Playoff races make strange bedfellows. The Portland Timbers are hanging on for dear life, two measly points up on the Vancouver Whitecaps for the fifth and final playoff spot in the West. The Whitecaps face Portland's hated rival Seattle tonight, and Timbers fans are naturally a little confused.

It's not just fans. Timbers coach Caleb Porter was asked who he'd be pulling for tonight, since a Vancouver win would see them leapfrog Portland with two matches left to play.

"I think you know who I'm rooting for," Porter said. "As far as I know, Vancouver is playing another team. I'm not sure who they're playing. I hope that other team beats them."


Timbers supporters should not worry if they succumb to the temptation to root for "that other team" tonight. On Instagram, the Timbers offered up this special dispensation: