular season on a tear with six goals in the last five games as the Timbers went 4-1 down the stretch to earn a playoff berth. Look for some physical aerial battles on Sunday between Adi and Kendall Waston, both pictured above, the Caps’ dominating 6-5 centre back.
DARLINGTON NAGBE vs. MATIAS LABA and GERSHON KOFFIE
Darlington Nagbe (five goals, five assists) has been the key to Portland’s attack of late. Nagbe has moved more central after playing out wide and loves to make aggressive runs through the middle of the park. Expect one of Matis Laba or Gershon Koffie to almost shadow Nagbe in an effort to either deny him the ball or deny him space. If they Caps win this battle, they’ve got a good chance of coming out of Portland with the lead in the two-leg semifinal.
CAPS WINGERS vs. TIMBERS FULLBACKS
Oh, this should be good. The Vancouver attack is often predicated on getting the speedy Kekuta Manneh on the run down the left or on diminutive Cristian Techera working some ball-handling magic on the right. But the 5-2 Techera will be up against Jorge Villifana, one of the best one-onone defenders in MLS and a threat to go forward. Manneh gets matched up against Alvas Powell, perhaps the fastest fullback in MLS. It will be tough for Manneh to get in behind Powell, so he’ll need to win some duels when going right at the young Jamaican.