Article author:
Reuters
After losing in the US Open Cup quarterfinals last week, Nashville SC aims to return to the winning line when hosting the Portland Timbers on Sunday night at Music City.
Portland (5-6-7, 22 points) is below the playoffline at the Western Conference table, with three spots behind Nashville (7-5-5, 26 points). But the Timbers are undefeated. The last three league games.
Recently, the Timbers defeated Houston Dynamo 2-1 on Wednesday.
After receiving two yellow cards against Houston, Portland will no longer have the midfielder Bill Twiroma, who is defensive against Nashville. Twiroma complained to the referee after whispering a foul near the midfield in the 75th minute, and the referee issued him a walking paper.
According to Oregonian, Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese said, "This kind of result is needed at home." "We suffered in the second half, especially difficult for the 10 men, and it was Houston's credit, but how they shattered it and firmly to ensure the desired results. I'm very proud of what I've defended. "
Timbers try to score points on the road without a key player. Twiroma is not only a sturdy defender, but also has five goals and assists.
Nashville's defeat at the US Open Cup was a penalty kick, with Orlando City winning 6-5. Prior to its defeat, Nashville was undefeated in six of the previous seven games in all contests.
After losing to Orlando, Nashville coach Gary Smith held the referee part of the responsibility.
"To be honest, I think I was pretty disappointed by the officials in a situation where I needed a strong person," Smith said, according to the Tennessians. "Unfortunately, officials thought they weren't there where they needed it."
– Field-level media
