|
Since the current playoff format was adopted in
2015, no Western Conference road team has won the
single-elimination midweek game.
"It's going to be tough for sure, but the playoffs are a
different thing," Timbers midfielder Andres Flores said. "All
the effort that we put during the season, now it's the reward
that we're in the playoffs. Now we have to go down there and try
to do our game and try to win it."
The Timbers (15-10-9, 54 points) are rested, as coach Gio
Savarese sat most of his starters in Sunday's 2-1 loss at
Vancouver with their playoff spot already assured.
"Now we're going to analyze," Savarese said after Sunday's
match. "Now we know who we have. We have to focus on that,
concentrate and be ready. FC Dallas is a tough team, but any
team that we're going to face is going to be a difficult game.
Now we prepare and we'll be ready to play."
FC Dallas (16-9-9, 57 points) lost its final three games of the
season, scoring just one goal in that span, to drop from second
to fourth place in the conference. Sunday's 2-1 defeat at
Colorado cost Dallas a first-round bye.
"We are disappointed, and now we have to look forward. I think
we are lucky to play at home (Wednesday)," FC Dallas defender
Reto Ziegler said. "Everybody has to analyze the past
performances -- not only (Sunday) but the last three games
because it was not good, it was not our level. It begins now
with the recovery, with the ice baths, sleeping well. It's the
small details, but we have to be fresh because Portland is going
to be fresh."
The teams played to ties in each of their regular-season
meetings, 1-1 on March 24 at FC Dallas and 0-0 on Sept. 29 in
Portland.
"Our guys are rested and (FC Dallas) just played a tough game in
Colorado," Timbers goalkeeper Jeff Attinella said. "I think that
we got a tie there early in the year. We got a good result
against them at home, so I think it's positive. We are looking
forward to the matchup, and I am expecting us to do really
well."
Dallas was 10-2-5 at home in the regular season, while Portland
was 4-8-5 on the road.
The winner Wednesday will meet either top-seeded Sporting Kansas
City or the second-seeded Seattle Sounders in a two-legged
series that will start Sunday.
--Field Level Media
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
