Timbers 2 - 3 Toronto FC
Final
  for this game

TFC, Portland continue playoff push at BMO Field

Sep 26, 2014 - 8:37 PM Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - The Portland Timbers and Toronto FC will look to close in a postseason berths when they square off at BMO Field on Saturday.

Both sides remain ensconced in their respective playoff battles with Portland holding a slightly more favorable position.

The Timbers enter the weekend on 39 points, good enough for fifth place in the Western Conference and the final playoff spot.

Toronto, meanwhile, is on the outside looking in, coming into Saturday's clash in seventh place in the East with 37 points.

The Reds were in a horrid run of form, suffering four defeats in a six-match winless run. But a comfortable 3-0 defeat of Chivas USA on Sunday helped the Canadian club get back into the win column.

"To me, honestly, this was a must win because it's a team (Chivas) that has been a little bit on the ropes," said TFC interim head coach Greg Vanney. "For us in terms of our confidence and next steps we really needed to win it. It wasn't something we talked about all week but I think if you asked each guy they probably have said the same the thing."

Portland was in a similar rut, having taken just one win from a run of five games, but a 3-0 home defeat of Vancouver Whitecaps FC seems to have put the Timbers on the right track.

"I think we got to realize that they're going to be motivated," said Timbers head coach Caleb Porter. "They're at home, they're going to be flying around (and) they're going to be aggressive."

While the Timbers enter the weekend in a playoff spot, Porter knows his team cannot rest on their laurels.

"We got to keep pushing," he continued. "We got to put pressure on Dallas, and continue to build pressure on the teams below us.

"We can't be satisfied staying where we're at."






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