PORTLAND TIMBERS vs. HOUSTON DYNAMO

PROVIDENCE PARK, Portland, Ore.

June 20, 2015 (WEEK 16, MLS Game #157)

10:30 p.m. ET (MLS Live)

A critical match in the thick of the Western Conference chase is ahead when the Portland Timbers play host

to the Houston Dynamo on Saturday evening at Providence Park. The teams are separated by just two points in the heart of the West table. The Timbers have put together three consecutive wins for the first time in their MLS history, coming off a 2-0 home win over the New England Revolution. The Dynamo snapped a two-game winless run last time out in league play, rolling to a 4-2 win against the New York Red Bulls at BBVA Compass Stadium.

The Timbers have won three consecutive games for the first time in their MLS history, following their 2-0 victory against the New England Revolution in their last match, June 6 at Providence Park.

Fanendo Adi scored both goals in the win vs. New England, his second two-goal game this season, and his fifth and sixth goals of the season. Of the 15 goals Adi has scored in MLS, 12 have come in six career multiple-goal games.

Will Bruin scored two goals in a game for the second time in four games and hit for multiple goals in a game for the seventh time in his MLS career as the Dynamo rolled to a 4-2 win against the New York Red Bulls in their last match, June 5 at BBVA Compass Stadium.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Will Bruin scored a pair of goals and Giles Barnes added a third as the Dynamo eased to a 3-1 victory May 16 at BBVA Compass Stadium.

The Timbers have won once in six meetings all-time in the series, a 2-0 victory April 6, 2013, the last encounter at Providence Park. The Dynamo won 2-0 in their only other visit to Portland, in 2011. The Dynamo have won two of the four meetings all-time in Houston, with two draws.

REFEREE: Baldomero Toledo. AR1 (bench): Ian Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Mike Kampmeinert; 4th: Alejandro Mariscal

Toledo MLS Career: 194 games; FC/gm: 25.1; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 72; pens: 70

DOWNLOAD FULL GAME GUIDE (PDF)

SUSPENDED: none

WARNINGS:

SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: POR: Alvas Powell … HOU: Ricardo Clark, Kofi Sarkodie

SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: POR: Liam Ridgewell … HOU: Jermaine Taylor, Giles Barnes, Luis Garrido

DISABLED LIST: none

INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: HOU: Jermaine Taylor, Giles Barnes (Jamaica; Copa América)

HEAD-TO-HEAD

ALL-TIME (6 meetings): Timbers 1 win, 5 goals … Dynamo 3 wins, 8 goals … Ties 2

AT PORTLAND (2 meetings): Timbers 1 win, 2 goals … Dynamo 1 win, 2 goals … Ties 0

FUTURE MATCH: 8/21: Portland Timbers vs. Houston Dynamo, 8 p.m. PT (UniMas)

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Will Bruin scored a pair of goals and Giles Barnes added a third as the Dynamo eased to a 3-1 victory May 16 at BBVA Compass Stadium.

The Timbers have won once in six meetings all-time in the series, a 2-0 victory April 6, 2013, the last encounter at Providence Park. The Dynamo won 2-0 in their only other visit to Portland, in 2011. The Dynamo have won two of the four meetings all-time in Houston, with two draws.

Coaches' records:

Caleb Porter vs. HOU: P3 W1 L1 D1

Owen Coyle vs. POR: P1 W1 L0 D0

LAST MEETING (MLS)

5/16: HOU 3, POR 1 (Bruin 9, 83; Barnes 75 – Adi 48)

The Dynamo opened the scoring in just the ninth minute. After Giles Barnes earned a free kick on the left sideline, Brad Davis sent the set piece across the box to the edge of the six-yard box where an unmarked Will Bruin headed down an easy goal for the early lead.

The Timbers pulled level just three minutes after the halftime restart. After a collision at midfield, Portland playmaker Diego Valeri picked up the ball and played a well-weighted ball into the path of Fanendo Adi, who held off a defender and deflected a shot off goalkeper Tyler Deric’s boot and into the goal.

The Dynamo found the eventual winner with a quarter-hour to play. Getting a quick pass from Giles Barnes on the right side of the area with time and space, substitute Alexander Lopez instead laid it off back to a wide-open Barnes for a powerful blast from 12 yards out to the bvack of the net.

The night was completed in the 83rd minute after a long ball from Jermaine Taylor found Bruin running at goal. With goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey off his line, Bruin floated his shot over the ‘keeper’s outstretched arms and into the goal to cap the scoring.

HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-4-1-1): Tyler Deric - Raul Rodriguez, David Horst, Jermaine Taylor, DaMarcus Beasley - Boniek Garcia (Alexander Lopez 74), Luis Garrido, Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis - Giles Barnes - Will Bruin (Rob Lovejoy 90).

PORTLAND TIMBERS (4-2-3-1): Adam Kwarasey - Alvas Powell (Gaston Fernandez 85), Nat Borchers, Liam Ridgewell, Jorge Villafana - Diego Chara, Jack Jewsbury - Darlington Nagbe (Dairon Asprilla 76), Diego Valeri (Maximiliano Urruti 84), Rodney Wallace - Fanendo Adi.

Related Content:

Dynamo depth show skills at opportune time (6/18)

Timbers hail "mature" performance in Open Cup win over rivals Seattle (6/17)

Houston's Garcia only MLSer named to Honduras Gold Cup roster (6/17)

Dynamo rekindle set-piece mastery with help from Coyle (6/16)

CHECK OUT THE INJURY REPORT HEADING INTO THE MATCH

CHECK OUT THE DISCIPLINARY REPORT HEADING INTO THE MATCH