PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — If you were at Providence Park on Saturday, Nov. 1, when the Timbers defeated San Diego in penalties, you walked away with one unshakable feeling – hope.
Both teams are more than familiar with each other — and maybe a little tired of the sight. This will be their fourth meeting in less than a month, and emotions have already run high. In the last game, Timbers’ Kristopher Velde and San Diego’s Chuky Lozano exchanged heated words multiple times, a reflection of how fierce this rivalry has quickly become.
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Now, with the series tied and a trip to face either Seattle or Minnesota on the line, everything comes down to this final showdown. Portland Head Coach Phil Neville knows exactly what’s at stake.
“I think whoever handles that emotion, whoever handles that occasion, whoever goes out there and sticks to the game plan, is the team that’s going to win,” Neville said. “And I think the third game is going to be an absolute classic. We can’t wait for it.”
Neville, who has guided the Timbers through a gritty and tactically complex playoff run so far, didn’t shy away from the importance of this matchup.
“It’s probably the most important game I’ve coached for the Portland Timbers for sure,” he said. “But I hope there’s an even bigger one in two weeks and in three weeks.”
That confidence stems from what Neville has seen in his squad over the past two games — a growing belief that they belong among the league’s best.
“I see a team that’s got all those qualities and we’ve just got to go out there and perform again,” he said. “And what I said to them before the last game is that we have incredible belief in this group of players. And sometimes you need to go out there and perform at a certain level for them to start believing in themselves. And I think what you saw in the second game, you saw a group that started to believe that they can compete in this playoff. And the playoff run so far, the two games we’ve had have been really, really outstanding games, tactically sort of like a chess game. And I think the third game will be the same.”
On the field, defender Dario Zuparic echoed that mindset. When asked what it will take to withstand San Diego’s early pressure, he didn’t hesitate.
“Put some pressure on them, make some chaos,” Zuparic said. “Because if we play calm, like past games against them, it’s going to be hard to win this game. So we need to play in something like not playing their game. So we need to find the way to play our own game. So play direct, play aggressive. Press them when we can. When we can’t, so drop and wait for counterattacks.”
In the end, Zuparic summed up the focus perfectly: “The only thing I care is to win the game. I don’t care how — just to win the game. Even on big games, I’m fine with that.”
Kickoff is Sunday at 6 p.m. The winner moves on. The loser goes home. After four weeks of tension, tactics, and tempers, it all comes down to one final night.
