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PREVIEW: The Timbers play host to the Montreal Impact at PGE tommorow afternoon, returning to action after 8 days off. The layoff has given the team a chance to rest a few of their key players who’ve been out with minor ailments. Starting midfielders Ryan Pore, Tony Mcmanus, and starting defender Takuro Nishimura all will have an immediate impact. Despite the injuries, the Timbers haven’t skipped a beat with many younger players like Alex Nimo taking advantage of the opportunites to show what they can do. The Timbers are riding an 11 game unbeaten streak into the match, unquestionably the hottest team in the league, and sits #1 on our weekly Power Rankings. A big part of what makes this team so tough is their unbelievable depth.

Currently, the Impact are six points behind the Timbers in the league standings, sitting in 5th place overall. They’ve been hot recently, winning their last three matches in league play, although they’ve dropped 3 in a row to the Timbers. The Impact like to play a tough, possession-control type of match, so the Timbers will have to be patient and effecient on offense. Earlier this month in Portland, the teams battled to a grinding 1-0 match, which ended on a last-minute goal by Keith Savage. If the team wants to stay ahead in the standings they’d better be ready for an intense match.

Montreal Key Players:
Roberto Ronaldo Brown Perea – The striker with the long name leads the the Impact in goals scored at 3 this season. He’s dangerous if you give him space to work with, so the Timbers will have to mark him well.

Rocco Placentino – The Canadian leads the team in total points as well as tallying 5 assists already this season. From the midfield, Rocco is a quick playmaker with good touch on the ball and the Timbers will need to bottle him up, limiting his ability to create.