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Timbers hope to end home woes vs. streaking L.A.

Aug 2, 2011 - 8:22 PM Portland, OR (Sports Network) - Since starting the season with five wins in a row at Jeld-Wen Field, the Portland Timbers have looked like an expansion team at home in Major League Soccer.

John Spencer's squad is winless in its last six home games, going 0-4-2 during the stretch, and face the Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday night at home.

Los Angeles (12-2-9) is undefeated in 14 consecutive games, leads the Western Conference, and has the "best American player by a mile," Spencer said of star Landon Donovan.

"Everybody talks about David [Beckham], everybody talks about Thierry Henry, I worry about Landon Donovan," Spencer said.

Portland (6-10-4) tied its last game, 2-2 over the weekend at Jeld-Wen against Toronto FC. Eddie Johnson and Jack Jewsbury scored to give Portland a two-goal lead, but Toronto scored twice after the 70th minute.

"I think offensively, you score two goals, we need to win," Timbers midfielder Sal Zizzo said. "Defensively, it's not just our back four, it's defensively as a team.

"It's pressuring the ball from the goalie all the way up to the forwards and we've got to do a better job with that."

Portland has allowed 10 goals in the last 15 minutes of games this year, tied with Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the San Jose Earthquakes for the most in MLS - and 21 goals in the second half, which trails just Vancouver and Toronto.

"I think it's inexperience and a lack of maturing," Spencer admitted, "not as people, but as professional soccer players."

Spencer was upset with his club after the tie against Toronto and acknowledged it was time to move past excuses and to start getting results.

"I told the guys in the locker room that you can only keep papering up the cracks for so long. Individually and collectively you have to stand up and be a man and at times we did stand up and at times we weren't there to be seen," Spencer said.

Los Angeles crushed Vancouver, 4-0, on Saturday in its last match, as Donovan had two goals and an assist. It was his third two-goal game of the season, and moved him into a tie for third all-time with 114 MLS goals.

Donovan and Henry are tied on 11 goals to lead MLS this season and another win - or draw - Wednesday will tie the club record unbeaten streak set in 1997-98 and 2009-10 of 15 straight games without a loss.

L.A. defeated Portland 3-0 in April when Donovan scored twice, and Spencer and the Timbers know they must slow down the U.S. star to end their home slide.