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Timbers, Whitecaps begin playoff push

Sep 19, 2014 - 9:33 PM Portland, OR (SportsNetwork.com) - A crucial clash in the Western Conference playoff race takes place at Providence Park on Saturday as Cascadia Cup rivals Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the Portland Timbers square off.

Not only is the game a battle between two rivals, but the teams are separated by just one point in the race for the final playoff spot in the West, currently held by Vancouver.

With six games to play, these two figure to battle it out for the final spot, and Saturday's game will be the final meeting of the teams.

The Whitecaps come into the game having won once in the last six games after a 2-1 defeat to FC Dallas last time out.

Erik Hurtado equalized for the 'Caps in the 67th, but Blas Perez netted the winner for FCD 11 minutes later, spoiling a good performance from Carl Robinson's men.

"I thought we done a lot of very good things within the game, but games turn on very fine moments," said Robinson. "The game is about both boxes. It doesn't really matter what you do in the middle of the field. It's about being precise and being detailed in the two boxes. We could have created a little bit more. We played well in patches, we dug deep. Third game in a week, which was always going to be difficult."

Vancouver has had one week to regroup and prepare for Saturday's clash, while Portland was busy with the CONCACAF Champions League on Tuesday, dispatching Olimpia, 4-2.

Portland has drawn its last two games in league play, and the club came from a goal down against Colorado last time out to snatch a 2-2 draw as substitute Gaston Fernandez leveled the proceedings in the 76th minute.

"I think it says a lot about the attitude of our entire team, that we get guys that come into the game and they do a job even though they didn't start the game," said Portland head coach Caleb Porter. "That makes my job tough, because obviously we get goals off guys coming in off the bench, and then they're motivating you to play in the next game, which I'm fine with."

Portland may be outside the playoff picture at the moment, but Porter's team has the chance to collect some points in the coming weeks with a match at struggling Toronto FC before back-to-back games against second-from-the-bottom San Jose.

A win on Saturday could be the start of a playoff push for the Timbers, but a loss would put added pressure on Portland over the final five games.