Like Seattle, the Portland Timbers have an open DP slot. Unlike the Sounders, there were strong rumors about who they were bringing in, but they haven’t closed the deal. Portland and Seattle each have a massive hole at the top end of their roster. Both teams will probably field a B-side in their Wednesday match at Kino North (6 PM Pacific, streaming) after the Sounders had their A-team go 63 minutes against Houston on Saturday and the Timbers were down in Costa Rica for a preseason swing.

While there will be a bit of the Cascadia rivalry in this one, it is still preseason. Portland is mainly working on familiarity in defense, as most of their losses were veterans in that band. The Timbers attack is solid so far. They slapped out seven goals against Costa Rican sides Herediano and Saprissa — no small feat. Lucas Melano is crushing it, with three goals already in preseason. Only a few trialists/draftees/T2 players saw action on that road trip. They may see this trip to Arizona as a chance to field more of those.

Forward Jeremy Ebobisse is back with the Timbers after his performance with the USMNT. At this time the 21-year-old is expected to start the season as Portland’s primary forward.

Major roster changes

Players in

Marvin Loria (Timbers 2), Renzo Zambrano (Timbers 2), Aljaz Ivacic (Olimpija Ljubljana), Claude Dielna (New England)

That’s it — although the heading says “major”, all four of Portland’s additions are listed here.

Players out

Jake Gleeson, Roy Miller, Liam Ridgewell, Alvas Powell, Lawerence Olum

One could list all of their losses and most Sounders fans would recognize the players.

Last year

Record: 15-10-9 +6, 5th West, 8th Shield

Expected Goals: xG 52.5 (8th) / xGA 49.0 (11th)

Actual goals: GF 54 (11th) / GA 48 (8th)

xG+xA Leader: Diego Valeri, 22.86

How to Watch

Date/Time: Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019 at 6:00 PM Pacific

Location: Kino North, Tucson, Arizona, as part of the Mobile Mini Sun Cup

Streaming: SoundersFC.com

Their SBN blog: Stumptown Footy