FRISCO, Texas – This week on the FCD Rewind series is FC Dallas vs. Portland Timbers from April 13, 2019 at Toyota Stadium. The game we be re-aired this Sunday, April 12 from 7-9PM on TXA 21. If you can’t catch the broadcast, the game will be available beginning at 8AM the following Monday on fcdallas.com/OnDemand.
Here’s why you should tune in to FC Dallas vs. Portland Timbers from 2019 this Sunday.
Some Context
This was FCD’s seventh game under new coach Luchi Gonzalez. Overall, Dallas had started the season brightly but recently let three points slip away to the Philadelphia Union. Now with a 3-2-1 record, Dallas had something to prove at home against the Timbers. Portland, on the hand, were struggling to replicate the previous season’s form and was still looking for its first win after five games. With both teams in need of three points, the stage was set for an exciting rematch of the 2015 Western Conference Final.
Grudge Match
It was definitely a grudge match for FC Dallas when Portland came to Frisco last April. The Timbers had ended Dallas’ 2018 season in a contentious knockout match at Toyota Stadium just a few months prior, and the wound was definitely still raw. Plus, FCD's' roster hasn't changed all that much since the 2015 defeat to Portland in the Western Conference Final. In other words, this wasn't just another game for many Dallas players.
Fallen Timbers?
The Portland Timbers were suffering a difficult start to 2019. The team had to play its first 12 matches on the road due to ongoing renovations at Providence Park in Portland. Now six games into that run, the Timbers had only managed one tie and were on a five-game losing streak heading into Dallas. Having reached the MLS Cup the year before, expectations were still sky high and second-year head coach Giovanni Savarese was under pressure to turn it around sooner rather than later.
Lineups
