It will be a matchup of strength against strength when United take on the visiting Portland Timbers this Saturday night (8 PM ET, NewsChannel 8). The Timbers boast one of the league’s most prolific offenses while United possess a staunch back line. D.C.’s excellent center back tandem of Steve Birnbaum and Bobby Boswell will look to slow down Portland’s fluid attack, which runs through striker Fanendo Adi and midfielder Diego Valeri and is tied for fourth-most goals in the league.
United’s defense continues to be one of the best in MLS. Birnbaum and Boswell have played a huge role in the defense’s success, which has allowed the second-fewest goals in the Eastern Conference. Both have achieved career milestones this season - Boswell became just the third player to play 30,000 minutes in league history, while Birnbaum made the U.S. national team squad for the Copa America.
Boswell uses his strength and experience to frustrate opposing forwards while Birnbaum makes a nuisance of himself by matching his opponent’s every footstep with relentless energy. He is also effective when getting involved in the attack, exemplified by his dramatic game-tying header against Philadelphia last Saturday. They have formed an effective partnership this year that has shut down some of the league’s best forwards, and they will have to be at their best again this weekend when facing Portland.
A huge part of the Timbers’ MLS Cup-winning season in 2015 was their ability to score goals, and the lynchpins of that attack were Diego Valeri and Fanendo Adi. Adi led the team with 16 goals during the regular season and chipped in two more during the playoffs. He has already racked up 11 goals in just 21 starts in the 2016 campaign and he continues to use his six-foot-four frame to win balls in the attacking third.
While Adi is best known for his power and brawn, Diego Valeri is the maestro of the Timbers’ attack. One of the most technically skilled players in the league, his creativity makes him a tough task for any defender to stay with. He led the team in assists in 2015 with eight and has recorded five so far this year. However, Valeri’s most impressive improvement this year is in the goal-scoring column, where he has already scored 10 (five times the amount he scored all last season).
Each team is hovering right around the red line in their respective conference and are badly in need of points as the playoff race heats up. Saturday’s match may well be determined by the battle between United’s central defenders and Portland’s dynamic attackers.
“No question we feel like we left some more points on the table these last two weeks, but we’re a win out of a playoff spot, and I told our guys there’s so much good to this team,” said Olsen of the team’s mentality. “I think the upside and the quality that this team can produce is better than maybe any team that I’ve coached here.”
