Ten Things To Know: Portland Timbers vs. Colorado Rapids

Monday, November 2, 2020

---

Our Rapids play-by-play announcer, Richard Fleming, is renowned for being detailed in his preparation when calling MLS games, and he is offering us a little insight into some of his pregame notes.

Find below some things you may find useful ahead of Wednesday's trip to the Portland Timbers. We have coverage on Altitude and AltitudeNOW from 7.30pm.

1. The Rapids and the Timbers have tied the previous two meetings; the first being the 3-3 draw at a snow-covered DICK’S Sporting Goods Park on March 2, 2019, with the second ending 2-2 at Providence Park in mid-July of last year.
2. That 2-2 result on the road marked the first time in 10 visits that the Rapids had managed more than one goal inside Portland’s home.
3. Historically, a road game in Portland has been tough for the Rapids. Not only have they been shutout in five of their 10 games there, but they have an overall record of 1-8-1 with just six goals to show.
4. The only away win for the Rapids came in 2011 - Portland’s first season in MLS - when Drew Moor scored in stoppage time for a 1-0 victory. Moor and Diego Chara are the only survivors from that game.
5. The Rapids head to Portland with a 3-3-1 record away from home. They won four on the road in 2016, albeit playing almost twice as many games. Like most teams in MLS, the Rapids have always lost more road games than they have won, though that could very well change this year.
6. Portland are unbeaten at home in the last five and have a 5-3-2 record at Providence Park this season. Their defeats have come against Minnesota United, Seattle Sounders, and LA Galaxy.
7. The Rapids head into the final two games of the 2020 regular season as still the only team in all of MLS yet to be awarded a penalty this season. Their previous penalty was converted by Nicolas Mezquida in a 2-1 home win over LA Galaxy on September 11, 2019. The next penalty scored would be the 90th converted in club history.
8. The two head coaches have a history which stretches back to their playing days and the very first season of MLS. Portland boss Giovanni Savarese played for the MetroStars and Robin Fraser started at Los Angeles Galaxy. In the opening game for both clubs, Savarese scored a consolation in a 2-1 loss inside the Rose Bowl on April 13, 1996.
9. Saverese’s only hat-trick in MLS came in a 3-0 home win over the Colorado Rapids on May 16 of the inaugural season. It was the second hat-trick in league history. The league’s first hat-trick had been scored a day earlier by Steve Rammel.
10. The Rapids enjoyed a season-high 10 shots on goal against Seattle on Sunday night. One other stat of note: there was no game-winning assist as Keegan Rosenberry’s goal was all his own making, but the next game-winning assist would be the 300th in Rapids history.

Coverage of Portland Timbers versus Colorado Rapids from 7.30pm on Wednesday, on Altitude and AltitudeNOW.