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By Will Conwell
GAME 13: Portland Timbers (5W-5L-2T) vs Colorado Rapids (4W-3L-7T)
Saturday, June 11, 7:30 p.m. Galavision/ROOT
Previous match-up(s): 3/19/11 POR 1 – COL 3

The Timbers are coming off two losses to beatable teams going into their rematch against the Colorado Rapids. The Timbers have looked questionable all season long despite managing five home wins. It will take teamwork and effort to take the Timbers to the level at which they can win games comfortably, rather than relying on luck and circumstance to see them through. The Timbers certainly have the players to win, but they have been held back by mental lapses.

The Rapids have endured struggles of their own and, after starting the first few games of the season looking like champions, have gone into a rut. The Rapids have tied their last six games, equaling a Major League Soccer record, and have looked out of sorts while several of their star forwards recover from injury. Caleb Forlan, Conor Casey, and Omar Cummings have all been injured for a significant portion of the season so far. Colorado's defense and midfield have looked stout, but without the contributions up top the team has, predictably, failed to get the results that they want.

The Timbers will be looking for rookie phenom Darlington Nagbe to reclaim his starting spot this week from Sal Zizzo. Nagbe has been limited to minutes coming off the bench recently while he battles injury, but when healthy enough to start, he brings both a calming effect and an unpredictability to the right side of midfield. Zizzo's blistering pace and ability to run at defenders has served the team well off the bench early in the season, but despite scintillating play he has struggled to make an impact on the game while starting.

STRATEGY
The Portland and Colorado teams that take the pitch today will both have several personnel changes from the sides that met in March for the season opener. However, the most important battle of the game will once again be in the midfield. In the two team's first meeting, Jeff Larentowitz and Pablo Mastroeni shut down the Timbers midfield completely. This time around they will be facing off against Jack Jewsbury and Diego Chara, a very different dynamic than Peter Lowry and Jack Jewsbury, the midfield pairing in the first meeting. Additionally, Colorado will be lacking the services of Brian Mullan on the outside as he serves a suspension, which will allow the Timbers wings more room to move without his tireless work rate suffocating them.

While Conor Casey has returned from injury, Omar Cummings and Caleb Folan are both still sidelined. The Timbers defense matches up well against Casey, a player who uses his power to beat defenders. In the two teams' last meeting, Cummings tormented the Timbers' defense with his speed and skillful footwork, while playing off the passes of Casey. The lack of Cummings' runs to streach the Timbers' defense will allow them to deal with Casey, and barring any missed marks, the Timbers should be able to cope with the Rapids' attack much more effectively this time around.

LEADING GOAL SCORERS
Kenny Cooper – 3
Jorge Perlaza – 3
Jack Jewsbury – 3
Rodney Wallace -2
Mamadu ¬Å“Futty¬Â Danso – 2
Eric Brunner – 1

NEXT 5 MATCHES
6/19 vs New York Red Bulls
6/25 @ FC Dallas
7/2 vs Sporting Kansas City
7/7 vs Club America
7/10 vs Seattle Sounders

BOTTOM LINE
The Timbers need to come out organized and ready to work against this Colorado team that is hungry for a win of its own. This is the best chance for the Timbers to break their losing streak before it truly begins as two hard matches against New York and at Dallas will be among the hardest tests of the year for this fledgling Timbers team. A complete effort from the defense and attack will be necessary to get any points against a stumbling but quality Colorado team.

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Pipeline's Portland Timbers  coverage by:

Will Conwell

Will Conwell is an aspiring novelist who spends his free time unloading trucks in warehouses. His passions in life are soccer, beer, and writing, which he has found are best enjoyed in concert. Will can be contacted at william.conwell@gmail.com or on twitter at TimbersPipeline.